Early goal stands as #11 UVA tops Boston College

Junior Sergi Nus (Barcelona, Spain) scored off a set piece in the 15^th minute for the deciding goal in No. 11 Virginia’s (8-1-2, 2-1-2 ACC) 1-0 victory over Boston College (3-8, 0-5 ACC) at Klöckner Stadium.

Off the free kick, Nus curled a shot around the Boston College wall, off the nearside post and in for the eventual game-winning score. The goal was his fifth of the season and third, game-deciding tally this year. The defender is now one goal behind Edward Opoku (Millbrook, N.Y.) for the team lead.

“We talked about scoring early and coming into halftime with a clean sheet,” said head coach George Gelnovatch. “It wasn’t a perfect first half but from that standpoint, mission accomplished. I think in the second half, things got better and I believe we had much better control of the game.”

Senior Jeff Caldwell (Todd, N.C.) and the Virginia back line pitched its third shutout of the season. Caldwell matched a season-high with five saves and recorded his 20^th clean sheet of his career. He now has sole possession of fourth place on Virginia’s all-time shutout list.

The Virginia attack was knocking on the door for much of the second half, owning a 7-3 shot advantage over the final 45 minutes. For the game, Boston College held a 12-11 edge in total shots including five that went on target.

The Cavaliers took control of the all-time series against Boston College, improving to 6-5-2 against the Eagles. Boston College is 2-5 in games against Virginia at Klöckner Stadium.

Up Next: Virginia will conclude its three-game home stand on Tuesday (Oct. 10) when they host Lehigh at 7 p.m. The contest will be aired live on ACC Network Extra.

Additional Notes

–Friday night’s match was Virginia’s seventh game decided by one goal this season.

-Virginia out-cornered Boston College, 7-3.

-Caldwell made his 49^th consecutive start in goal for Virginia, he’s played every minute since taking over in 2015.

-Boston College has now dropped eight of its last nine games and falls to 0-5 in league play.

-Sergi Nus only trails Marcelo Acuna of Virginia Tech in game-winning goals amongst ACC cohorts.