An unassisted goal by Daniel Steedman (Glasgow, Scotland) was enough for No. 7 UVA (3-0) in a 1-0 win over High Point (1-2) on Saturday at Klöckner Stadium.
The Cavaliers have now pitched three-straight shutouts to start the season for the first time since 2006.
In the 13th minute, Virginia was awarded a free kick after a High Point hand ball just outside the top of the box. The Cavaliers called upon the Steedman to take the restart. The sophomore curled a right-footed shot around the Panther wall into the top right corner of the net.
The goal was the earliest of the young season for the Cavaliers who have found the back of the net in the first half of all three of their contests in 2019. The goal for Steedman was the third of his career.
“It’s the first eight days of the season and we’re 3-0,” head coach George Gelnovatch said. “We’ve played three-straight NCAA Tournament teams from last year so given that, I told the team that this was another good win. I give High Point credit, they made it tough for us, they had a good defensive posture and tried to catch us on counters.”
The Cavalier defense withstood 10 Panther shots for its third consecutive clean sheet. Virginia came into the weekend as one of 22 teams yet to concede a goal. Goalkeeper Colin Shutler (Middleburg, Va.) made a pair of saves for his 11th career shutout.
“I’ll give us credit for a shutout, for a team (High Point) that was setup to counter us, we bent a little bit but ultimately didn’t break,” added Gelnovatch. “Three shutouts in a row are a good thing.”
The Cavaliers created plenty of opportunities, with a season-high 19 shots including 12 in the final 45 minutes. High Point netminder Keegan Meyer was credited with five saves on the night.
Virginia held 62 percent of the possession in the contest and out-cornered the Panthers, 7-2.
Virginia will open up ACC play on Friday (Sept. 13) on the road against No. 5 Duke. The match is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start and will air live on ESPNU.
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Chris Graham
