Men’s Soccer: Virginia defeats Boston College, 1-0, for third win in a row

Virginia got a goal in the 78th minute from Nick Dang to break a scoreless tie on the way to a 1-0 win at Boston College on Friday night in Chestnut Hill.

The ‘Hoos (5-4-3, 2-2-2 ACC) have now won three matches in a row.

“This is not an easy place to play,” UVA coach George Gelnovatch said. “Boston College makes things really difficult on its opponents when they’re playing at home, and this is the first time we have won here since 2005.”

The match was physical, with 10 total cards issued – nine for BC (3-4-5, 0-4-2 ACC).

Boston College’s Marco Dos Santos was shown a red card for serious foul play less than 20 minutes into the game, forcing the Eagles to play a man down the rest of the way.

BC reverted to an ultra-defensive posture, packing players behind the ball in an effort to preserve a clean sheet.

Virginia poured on the pressure, taking seven shots in the first half, but were unable to solve the Eagles’ low block as the teams went into the half tied at 0-0.

The second half featured another scoreless 30 minutes before the Cavaliers finally broke through in the 78th minute when Dang headed in a corner kick from Danny Mangarov to give Virginia a 1-0 lead.

With 12 minutes to kill off, Virginia battled in its defensive end as goalkeeper Joey Batrouni delivered a pair of impressive saves in the clutch to seal the 1-0 victory and the three points for Virginia.

Boston College would see its second red card in the closing minute of the game as tempers flared in a tight match.

“This was an emotional game, and I think we handled those emotions really well,” Gelnovatch said. “Once they went down a man, it almost became a lot more difficult to score with the formation they played, and the type of goal Nick scored was exactly the type of opportunity we were going to have to capitalize on. Then, in the end, it was a great exercise in closing down a tough game on the road.”

Up next: The Cavaliers will be back in action on Tuesday when they host American in non-conference action. Kickoff at is set for 7 p.m. on ACCNX.