Cavaliers Now

Clutch PK Save from Holden Brown Lifts Virginia Over No. 20 Maryland 2-1

After losing to the Terrapins 6-1 last year, the Cavaliers defended their home turf, with goals from Leo Afonso and Mouhameth Thiam to secure the victory.

Aidan Baller

Clutch PK Save from Holden Brown Lifts Virginia Over No. 20 Maryland 2-1
Clutch PK Save from Holden Brown Lifts Virginia Over No. 20 Maryland 2-1 /

“Last year, I let up six against this team. And I did not want that to happen again,” said Holden Brown, just moments after securing a redemptive victory. 

364 days ago, Maryland dominated Virginia with a 6-1 win at Audi Field.

On Monday night, the two teams shared the field in Charlottesville under the lights of Klockner Stadium for their 85th-ever meeting. Despite it being a home game for Virginia, a few Maryland fans decided to show up, positioning themselves behind the net of Virginia goalkeeper Holden Brown for the entirety of the game.

The Maryland fans were loud, reminding Brown of the six goals he allowed against them almost a year ago. As the game continued, the question emerged if their noise would impact Brown. Then, in the 58th minute, a handball by Brendan Lambe awarded the Terrapins a penalty to bring the game level as the Terrapins trailed 2-1. For Brown, the penalty presented an opportunity for redemption.

Luke van Heukelum then kicked the ball and watched his golden opportunity get saved by a diving Brown. The save preserved the lead and reminded everyone why the senior from Zionsville, Indiana is the man Coach George Gelnovatch has trusted in net for the last three years. 

After that, Virginia stayed stern defensively for the rest of the game to capture a 2-1 victory over longtime rival Maryland. All three goals would come in the first half, with Mouhameth Thiam scoring the second goal that lifted the Cavaliers over the Terrapins for the first time since 2019.

“It was a sour feeling in my mouth, and then coming into this game, we got everyone ready. We knew how important this game was, and we showed up and got the win," said Leo Afonso.

The first action came in the tenth minute as Stephen Annor Gyamfi elegantly dribbled past two Maryland defenders to set up Leo Afonso, whose shot was off-target. The sequence inspired confidence in the Cavaliers as minutes later, Mouhameth Thiam would earn Virginia a corner kick after intercepting a pass by the Terrapins goalie.

In the play after the corner, Umberto Pela was fouled inside the box to award the Hoos a penalty kick. At the spot, Afonso was clinical, glancing his shot into the bottom right corner to put Virginia up 1-0 less than 15 minutes into the game.

Between the time of the penalty kick and the restart of play, yellow cards were given out to Thiam and the Maryland bench, highlighting the intensity of the rivalry. The game would end with seven yellow cards accumulated between the two squads.

Not a minute later, the Terrapins would fire back as a defensive miscue by Paul Wiese allowed a cross from Kimani Stewart-Baynes to find a wide-open Stefan Copetti, who tied the game 1-1. Virginia was fully caught out defensively and seemed shaken up from all of the extracurriculars of their goal.

Then, less than five minutes later, a mistake by the Maryland defense set up Thiam with a breakaway. Thiam took advantage of the opportunity, sprinting down the field before putting his shot past the keeper to give Virginia a 2-1 lead.

“When I saw that ball come in, I saw this is my moment to jump in and try to force a mistake,” said Thiam.

After a stale opening minutes, the game had opened up into a grudge match with both teams pushing each other under the lights of Klockner. The Cavaliers continued to mount pressure, rattling off multiple shots in search of a third goal.

Towards the end of the first half, Parker Sloan crossed a ball to Triton Beauvois, whose shot was saved on the doorstep by Maryland keeper Mikah Seger. Virginia would finish the half outshooting Maryland 8-2 and it was clear the Cavaliers were playing with a new level of intensity compared to last year's matchup.

“Right from the start we really grabbed control of the game for just about all of the first half. In fact, I thought we could have had another goal in that first half,” said Virginia head coach George Gelnovatch.

The intensity flowed right into the second half as the Cavaliers immediately had the Terrapins with their backs against the wall with four shots in the first five minutes. Just as it felt Virginia seized control of the game, Maryland’s Stewart-Baynes rifled a shot off of the woodwork, re-awakening the Terrapins.

Then, with 32 minutes left, Maryland was awarded a penalty kick after a handball by Brendan Lambe and it seemed the Terps were destined to find another equalizer. From the spot, Luke van Heukelum was stifled by Holden Brown, who made a beautiful diving save to keep the Hoos in front and sparked an eruption of noise from the crowd.

“If he doesn't make that save, it's tied, and it shifts the whole momentum of the game,” said Afonso. “He saved us tonight, it was a game-winning save.”

All night, Brown had encountered noise from the Maryland cohort that positioned themselves behind him. After the immaculate save, Brown looked back at them for the first time, acknowledging that he heard their noise and could not be more energized.

“You shouldn't chirp me. It just fuels me and keeps me motivated the whole game,” Brown said after the game. 

Minutes later, Gyamfi would dribble through multiple Virginia defenders before Seger bailed out his teammates to keep the Terrapins still within one. As the clock dwindled, the intense heat caused multiple players from both sides to battle cramping, causing a few stoppages as Virginia fought to hold the result.

Maryland struggled to break through until Luca Costabile fired off a missile in the box with four minutes to go, but the shot was deflected by captain Will Citron, who served as an unsung hero for the Cavaliers on defense.

In the final minutes, Maryland earned two corner kicks, but Virginia maintained their composure to secure the 2-1 victory over Maryland as Holden Brown skied the ball into oblivion, capping a match lasted well after two hours. 

Of the stars of the night, Parker Sloan was one of them for his defending against Stewart-Baynes, who could have posed more problems if it weren't for Sloan’s brilliant performance at left-back. Sloan came off the bench but stayed in for much of the game.

Sloan was one of nine UVA players to come off the bench against Maryland, exemplifying the depth of this squad that Gelnovatch highlighted at the beginning of the season.

“I’m just super happy to get the result,” said Gelnovatch.

The win puts Virginia to 3-1 on the season, concluding the four-game homestand. With two straight wins, the Cavaliers will try to continue their winning streak against Duke in Durham, North Carolina, to begin ACC play on Friday, September 8th. 

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Aidan Baller
AIDAN BALLER

Aidan has been writing for Virginia Cavaliers On SI since January of 2023 and covers UVA football, basketball, men's soccer, and men's lacrosse. He is from New York and is currently in his fourth year at the University of Virginia, enrolled in the M.S. in Accounting program.

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