No. 8 Virginia Battles Notre Dame to 1-1 Stalemate

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — AJ Smith finished off a clinical team goal in the 20^th minute, but the Irish struck late, forcing No. 8 Virginia to settle for a draw on Friday night (Oct. 10) at Klöckner Stadium. The Cavaliers (7-1-3, 3-0-3 ACC) battled Notre Dame (7-2-3, 2-1-2 ACC) to a 1-1 stalemate while extending their unbeaten streak to eight straight games.

Goals (Assist)
20’ Virginia – Smith (Pavu, Simmonds)
86’ Notre Dame – Flanagan (Baffour)

How it Happened:

• Virginia registered the first four shots of the game highlighted by a long cross headed down for AJ Smith, whose chance from inside the area was lifted over the crossbar.
• The Cavaliers broke through in the 20^th minute with well worked team goal. Jesus De Vicente lofted a free kick into Nick Simmonds in the center circle who did well to bring the ball down and find Alex Parvu on the right wing. With a sliding first touch, Parvu put a low cross to the feet of Smith who fired his shot into the roof of the net for 1-0.

• The Cavaliers created multiple chances to extend its lead in the second half outshooting the Irish 5-4 in the final 45 minutes and 14-6 overall.
• The best of UVA’s second half chances materialized from an angled pass from Simmonds to play Dos Santos in on goal. Going to ground as he struck the ball inside the penalty area, his shot landed just wide of the goal post and the Virginia lead remained at 1-0
• With just under five minutes remaining in the match, Notre Dame’s KK Baffour created just enough space on the left wing to send a low cross in to Jack Flannigan who redirected the ball into the back of the net to salvage the draw for the Irish.

With the Result:

• The Cavaliers extend their unbeaten streak to eight straight
• UVA is now 5-0-2 at home this season
• Virginia remains unbeaten in conference play with a record of 3-0-3
• UVA stops a three-game losing streak to Notre Dame and leads the all-time series 9-8-5

Additional Notes:

• AJ Smith notched his second goal of the season and his first game-winner of the year
• Alex Parvu tallied his fifth assist of the season and his fourth in his last five appearances
• Nick Simmonds recorded his second assist of the season and leads the team with 12 points
• The Cavaliers outshot Notre Dame 14-6 for the game
• Virginia allowed just two shots on target while placing four of their own on frame
• The Cavaliers controlled 57 percent of possession

From Head Coach George Gelnovatch:
“Really disappointing to give up a goal inside five minutes and not take all three points. It feels like a loss. We had chances to make it 2-0 and didn’t do it to close the game out; so it’s disappointing. We’ll get ready for UNC Greensboro on Tuesday.” 

Up Next:
The Cavaliers will be back in action on Tuesday (Oct. 14) when they host to UNCG at Klöckner Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on ACCNX.