The No. 20 Massachusetts men’s soccer team upset No. 11 Virginia 1-0 to secure a quarterfinal berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Minutemen (13-3-5, 5-2-1 Atlantic 10) defeated the Cavaliers (11-7-3, 3-3-2 Atlantic Coast) on the road to extend their away winning streak to four games, with Saturday’s win the most significant of the four.
The match-winner for UMass was far from pretty, but goals count all the same. Following one of his signature long throw-ins, center back Matt Fordham found himself in a much more advanced position than usual with 20 minutes to play. He beat Virginia’s Daniel Mangarov to the end line as if he were a winger and sent a low left-footed cross into the area. The first shot attempt was blocked by the Cavaliers.
After the ball was cleared away by Nick Dang, it fell directly back to Fordham on the edge of the box. Mangarov, a quick midfielder, was again caught flat-footed down the wing by the towering Fordham. The center back took one last small touch before zipping the ball across the face of goal, where goalkeeper Joey Batrouni deflected it off the leg of Virginia defender Parker Sloan and into the net.
The Minutemen were far from intimidated on a big stage, dominating the Cavaliers for the majority of the match. The highly ranked Virginia went without a shot on target in the first half and only managed three for the game. UMass took 13 total shots and put six of them on target, but none of the six represent the lone goal.
Despite holding the bulk of possession in the opening half, the Cavaliers ceded a number of quality chances to their opponent. Midfielder Matt Cence was lively in the Minutemen attack with five total shots, a tally that led the team by quite a margin. Cence drove towards goal late in the first half and rifled a strike just inches wide of the right post. Six minutes later, an Alec Hughes free kick fell to Cence’s feet just yards from goal, but the midfielder was stoned by Batrouni.
UMass was anchored by its midfield with central partners Andrew Ortiz and Kyle Stenzel standing out. The pair swiftly switched the point of attack and played a key role in shutting down Virginia’s buildup. Stenzel, a native of Staunton, Virginia, played just over a half hour away from his hometown.
Their defensive effort was near-perfect, but the Minutemen did not go without nervy moments. In the 63rd minute, AJ Smith swept a chance towards the UMass net. Hayes Wood proceeded to blast a rebound at goalkeeper Alex Geczy, leaving the ball spinning towards the goal line. Defenseman Alex Brown put his body on the line and laid down in front of the ball, allowing Geczy’s safe hands to recover it. Geczy earned his 10th clean sheet of the campaign and has conceded just one goal over his previous four games.
Hughes was clearly the focus of the Cavaliers’ defensive game plan, as the team often sent two defenders into his general area. The striker did not attempt a shot from open play in the match. However, Hughes was integral to the press that the Minutemen deployed straight from the opening whistle. Virginia was unsettled by the constant pressure and turned possession over on a plethora of occasions.
Saturday’s victory sets UMass up with a quarterfinal matchup against No. 3 Denver. The Pioneers sport a 14-3-4 record and will come in off a 1-0 win over No. 14 Indiana. The first-time matchup between the schools will take place in Colorado on either Dec. 6 or 7 at a time to be determined. The winner will progress to the College Cup in Cary, North Carolina.
Cameron Pellegrino can be reached at [email protected]du and followed on X @cam_pellegrino.
