No. 12 Virginia men’s soccer upsets No. 1 Maryland in Battle for the DMV

The Year of the Hoo continued Monday night as the No. 12 Virginia Men’s Soccer team pulled off a huge 2-0 upset of the No. 1 Maryland Terrapins. It was the second straight year the two met in the “Battle for the DMV”, taking place at Audi Field in Washington, DC. The two squads played to a 0-0 tie last year.

In the 81st meeting between the two teams, Virginia controlled the tempo and feel of the game. Third year Nathaniel Crofts got things going with a strike with 24 minutes left in the first half. It was Crofts’s first goal of the season, but likely won’t be the last as he had four goals last season and led the team in points (14) and assists (6).

Second year forward Darryl Dike doubled Virginia’s advantage just two minutes later as Crofts dished a gorgeous assist that Dike deposited in the upper corner of the net. The score was Dike’s second of the season, giving him nearly half of last season’s total (5) in just three games.

Virginia outshot Maryland 11-5, with the Hoos putting five of those shots on cage. Goalkeeper Colin Shutler played all 90 minutes and finished with a clean sheet and two saves.

The Cavaliers are now 2-0 on the season after taking down Pacific in the first game of the season. Next up, Virginia hosts High Point on Saturday night at 7pm before heading to Duke for the first ACC game of the season on Friday, September 13.