CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Fourth-year captain Marco Dos Santos’ early goal proved to be the difference as Virginia (6-5-1, 3-2 ACC) secured a 1-0 win over California (4-4-3, 1-3-1 ACC) on Friday night (Oct. 9) at Klöckner Stadium. Dos Santos’ strike marked his seventh goal involvement in his last five games.
Goals (Assist)
9’ Virginia – Dos Santos (Sloan, Lambe)
Virginia took a lead inside 10 minutes for the second consecutive match when Parker Sloan played Dos Santos into the penalty area who fired the ball past the goalkeeper with a left-footed strike to give the Cavaliers the lead. Caleb Tunks denied Cal’s only on-target attempt in the first half while the UVA defended six Cal corner kicks.
Dos on a heater 🔥 Seven goal involvements in his last five games! #GoHoos https://t.co/T1A9VHRnJx
— Virginia Men's Soccer (@UVAMenSoccer) October 9, 2026
The Cavaliers withstood moments of pressure from Cal but outshot the Golden Bears by a margin of 9-4 in the second half. Virginia created multiple opportunities to double its advantage forcing the Cal goalkeeper to make four saves, but it was UVA’s resolute defending in the final minutes that preserved the victory.
Additional Notes:
- Marco Dos Santos has recorded [7] goal involvements in his last five appearances
- With his fourth goal in league play, Dos Santos is tied for the ACC lead
- Parker Sloan recorded his third assist of the season
- Brendan Lambe notched his eighth assist of the season, he leads UVA and the ACC
- The Cavaliers kept their third clean sheet of the season and first since Sept. 4 ( W, 2-0 vs BC)
- Virginia outshot California 16-9 on the night
- The Cavaliers took five corners to Cal’s seven
- Virginia allowed just one shot on target
- The match featured six yellow cards, three to each team
What They Said
"I’ve said this before but winning in the ACC is one of the hardest things to do in college soccer, and tonight was no different. I give [Cal] a lot of credit. They're a very good team and have some very good players, and we knew this would be a tough game. Now, having said that, I think we should have scored another goal or two to take the pressure off us a little bit. But most importantly, other than not scoring the second goal, this was probably the most complete game we’ve played in terms of all phases: transition forward, transition back, defending the box, shutout, and chance creation.” – Head Coach George Gelnovatch
Up Next:
The Cavaliers will be back in action on Tuesday (Oct. 13) when they host Gardner-Webb. Kickoff from Klöckner Stadium is set for 6 p.m. on ACC Network Extra (ACCNX).