Virginia Strikes Late, Earns 2-2 Draw at No. 8 Virginia Tech

BLACKSBURG, Va. — A late surge earned Virginia (3-1-1, 0-0-1 ACC) a valuable point in its ACC opener Friday night (Sept. 5) at Thompson Field. UVA Freshmen Bacary Tandjigora and Nick Simmonds combined for a 79th-minute goal, sealing a 2-2 draw at No. 8 Virginia Tech (2-0-2, 0-0-1 ACC).

Goals (Assist)
27’ Virginia – Pelà (Dos Santos)
29’ Virginia Tech – Sullins (Belatrache)
44’ Virginia Tech – Ariely (Beutel)
79’ Virginia – Simmonds (Tandjigora)

How it Happened:

• Virginia had the better of the early chances as Sami Oulouheu came close to giving UVA the lead just past the five-minute mark, but his attempt was steered wide of the post. Jesus De Vicente tested the Hokie goalkeeper early forcing a save at the low post from a free kick while Simmonds also registered a near miss inside the penalty area.
• The Cavaliers broke open the scoring minutes later when Marco Dos Santos picked out Umberto Pelà inside the penalty area who found the back of the net to score in consecutive games.
• Virginia Tech answered two minutes later when Andy Sullins leveled the game from inside the penalty area for 1-1.
• With just over a minute to play in the opening half, the Cavaliers conceded the go-ahead goal off a corner kick as Amir Ariely found the back of the net after collecting a header that was put back into the penalty area.
• Virginia Tech threatened to score a third in the 74^th minute on a pair of chances inside the box. However, Casper Mols made a pair of crucial one-on-one saves to keep the deficit at 2-1.
• With just over 10 minutes to play in the match, Tandjigora dribbled past defenders and carried his run deep into the penalty area before whipping in a cross to Simmonds who tapped the ball into a wide-open net for 2-2.

With the Result:

• Virginia is unbeaten in its last four meetings with Virginia Tech
• Virginia records its 11th result (win or draw) against a top-10 opponent in the last four seasons
• The Cavaliers improve to 44-6-7 all-time against the Hokies
• An unranked Virginia team has earned a result against a ranked Virginia Tech team for the second consecutive season. UVA improves to 1-1-2 under such circumstances 

Additional Notes:

• Umberto Pelà scored in back-to-back games for the first time in his career
• Marco Dos Santos tallied a team-leading fourth assist of the season
• All four of Dos Santos’ assists have set up go-ahead goals for Virginia
• Bacary Tandjigora earned his first career assist setting up the game-tying goal
• The Cavaliers outshot the Hokies by a margin of 14-13
• Casper Mols made six saves in goal, his highest tally as a Cavalier
• The Cavaliers put five shots on target compared to Virginia Tech’s eight
• Possession was split at an even 50-percent
• Virginia took four corner kicks compared to Virginia Tech’s two

The Smithfield Commonwealth Clash

• The Smithfield Commonwealth Clash, originally called the Commonwealth Challenge (2005-2007), has been a part of the UVA-Virginia Tech rivalry since 2014. It is an all-sports, points-based program with the Commonwealth Clash trophy presented to the winning school each year for its dominance in head-to-head competitions.
• With the result Virginia and Virginia split the first point of the 2025-26 season

From Head Coach George Gelnovatch:
“I thought it was an exciting game with a lot of chances for both teams. I feel like if we had scored the two great chances that we had in the first half that it would have changed the complexion of the game and made things a little easier for ourselves. Instead, we ended up chasing the game in the second half, but we showed great spirit and resilience. Baca made an amazing run to set up the game-tying goal and help us come away with a crucial point on the road.”

Up Next:
The Cavaliers will be back in action on Saturday (Sept. 13) when they travel to Louisville. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET on ACCNX.