Despite Late Game Heroics, Virginia Fall in OT to No. 2 Pitt

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 5 Virginia (1-1-1, 1-1-1 ACC) erased a 2-0 first half deficit thanks to a 90^th minute goal by Nick Berghold (Wingdale, N.Y.) but No. 2 Pitt (4-0-0, 3-0-0 ACC) notched a golden goal in the first overtime in a 3-2 victory at Klöckner Stadium on Sunday night (Oct. 18).

Berghold provided the late-game heroics by scoring his first collegiate goal with 49 seconds left in regulation to level the match at two. The goal was setup by a back-heel pass from freshman Kaya Ignacio (Georgetown, Texas), who also scored the first Cavalier goal of the night.

Sophomore Philip Horton (New Albany, Ohio) found Ignacio on the back post to cut the Panther lead in half in the 66^th minute.

“You hate to lose and drop the points,” head coach George Gelnovatch. “I’m taking a lot of positives away (from tonight). We still have a lot to play in conference play and getting ready for the ACC Tournament but there is a lot to build on.”

The Cavaliers conceded its first two, first-half goals of the season to fall behind 2-0 after the first 45 minutes of action.

Pitt’s Arturo Ordonez scored on the only shot of the first overtime, just 2:01 into the extra session. It marked the fourth-straight match dating back to last season Virginia has played extra time. Ordonez headed in a corner kick served by Raphael Crivello.

The Panthers held a 15-11 shot advantage for the match, but Virginia flipped the script and took nine of the 13 second half shot attempts. Virginia held 54 percent of the match’s possession.

Pitt jumped out to a 2-0 lead thanks to a pair of goals by Valentin Noel, the first occurring just 2:58 into the match. The goal was the quickest against Virginia since Virginia Tech scored in the first minute on Sept. 18, 2018.

The Cavaliers will be back in action on Saturday (Oct. 24) when they travel to Notre Dame for their final ACC regular season road match of the year. The contest will air live on ACCNX and is scheduled for a noon start.

Additional Notes

• Pitt has now won three-straight matches at Klöckner Stadium. Virginia owns a 7-3-1 advantage in the all-time series.
• Berghold logged 55 minutes in the match, his first action in a Cavalier uniform.
• The loss snapped an eight-game win streak at Klöckner Stadium, a streak that started after a 2-0 loss to Pitt last season.