WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – After trailing by a pair of goals at halftime, the Cavaliers mounted a furious comeback to tie the game, but a penalty kick with 14 seconds remaining saw the hosts claim all three points on Saturday night (Sept. 19). Virginia (3-4-1, 1-1-0 ACC) fell to Wake Forest (5-2-1, 2-1-0 ACC) by a score of 3-2 at Spry Stadium.
Goals (Assist)
16’ Wake Forest – Garcia (Perez)
24’ Wake Forest – Reid
53’ Virginia – Dos Santos (Lambe, Serafino)
55’ Virginia – Smith
90’ Wake Forest – Lorentz (Pen)
The Cavaliers controlled the majority of possession and outshot Wake Forest 6-4 in the opening 45 minutes. However, Wake opened the scoring in the 14th minute off a corner kick which was headed home by Ronnie Garcia. Wake doubled its lead less than 10 minutes later when Joby Reid tapped in a chance that rebounded off the post.
The Cavaliers quickly pulled a goal back in the opening minutes of the second half when Brendan Lambe found Marco Dos Santos in the penalty area who snuck the ball past the goalkeeper with a sliding effort. Two minutes later, AJ Smith collected a loose ball at the top of the area and fired it into the corner to level the game. Virginia had an opportunity to take the lead from the spot in the 67th minute, but Smith’s attempt was saved by the goalkeeper.
With 14 seconds remaining, Wake Forest was awarded a penalty kick after a shot deflected off the hand of a Cavalier inside the penalty area. Tate Lorentz converted to secure all three points for Wake Forest.
Additional Notes:
- AJ Smith scored his fifth goal of the season to lead the team
- Marco Dos Santos scored his third goal of the season, the second most of any Cavalier
- Brendan Lambe recorded his fifth assist of the season to lead the team
- Drew Serafino’s assist marks his first goal involvement of the season
- All four of UVA’s 2026 defeats have featured game-winning goals past the 80-minute mark
- The Cavaliers fall to 41-16-9 in the all-time series with Wake Forest
- UVA is 14-7-4 against Wake Forest on the road
- Both teams took 17 shots on the night
- Virginia placed eight shots on frame compared to Wake Forest’s four
- Wake Forest was whistled for 18 fouls to Virginia’s nine
- The game featured eight yellow cards (5 Wake Forest, 3 Virginia)
Up Next:
The Cavaliers will be back in action on Friday (Sept. 25) when they travel to take on Stanford. Kickoff from Laird Q. Cagen Stadium is set for 10 p.m. (ET) on ACC Network Extra (ACCNX).