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Men’s soccer: Late midfield goal lifts #11 UVA past Louisville, 3-2

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uva soccerPatrick Foss (Jr., South Riding, Va.) scored a pair of second-half goals, including the game winner from midfield with 1:34 remaining, as the No. 11 Virginia men’s soccer team outlasted Louisville, 3-2, Friday in rainy, windy conditions at Klöckner Stadium. The wild second half featured four goals, including three over the final 16 minutes.

The match originally was slated to start at 7 p.m. but was moved to 1 p.m. because of anticipated heavy rain and wind. The weather deteriorated as the match progressed, leading to treacherous conditions, particularly in the second half as the rain and wind intensified.

The ACC contest marked the first match between Virginia (6-1-2, ACC: 2-1-1/7 points) and Louisville (4-4-3, ACC: 0-1-3/3 points) as league rivals.

Foss scored his first two goals of the season in the second half. His second came from just outside midfield from approximately 65 yards and ended a wild stretch after Louisville had equalized one minute earlier.

“We did some good things today, and the weather conditions played a big role in the game today. We were fortunate to come out with a win,” Virginia head coach George Gelnovatch said. “Louisville is probably a little bit unfortunate to come out of here with a loss. They are a good team, but sometimes you make your own luck. Our guys played hard. Sometimes a winning mentality is enough to get you through.”

Louisville out-shot Virginia, 11-9, and put six shots on goal to four for the Cavaliers. The Cardinals held an 8-6 edge in corner kicks and were called for eight fouls, while UVA was whistled for seven. UVA goalkeeper Jeff Caldwell (So., Todd, N.C.) recorded four saves, while UL keeper Theo Jamiloux stopped one shot.

After Louisville has scored the equalizer with just over two minutes remaining in regulation, Foss promptly scored the winning goal a minute later. After Louisville’s Tim Kubel was booked for a yellow card just outside midfield near the touch line, Foss launched a high, arcing free kick that kept carrying. Jamiloux backed up as he tracked the ball, but the ball eluded him as he leapt for it and the ball landed just over the goal line. It marked the first career multiple-goal game for Foss.

Virginia scored in the 32nd minute when Marcus Salandy-Defour (R-Jr., Kensington, Md.), in his first game of the season, took an Edward Opoku (Fr., Rye, N.Y.) feed and blasted it off a Louisville defender and into the back of the net. It was his first shot of the season as he played in his first game since UVA’s NCAA College Cup match against Maryland on Dec. 13, 2013. Salandy-Defour missed the 2014 season with a knee injury and was sidelined with injuries for the first half of the 2015 season.

Louisville came out strong in the second half and knotted the score in the 60th minute when Romilio Hernandez corralled a loose ball about 35 yards out and ripped a shot over the defense that hooked away from Caldwell and into the upper corner of the goal. It was his first score of the season.

UVA responded in the 74th minute when Foss took a free kick from 40 yards and deftly placed it just inside the far post for a 2-1 lead. Louisville pushed forward over the coming minutes while searching for the equalizer and finally got it with just over two minutes left on the clock when Michael DeGraffenreidt sent a ball into the middle of the box and Ethan Vanacore-Decker flicked it with his head and put it just inside the far post.

Virginia has a short turnaround as it plays host to Portland at 7 p.m. Monday (Oct. 5) at Klöckner Stadium.

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