CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - No. 2 Stanford claimed a big win in ACC play on Friday night, taking down Virginia 1-0 on the road. It’s Stanford’s third ACC victory and its third on the road.
The Cardinal improves to 8-1-1 and 3-0-1 on the season while Virginia drops to 2-3-3 and 0-2-2 in ACC play.
"Really proud of the performance tonight," said the Knowles Family Director of Men's Soccer Jeremy Gunn. "I thought it was a very complete performance from start to finish."
Stanford was the dominant side through the full 90 minutes. The Cardinal had 15 attempts including four on goal while Virginia had nine with nothing on target.
"I thought we were passing the ball really well and created good chances throughout the game while also being pretty solid defensively and stifling Virginia's attack," added Gunn. "In the first half, we settled into the game well and opened up a couple of chances including when Will Reilly hit the woodwork."
Stanford was the more offensive team throughout, earning seven corner kicks while Virginia had two. Reilly had a phenomenal chance to put the Cardinal in front, but his shot was inches off of the lead, hitting the crossbar and keeping the game even at 0-0.
In the 74th minute, a red card was issued to Virginia’s Albin Gashi, putting the Cavaliers down to 10 men for the remainder of the game.
"It could have been one of those nights that wasn't going to go our way," explained Gunn. "But in the end, a great free kick by Zach was the difference in the game."
On the ensuing free kick, the Cardinal capitalized to take the lead. Zach Bohane fired in a perfect strike around the Virginia wall for his fourth goal of the season and his team-leading third game winner of the campaign.
"In the second half, Virginia managed to get a bit more into the game and so even though we played so well in the first half, the game was in the balance," said Gunn. "It was a crucial goal that gave us a well deserved victory on the day."
The Cardinal defense was dominant as well, preventing the Virginia offense from ever finding a footing in the game. Rowan Schnebly was rarely challenged and didn’t need to make a save while earning his fifth shutout of the season.
"The pitch took on a lot of rain today which made it super heavy and slowed the game a bit," explained Gunn. "It made for a tough and physical test for both teams, but we managed to show our strength in the game and earn a positive result."
Zach Bohane and Shane de Flores provided a big spark for the Cardinal, with the pair combining for eight shots. Fletcher Bank also pitched in two shots, both of which were on target.
"The game could've gone either way, but in the end I think we were definitely deserving of the result," said Gunn. "We're certainly excited to move onto the next game."
The Cardinal returns to action one week from today, facing NC State on The Farm.