No. 1 UVA (11-1-1, 4-1-1 ACC) suffered its first loss of the season, a 2-0 setback against Pittsburgh (7-5-2, 3-2-1 ACC) at Klöckner Stadium on Friday night.
The Panthers scored a goal in each half for their second-straight win over the Cavaliers.
The loss snapped a 12-game unbeaten streak for Virginia and fall at home for the first time since the Panthers upended the Cavaliers in the first round of the 2018 ACC Tournament last fall.
Braden Kline was credited with the game-winning score for Pitt as he was ruled onside on a service from Valentin Noel in the 21st minute. The goal was the first scored by an opposing team at Klöckner Stadium this season and only the third conceded by Virginia.
The Panthers padded their lead in the 60th minute taking advantage of a Cavalier turnover in the midfield. The ACC’s leading scorer from a year ago, Edward Kizza, delivered a pass to Veljko Petkovic who beat Virginia keeper Colin Shutler with a one-touch strike into the left side of the net.
“Take nothing away, Pitt is a good team and we knew that coming in,” head coach George Gelnovatch said. “It’s sport, they had two moments in the game and scored both times. Whether its baseball, football (etc.) that happens, its sport. We’ve taken care of that all season long and we’ll move forward (from this).”
The opportunistic Panthers capitalized on both of their shots on goal. Virginia held 63 percent of the game’s possession and owned a 14-5 advantage in shots. Four of the 14 Cavalier shot attempts went on frame.
Virginia played a man-up for the final 7:17 seconds when Noel was issued his second yellow card. The Cavaliers created two shots, both off target, and earned one corner kick in their man-advantage time.
The Cavaliers will conclude their three-game stint at Klöckner Stadium on Tuesday (Oct. 22) when they host Saint Louis in a non-conference tilt. The match is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will air live on ACCNX.
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Chris Graham
