Cavaliers Now

Virginia Men's Soccer Rallies to Beat NC State 2-1 in ACC First Round

Matt Newton

Virginia Athletic

With 20 minutes left in regulation, Virginia men's soccer trailed NC State on the road 1-0 and seemed to be headed towards a one-and-done stay in the ACC Tournament. The Wolfpack had scored in the 36th minute and had largely controlled the match throughout, outshooting the Cavaliers 13-6 and possessing the ball for more than 60% of the contest.

Then, the dam broke.

In a span of just 20 seconds, the resilient Cavaliers scored twice, stunning the Wolfpack and their raucous crowd into silence as the match turned on its head. NC State nearly found an equalizer in the waning minutes, but UVA goalkeeper Tom Miles and defender Nick Dang but came up with game-saving stops to secure Virginia's remarkable 2-1 victory in the first round of the 2024 ACC Men's Soccer Championship on Wednesday night at Dail Soccer Field in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Scoring chances were few and far between for UVA in the first half, as NC State outshot Virginia 6-2 in the first half and broke through with a stellar strike from Taig Healy at the edge of the penalty area that beat Miles to the far post to give the Wolfpack the 1-0 edge. Miles made one save in the first half and three more in the second half to keep the Cavaliers in the game.

Substitutions proved to be clutch for UVA, as both of the goals in that 20-second flurry came from players who subbed into the match in the second half. Junior Triton Beauvois, who hadn't scored a goal since October18th, 2022, provided the game-tying goal in the 72nd minute. An exquisite cross from Paul Wiese found the head of Beauvois, who finished with an equally spectacular header that went right over the head of the Wolfpack keeper.

A mere 20 seconds later, Beauvois paid it forward by playing the role of the assist man. He sent a pass along the ground from the right side that made it all the way through, past his likely intended target, and directly to the right foot of David Okorie, another substitute who finished in the back right corner of the net for his first-career goal.

The Wolfpack regained their composure in time to threaten with a few dangerous equalizing chances, including two that required saves from Miles. None were more dangerous than the header from Logan Erb right as time expired. We're not sure if it would have counted, but Miles had no chance to stop it and UVA defender Nick Dang was positioned perfectly and cleared the ball before it crossed the goal line to preserve the victory.

With the win, No. 9 seed Virginia (9-5) advances to the quarterfinals of the ACC Men's Soccer Championship, where the Cavaliers will take on No. 1 seed Pittsburgh on Sunday (November 10th) at 8pm at Ambrose Urbanic Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. That game will be televised on the ACC Network.

UVA and Pitt met just a couple of weeks ago in Pittsburgh, with the Panthers defeating the Cavaliers 4-1 in that matchup. Virginia will look to exact some revenge and book a ticket to the ACC semifinals.

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Matt Newton
MATT NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.