The No. 17 UVA men’s soccer team picked up a 3-0 win over VCU Wednesday night at Klöckner Stadium. In recording their first clean sheet of 2016, the Cavaliers (3-1-1) got goals from Edward Opoku (So., Rye, N.Y.), Pablo Aguilar (R-Jr., Guatemala City, Guatemala) and Wesley Wade (So., South Orange, N.J.), while Daniel Barir (So., Copenhagen, Denmark) assisted on UVA’s first two scores. VCU dropped to 1-5-0 on the year.
“We wanted to see a response tonight from the Wake Forest game, and I thought we saw a little of that, especially in the first half,” Virginia head coach George Gelnovatch said. “With each game and each week that goes by, we are getting better, and today worked out well and we scored some goals.”
Virginia dominated the run of play – particularly in the first half – and did not allow a VCU shot until the 71st minute. UVA out-shot VCU 8-4 for the match and put five shots on goal to just one for VCU. UVA goalkeeper Jeff Caldwell (Jr., Todd, N.C.) made one save in earning his ninth career clean sheet, while VCU keeper Pierre Gardan saved a pair of shots.
Virginia scored first in the 12th minute when Barir sent a short ball forward into the box to find Opoku, who pivoted to put the ball on his right foot and ripped a shot inside the near post for his third goal of the season.
UVA struck again in the 34th minute with a beautiful score from Aguilar. Barir made a good run into the box from the right flank and sent a ball toward Nicko Corriveau (Sr., Potomac, Md.) who faked out his defender and allowed the ball to go through his legs to Aguilar, who lofted a shot that nestled into the far upper corner of the net. It was his second goal of 2016.
The Cavaliers capped their scoring with a 76th-minute goal as Paddy Foss (Sr., South Riding, Va.) sent a great through-ball deep into the box to Wade, who chipped the ball across the box and inside the far post for his first score of 2016.
Caldwell was rarely challenged, but made a terrific save on a 71st-minute header inside the six-yard box from Dakota Barnathan – VCU’s first shot of the game – to keep the clean sheet in tact.
The Cavaliers remain home for Saturday (Sept. 17) for a 7 p.m. match with No. 6 Clemson, the reigning NCAA runner-up.
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Chris Graham
