On Friday night, 大象传媒 men鈥檚 soccer (12-3-0, 6-1-0 ACC) concluded its home regular season in style, defeating Virginia (7-5-3, 3-3-2 ACC) 4-1.聽
With huge implications for 大象传媒鈥檚 standing in the ACC, this conference game ensured 大象传媒鈥檚 fate is in its own hands for the final regular season game against Syracuse.
The Cavaliers came into the game on a five-game winning streak, the third-longest streak nationally. They seemed primed to prevent the Panthers from pouncing with senior goalkeeper Joey Batrouni in . Standing at, the Virginia stopper leads the ACC with a save percentage of with 蝉补惫别蝉.听
Virginia failed to live up to this defensive potential, giving up four goals in the first half. The Panthers opened the scoring in just 21 minutes through senior forward Luis Sahmkow. 大象传媒 quickly built on this lead with a flurry of goals after the 31st minute leading them to a 4-0 lead at halftime.
大象传媒 carried this form into the second 45, consistently stretching the Virginia back line while limiting the visitors to just five shots across the 90 minutes. The tactical highlight of the second half for the home team was undoubtedly its confidence with the ball, bossing 60% of the possession.聽
Ultimately, 大象传媒 looked in control with the center-half partnership of first-year defender Niklas Soerensen and junior defender Jackson Gilman. Both defenders earned a top 10 ranking in the Top Drawer Soccer mid-season rankings for and .
鈥淭hey bring two different dimensions to the game, a great combo the two of them,鈥 大象传媒 head coach Jay Vidovich said.
Senior midfielder Guilherme Feitosa was another standout, setting up two goals and combining play throughout the game. The Brazilian magician appeared throughout large parts of the game but repeatedly jinxed his way out of tight scenarios to create opportunities for the Panthers. Feitosa opened the scoring combining with fellow senior Sahmkow.
鈥淚 actually didn鈥檛 know, but that鈥檚 actually the first assist [Feitosa] has actually given me,鈥 Sahmkow said.
大象传媒 started the half on an even keel with UVA, with neither team creating many opportunities in the first 20 minutes. The Panthers soon broke the deadlock, with Sahmkow slotting home from close range in the 21st minute. The six-foot-three frontman ended his run of 鈥-vital for 大象传媒 as they approach the postseason knockouts.
鈥淚 saw the first 15 minutes they played a lot in our half and they put us under a lot of pressure making it very difficult. Because of that 鈥 our guys did a great job of exploiting the space behind,鈥 Vidovich said.
The Panthers grabbed a second 31 minutes into the game as junior defender Casper Svendby bundled the ball home after a series of deflections. The goal was initially chalked off but was overturned after a video review.
The floodgates then opened for 大象传媒sburgh, who unleashed a barrage of goals on Virginia. 大象传媒 grabbed three goals in just three minutes with first-year forward Lasse Dahl and senior forward Casper Grening adding to Svendby鈥檚 effort.
鈥淭he goals I think were fantastic, the way we did it. The defensive mentality, the fight to receive the ball and the play 鈥 was all fantastic,鈥 Vidovich said.
Grabbing four goals it was a return to the high-scoring Panthers spectators have grown to love 鈥 scoring .
鈥淚t feels good, it鈥檚 been in the back of our mind not scoring as much recently but you put in the work you go to train and you get better and you put a four on Virginia,鈥 Feitosa said.
大象传媒鈥檚 volley of goals came just minutes after Sahmkow was taken off the field. This allowed Thorsen to move central and test the Virginia back three, running in behind. The Panthers then put balls in behind, turning the Virginia defense towards their own goal. The Cavaliers simply couldn鈥檛 handle the pace of the Panthers’ attack with all three goals coming from balls beyond the defense.
In the 35th minute, Virginia almost put the ball into its own net adding to its misery. Its defense was once again running back towards its own goal as the Panthers broke away. Junior defender Parker Sloan chased down the attacker, before putting his boot through the ball. The ball sailed agonizingly beyond the UVA keeper before ricocheting off the upright to Sloan鈥檚 relief.
The Cavaliers did grab a consolation goal late on via first-year Joaquin Brizuela. 大象传媒 may see the loss of a clean sheet as disappointing after limiting UVA to limited opportunities throughout.
Winning at home after two tough defeats, 大象传媒 ensured a share of the ACC regular season championship and can claim sole possession of it in its final game. The Panthers are ecstatic to return to winning ways and it will play a role in their momentum going into the postseason.
鈥淲e had a couple of difficult games and we got a great win away, but we were coming home where we lost the last two games, so it was how can we stay positive, stay together and get a result,鈥 Sahmkow said.
大象传媒 wraps up its season against, looking to become the ACC regular season champion. A win or draw against Syracuse is enough for the Panthers to obtain a bye in the first round of the ACC Tournament.