Wahoo Wire

In control, nursing a 1-0 lead with under a minute remaining on Friday night, the No. 10 Virginia Cavaliers were unable burn the final minute off the clock and secure a much needed victory against the No. 19 Charlotte 49ers. With both teams already down to ten men, Virginia senior defender Hunter Jumper was given a red card for apparently knocking down a Charlotte attacker inside the box, setting up the game-tying penalty kick by Charlotte redshirt sophomore Tyler Gibson. Gibson calmly beat Virginia freshman goalkeeper Spencer LaCivita on the penalty, before setting up the game-winning goal in the opening minute of overtime after his shot clanged off the crossbar, and was headed in by Charlotte redshirt junior Isaac Caughran. The goal gave Charlotte an unlikely two minute victory as the 49ers bench stormed the field and dropped the Cavaliers to 4-3.

After a relatively calm first half which featured few legitimate scoring chances and just two cards, the pace of play picked up after the break. Charlotte freshman Guiseppe Gentile appeared to put the 49ers in front after burying a shot past LaCivita in the 48th minute, but the goal was waved off for offsides. The Cavaliers then turned the tables, providing Charlotte a scare on a series of impressive runs by sophomore forward Brian Span. In the 54^th minute, Span’s cross settled in front of the Charlotte net, but the Cavaliers were unable to capitalize, sending the ball high over the crossbar.

The game was ultimately decided not by dazzling runs or highlight reel shots, but by penalties. In total, the referee presented 11 cards, including three red cards. Virginia freshman Chris Sommerville was whistled for a vicious foul while trying to chase down a ball rolling towards the 49ers net. Sommerville jumped on the back of the defender and pulled him to the ground, receiving a yellow card on the play, while the game’s eventual hero, Gibson, received a yellow card while arguing that Sommerville should have been sent off.

The game’s first key penalty was also the least contentious. Charlotte’s Isaac Cowles was shown a red card after committing a diving handball to save what would have been a score by Virginia’s Eric Bird. Virginia leading scorer Will Bates then notched his fifth goal of the season off of the ensuing penalty, giving Virginia a seemingly safe 1-0 lead with fewer than 20 minutes to go and with an extra man..

Two key errors opened the door for a Charlotte comeback. First, redshirt senior Mike Volk was given a red card on a poor tackle in the 81^st minute. Jumper then set up the game-tying penalty with about 45 seconds to go after he put his hands on the back of a Charlotte attacker, who violently fell to the ground, convincing the referee that the contact warranted a penalty.. After conferring with his flag judge, the referee emphatically pointed to the penalty line, giving Gibson the chance to even the game at one goal apiece.
“With 18 minutes left, the game was completely within our grasp being up a man and up a goal and I had two veterans completely lose control of themselves, and to be honest with you, lost us the game,” head coach Greg Gelvonatch said.

The Cavaliers looked overwhelmed from the onset of a very short overtime period, as the 49ers needed just two shots and 42 seconds to notch the game-winning score. Virginia will look to salvage something out of a four game homestand on Tuesday against Radford before beginning a stretch of three crucial games against ACC foes North Carolina, Clemson, and Maryland.
“We need to take a deep breathe, relax, and come out on Tuesday with a whole new mindset and kind of put this one behind us,” Gelnovatch said.