Virginia Eliminated from NCAA Tournament in Penalty Kicks

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – For the second-consecutive match, the No. 11 Virginia men’s soccer team (10-4-5) was defeated in penalty kicks as the Cavaliers fell to No. 9 Marshall (11-3-3) in a shootout after the teams battled to a 1-1 draw on Sunday afternoon (Nov.20) at Klöckner Stadium.

Goals (Assists)
28’ – Virginia: Phil Horton (Reese Miller, Albin Gashi)
66’ – Marshall: Matthew Bell (Ibrahima Diop)
*Marshall advances on penalty kicks*

HOW IT HAPPENED:
Virginia started the game on the front foot as the Cavaliers dominated the possession game and dictated the pace of play. The Cavaliers outshot the Herd 6-2 in the opening minutes. Despite the lopsided shot totals, Marshall thought they had taken the lead early when the put an attempt past Holden Brown. However, the goal was waived off by the assistant referee for offsides.

Minutes later it was Virginia that broke the game open. A beautifully arched pass from Albin Gashi in the center circle found the feet of Reese Miller who pulled free of a hard defensive challenge. Darting into the penalty area, Miller played a low cross into Phil Horton who, with a touch of class, placed the ball into the low corner to put the Cavaliers on top.

Virginia had another chance to extend its lead just two minutes after the opening goal was scored. A corner kick attempt bounced to Gashi who chested it down to his feet and struck it on the half-volley. The ball sailed towards the upper corner of the goal but was denied by an outstanding effort from the Marshall goalkeeper who kept the score at 1-0 heading into the halftime break.

Marshall came out with intensity in the second half of play as the Herd began to grow into the game and create quality chances of their own. After a hard-fought 20 minutes in the second half, Marshall broke through. Ibrahima Diop rifled a shot off the crossbar that was headed past Holden Brown to level the score.

In the late stages of the first overtime period, Virginia had its best chance at taking the lead once again. An in-swinging ball from a corner kick was loose inside the six-yar box as the Marshall goalkeeper was caught out. Moritz Kappelsberger deflected it goalward, but the chance was eventually snuffed out as the goalkeeper recovered and gobbled up the loose ball.

FROM HEAD COACH GEORGE GELNOVATCH
“We did a lot of things right today against a very good team. We were just lacking that second goal, and we had the chances to do that. I knew when the bracket came out that Marshall is a very good team. They have a lot of pieces left from their national championship team a couple years ago. I think that game probably could have been a quarterfinal or national semifinal match and I give Marshall a lot of credit.”

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

• Phil Horton scored his sixth goal of the season and his first in an NCAA tournament game
• Reese Miller tallied his first collegiate assist, Albin Gashi tallied his second
• The Cavaliers fall in penalty kicks for the second consecutive match after falling to Syracuse in the ACC Semifinals
• With the draw, Virginia ends its season on an eight-game unbeaten streak
• Virginia is 6-0-1 all-time against Marshall
• UVA outshot Marshall by a margin of 11-5 in the first half and 20-16 overall
• Holden Brown made six or more saves for the third consecutive match
• Virginia defender Andreas Ueland led all players in shots with six, matching his career-high
• The Cavaliers fall to a record of 67-34-6 all-time in the NCAA Tournament with a 52-19-3 record at home