Olivia Taylor/Virginia Athletics
Virginia Men's Soccer Blanks JMU 3-0
There is always a little more on the line when two in-state rivals clash on the field. When the Virginia and James Madison men's soccer teams met at Klockner Stadium on Thursday night, that extra edge showed itself in the form of an intense, physical battle from start to finish. The Cavaliers and Dukes were whistled for a combined 35 fouls, most of them warranted due to hard tackles with a lot of contact.
It was a hard-fought match on the field, but that was not reflected in the box score, which showed a lopsided match in favor of the Cavaliers. When the dust settled, Virginia had achieved a 3-0 victory over JMU.
The Cavaliers drew first blood nearly 17 minutes into the contest on a brilliant all-around play by Leo Afonso. JMU was working the ball in the midfield when Leo Afonso stole possession away and quickly turned on the offensive. In just a few strides, Afonso pushed the ball to the right edge of the box and blasted a perfect right-footed strike into the top right corner of the goal.
The Cavaliers held a substantial advantage in possession time in the first half, as JMU was held without a single shot through to halftime. In the second half, both teams came out more aggressive, with the Dukes taking six shots and UVA attempting 12. The Dukes threatened to score early in the second half as Josiah Blanton dribbled through the legs of multiple UVA defenders in the box before sending a shot that missed the right post by a foot.
JMU goalkeeper Sebastian Conlon kept the Dukes in it for a while, making eight saves. Eventually, though, the Cavaliers broke through for a crucial insurance goal. In the 65th minute, a Virginia cross was played out by the JMU defense, but the ball found its way to Moritz Kappelsberger on the left wing. Kappelsberger quickly played it ahead to freshman midfielder Albin Gashi, who took a strike from well outside the box. The shot must have caught Sebastian Conlon off guard, as he was late to react to the ball and it one-hopped past him to give Gashi his first-career goal and buff UVA's lead to 2-0.
With JMU's spirits broken, the Cavaliers continued on the offensive. In the 78th minute, junior forward Philip Horton single-handedly took the ball directly through the JMU back line and found himself one-on-one with the goalie. Horton put the ball past Conlon and into the back of the net to put the finishing touches on UVA's 3-0 victory.
Now 2-1 on the season, Virginia will travel to Audi Field in Washington D.C. to take on No. 9-ranked Maryland on Monday at 6pm. This marks the fourth time in the last five seasons that the Cavaliers and Terrapins will meet at Audi Field.
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