No. 3 Virginia Tops No. 21 Notre Dame on the Road
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Junior Joe Bell (Wanaka, New Zealand) converted a penalty kick in the 70th minute to lift No. 3 Virginia (8-0, 3-0 ACC) to a 1-0 win at No. 21 Notre Dame (4-3-1, 0-3 ACC) on Saturday (Sept. 28). The Cavaliers are 8-0 for the first time since 2006 and are one of seven teams in collegiate soccer that are undefeated and untied.
Sophomore Daryl Dike (Edmond, Okla.) drew a foul on the far side of the box to setup Bell’s second goal of the season and second in the last three games. The Cavaliers did not record a shot on goal in the contest and Notre Dame held a 12-9 advantage in total attempts. Virginia applied much of the pressure in the second half with a 6-4 shot edge in the final 45 minutes and held a 58 percent of the possession for the game.
Goalkeeper Colin Shutler (Middleburg, Va.), the nation’s leader in save percentage, goals against average and shutouts made two saves to record his seventh clean sheet of 2019. He made a stop in each half including a diving, close-range shot off the foot of Aiden McFadden in the 67th minute.
Shutler registered his 15th career shutout, tying him with Brock Yesto (1995-98) for the eighth most in UVA history.
The 8-0 start matches the longest under head coach George Gelnovatch who started the 2006 season with eight-straight victories. It marks the eighth time in the program’s 76-year history the Cavaliers have won the first eight games of the year.
The Cavaliers return home on Tuesday (Sept. 28) for a non-conference tilt against George Washington. The match at Klöckner Stadium is set for 7 p.m. and will air live on ACCNX.
Additional Notes
• Virginia successfully avenged a 1-0 overtime loss at Notre Dame last season in the Third Round (Sweet 16) of the NCAA Tournament.
• In regular season action, Virginia improved to 6-0-1 in its last seven games away from Klöckner Stadium.
• Virginia has squared off against Notre Dame 13 times since 2013, the most against any other opponent. The Cavaliers are 5-4-4 in those games against the Irish in that span and 8-4-4 all-time.
• The Cavaliers improve to 3-0 against ranked opponents in 2019 defeating then-No. 1 Maryland, then No. 2 Duke and No. 21 Notre Dame.