Virginia Men’s Soccer Survives With a 2-1 Overtime Win Against FIU
In the ACC quarterfinal against Syracuse, team captain Leo Afonso missed an exceptional chance to give Virginia the lead in the final minute of play. Instead, the Cavaliers ended up losing in penalties.
On Sunday, Afonso refused to miss, scoring both goals for the Hoos, including an OT bicycle kick winner to send Virginia to the round of 16 and only two wins away from a trip to the College Cup.
After securing a first-round bye, Virginia defeated Florida International University 2-1 in overtime at Klöckner Stadium to advance to the third round of the College Cup. Virginia took the lead late in the first half with a goal from Leo Afonso before the Panthers equalized minutes later. After that, no one could break through, forcing overtime, where Afonso buried the winner in the first overtime period to give the Cavaliers the victory.
Virginia steadily controlled possession in the opening stages as the Cavaliers slowly figured out FIU. Through the opening ten minutes, only one shot was registered between the two teams, with the shot coming from distance, prompting an easy save from Joey Batrouni.
After that, the Panthers began to press, putting pressure on Virginia’s back three of Will Citron, Aidan O’Connor, and Austin Rome. On the other side of the field, the Panthers sat back with five defenders, making it difficult for the Hoos to break through despite dominating possession.
With 20 minutes left in the half, Virginia was yet to register a shot as the Panthers' defense continued to frustrate the Hoos.
In search of a spark, Coach Gelnovatch subbed on captain Leo Afonso, who has battled injuries for much of the season. Despite the change-up, Virginia struggled offensively, as FIU began to possess in the Cavaliers' final third.
Then, with eight minutes left, an exceptional string of passes began with Aidan O’Connor, who poked it to Axel Ahlander. With his eyes up, Ahlander fed a through ball to Paul Wiese, who crossed it in the middle to Thiam, who flicked it to Afonso. Upon receiving the pass, Afonso fired the ball into the net to give Virginia a 1-0 lead.
In response, the Panthers fired back with immense pressure that overwhelmed the Cavaliers. Then, only three minutes after the Virginia goal, Kasper Skraep lofted a through ball from midfield to a cutting Joao Domingues in the box, who got behind the Virginia defense before netting his shot to equalize 1-1.
After the goal, FIU continued to pressure the Hoos, who stood strong defensively to go into the half tied. The Panthers outshot the Cavaliers 4-1 in the first half, but Virginia showed how potent they can be when an opportunity presents itself.
Early in the second half, Virginia brought the energy, creating multiple chances in the opening five minutes, including a free kick from Wiese that failed to find a Virginia player in the box. Despite this, the second half was similar to much of the first, with both teams struggling to create meaningful chances and fire off quality shots.
The first shot of the half came from Eduardo Mustre in the 70th minute, forcing a save from Batrouni. As for the Hoos, Virginia continued to possess, but with 15 minutes left, had still only registered one shot all game.
With eleven minutes left, Virginia earned a corner kick, forcing Tyler Hogan to come out of his net and punch the ball away. As the minutes ticked down, Virginia continued to push forward but still was unable to even fire a shot. With four minutes left, Mustre fired off a shot from distance, but the shot was not much of a test for Batrouni.
Then, with less than a minute left, a cross from Wiese found Jack Singer, but his shot was off target, sending the game to extra time.
In the overtime period, Virginia earned themselves a corner kick three minutes in. Wiese whipped the cross to Rome, who flicked it to Afonso, who, with his back to the goal, bicycle-kicked the ball into the net to give Virginia a 2-1 lead.
After that, the Hoos prepared to defend for the remainder of the first overtime period. The Panthers pressed forward, forcing Batrouni to make a save on a low-angle shot from Andrew Bennett. After that, Virginia would not give the Panthers another chance to test Batrouni.
In the second overtime period, the Panthers controlled possession as the Cavaliers sat back, looking to secure the victory. In the final stages, Virginia was stout, allowing no shots on goal to secure a 2-1 overtime victory.
The Cavaliers will host Indiana in the third round (match date and time TBD) as Virginia chases its 14th College Cup appearance and 8th National Championship.
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