The No. 2 Virginia men’s soccer team opened play in the 2009 NCAA Tournament with a 5-0 second round victory over Bucknell in front of 2,279 fans Sunday afternoon at Klöckner Stadium. First-year Will Bates (Chester, Va.) had a hat trick in his NCAA debut and goalkeeper Diego Restrepo (West Palm Beach, Fla.) posted his ninth consecutive shutout to lead the Cavaliers into the round of 16.
"It is always good to get that first NCAA game under your belt," said Virginia head coach George Gelnovatch, whose team received a first round bye. "To win it in the fashion we did was even better. After winning the ACC Tournament, we were flowing with confidence. This was not only a great result, but we also managed the game well. We now have to put it behind us and get ready for the next round."
The Cavaliers took an early lead in the eighth minute of play. Tony Tchani (Norfolk, Va.) slid a through ball to Bates, who one-timed in his ninth goal of the season. Later in the first half, Virginia tacked on three goals in a nine-minute span to take a 4-0 lead into the break. In the 28th minute, Hunter Jumper (Plano, Texas) took a pass from Tchani and fired home a shot from the top of the box for his first goal of the season. Two minutes later, Shawn Barry (Miramar, Fla.) was tripped in the area and Tchani converted the penalty kick for his seventh goal of the season. Bates closed out the first half scoring in the 37th minute when he put in the rebound of his own blocked shot from 10 yards out.
In the second half, Bates completed his hat trick in the 50th minute when Jumper sent him in on a breakaway and he chipped a shot over the charging goalkeeper. The five goals were a season-high for the Cavaliers.
Restrepo made five saves in net for Virginia to post his ninth consecutive shutout and extended his school-record total to 13 shutouts this season. In the game, Restrepo also broke Tony Meola’s school record for consecutive shutout minutes, with his streak now at 927:34. Meola had a shutout streak of 891:25 during the 1988 season.
Overall, Virginia had a 15-10 shot advantage, while Bucknell had a 9-1 corner kick edge.
The Cavaliers advance to the round of 16, where they will play Portland next weekend. The Pilots won 2-1 at NC State in the second round Sunday. It will be the second meeting of the season between the schools. Virginia won 3-0 at Portland on Sept. 4 in the season opener for both teams.
Courtesy VirginiaSports.com