UVA was outplayed most of the way, but scored two goals in a three-minute span of the second half to rally from a 2-0 deficit, earning a 2-2 draw at North Carolina on Friday night.
The Tar Heels (7-4-5, 2-2-4 ACC) outshot the #18 Cavaliers (9-4-3, 5-1-2 ACC) 7-0 in the first half and 14-4 on the night, but UVA made its limited opportunities count.
Daniel Mangarov won a challenge in the middle of the field and quickly played it out to Paul Wiese on the wing. Wiese sent a high-arching cross perfectly into the feet of Michael Tsicoulias behind the Carolina defense. Tsicoulias slipped the ball past the goalkeeper for his first goal of the season.
Three minutes later, Mangarov again made his mark as he was taken down inside the penalty area before he was able to get off his shot. Mangarov quickly picked up the ball with confidence walking straight to the penalty spot, where he fired the ball into the left corner to put Virginia back on level terms.
With less than a minute remaining in the second half, Akeim Clarke, who had scored the first goal of the game for UNC in the first half, had a chance to win the match for the Heels late, but Holden Brown sprinted off his line to deflect the ball out of play to preserve the draw for his team.
“Tonight was a bit of a wake-up call. I think we came out a little bit flat, and it had been a really long time since that had been the case,” UVA coach George Gelnovatch said. “As a coach, one of your biggest fears is to come out flat in a tournament game so in a way, this will serve a reminder of the intensity we need to bring every night.”
Notes
- After Duke’s 1-0 victory over Virginia Tech, Virginia will end the regular season as the No. 3 overall seed in the ACC
- Syracuse earns the conference’s No. 2 seed as a result of its Atlantic Division title despite Virginia’s head-to-head victory over the Orange
- Virginia will host the winner NC State and Pitt on Sunday, Nov. 6 at Klöckner Stadium.
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Chris Graham
