Georgetown edges Virginia in ACC / Big East Challenge in Germantown, Md.

The Virginia men’s soccer team opened its regular-season schedule with a tough 2-1 overtime loss to Georgetown Friday evening in the ACC/BIG EAST Challenge at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Germantown, Md.

The Hoyas won by virtue of a Virginia own goal just over six minutes into overtime.

“We had a pair of young mistakes, both in the first 30 seconds and then at the end of the game,” Virginia head coach George Gelnovatch said. “But I liked how we responded to the early goal, and I was very happy with our second half. I hope that at some point later in the year we can look back at this and see how we grew from it because this is an extremely young team. I know that in the future it will benefit us, and we will grow together. Georgetown is a good team, and it’s not going to get any easier next weekend.”

Zach Carroll (Fr., Grand Blanc, Mich.) scored the Cavaliers’ goal. UVa goalkeeper Spencer LaCivita (So., Raleigh, N.C.) made a pair of saves for the Cavaliers. Tomas Gomez made three saves for Georgetown.

After getting outshot 4-1 in the first half, Virginia pressured Georgetown throughout the second half and outshot the Hoyas 8-5, finishing with a 10-9 shot advantage. UVa also took 10 corner kicks, compared to six for Georgetown. Darius Madison (Fr., Philadelphia, Pa.) took a team-high four shots for Virginia.

Georgetown stunned the Cavaliers with a quick score, as Steve Neumann created a turnover about 25 yards outside the Virginia goal, then beat LaCivita inside the far post just 22 seconds into the match.

The Hoyas hit the crossbar on a Tom Skelly header off a corner kick in the 52nd minute.

The young Cavaliers, who started nine freshmen and sophomores, started clicking offensively midway through the second half. Virginia got its first shot on goal in the 56th minute from 10 yards by Marcus Salandy-Defour (Fr., Kensington, Md.). UVa then just missed connecting for a goal after Chris Somerville (So., West Chester, Pa.) made a great run to the Georgetown endline and then dropped a great service into the box, where Madison headed it just over the crossbar.

After an illegal touch in the box by Gomez, Virginia was awarded an indirect free kick just outside the six-yard box to the right of the goal. The Cavs’ initial kick caromed off the defense and out to Carroll, who cranked a screaming shot into the right upper corner of the net in the 70th minute for his first career score.

Georgetown benefited from a fortuitous bounce in the overtime, as a UVa header in the box sailed into the Cavaliers’ goal for the winning score.