Pelà Lifts No. 9 Virginia to 2-1 Win Over Denver

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Cavalier captain Umberto Pelà scored one and set up an incredible strike from Reese Miller to secure a victory over Denver and extend UVA’s unbeaten streak to 10 games. No. 9 Virginia (8-1-4) defeated Denver (7-7-1) by a score of 2-1 on Sunday afternoon (Oct. 19) at Klöckner Stadium.

Goals (Assist)
54’ Virginia – Pelà (De Vicente, Tandjigora)
57’ Virginia – Miller (Pelà)
59’ Denver – Welch (Collins)

How it Happened:

• The Cavaliers held a commanding advantage in possession in the first half and dealt with high defensive pressure from Denver. Virginia took seven shots in the opening 45 minutes while placing two on goal.
• After a pair of threatening Cavalier chances, Stephen Hurlock registered Virginia’s first shot on goal which was pushed away by the Denver goalkeeper. Casper Mols came up with an important save on Denver’s only shot of the first half as the teams went into the break locked in a 0-0 stalemate.
• In the 52^nd minute, the Cavaliers snuffed out a Denver counterattack and creating a scoring chance of their own. Bacary Tandjigora played Jesus De Vicente down the left wing whose pinpoint cross into the penalty area was headed in by Umberto Pelà for 1-0.

• Just three minutes later, the Cavaliers struck again as Pelà squared a pass to the top of the 18-yard box for Reese Miller who thumped it into the top corner to double the Virginia advantage.

• Denver would pull one back in the 59^th After an initial attempt was saved by Casper Mols, Denver’s Ian Welch collected the rebound and scored to cut the Virginia lead to 2-1.

With the Win:

• The Cavaliers extend their unbeaten streak to 10 straight games
• UVA remains unbeaten at home with a record of 6-0-4 at Klöckner Stadium
• Virginia improves to 2-2 in the all-time series against Denver
• The Cavaliers improve to 4-0-1 when scoring at least two goals this season

Additional Notes:

• Umberto Pelà matched a career high with three points on the day (1g, 1a)
• Resse Miller notched his first goal of the season – his last goal came in a 1-1 draw at Wake Forest (9/13/2024) before suffering a season-ending injury in that same game
• Jesus De Vicente recorded his fourth assist of the season
• Bacary Tandjigora notched the second assist of his career
• The Cavaliers outshot Denver 16-9 for the game and 7-1 in the first half
• Virginia controlled 62-percent of possession
• Casper Mols made three saves in goal
• Each team took six corner kicks

From Head Coach George Gelnovatch:
“What people may not understand is that [Denver] is not a ranked team, but they’re top-20 in the RPI and a lot of those guys played in College Cup last season. This team is formidable and a tough team to break down. It was important to take a two goal lead today, and I’m proud of the way our team played.”

Up Next:
The Cavaliers will be back in action on Saturday (Oct. 25) when they host Clemson for senior night at Klöckner Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. on ACCNX.