The No. 17 UVA men’s soccer team opened the 2016 regular season with a 2-1 triumph over No. 21 Coastal Carolina Friday night in front of an energetic crowd at Klöckner Stadium. Paddy Foss (Sr., South Riding, Va.) and Edward Opoku (So., Rye, N.Y.) each scored for the Cavaliers.
“This was a really good win against a quality opponent in our season opener,” Virginia head coach George Gelnovatch said. “We responded well after giving up an early goal and did some good things tonight. We fed off the energy of the crowd and came out with a great result.”
Coastal Carolina played a man down for the final 62:30 after standout forward Frantzdy Pierrot was sent off with a straight red card following a flagrant foul. UVA out-shot Coastal 16-10 and put six shots on goal to four for the Chanticleers. UVA earned nine corner kicks, while Coastal recorded four.
UVA goalkeeper Jeff Caldwell (Jr., Todd, N.C.) recorded four saves, while Coastal keeper Alexandre Bouillennec picked up three saves. On the hot and humid evening, UVA showcased its depth by using 21 players, all of whom played at least nine minutes. The match started an hour late because of a thunderstorm.
Coastal struck for a goal on its first shot of the game in the fourth minute. After the Chanticleers saved a ball near the goal line at the edge of the box, Pierrot sent a short pass to Wes White, who cranked a one-timer that clanged off the far post and ricocheted in off the near post.
UVA responded just under two minutes later when Daniel Barir (So., Copenhagen, Denmark) made a great run into the box and was taken down to force a penalty kick. Foss stepped to the spot and buried the PK to pull the Cavaliers even.
The Cavaliers forged ahead in the 72nd minute when Raheem Taylor-Parkes (Fr., Tampa, Fla.) made a great spin to get open in the box and drive to the goal line, where he sent a short pass inside the six-yard box to Opoku, who knocked it home.
Virginia is back in action next Friday (Sept. 2) with a 7:30 p.m. home match against Xavier. The match is the nightcap in a soccer doubleheader with the UVA women’s team.
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Chris Graham
