CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. – Yannick Reyering’s 83rd minute penalty kick proved to be the winning strike as third-ranked Virginia held off visiting Campbell 2-1 Wednesday night at Klockner Stadium.
The Cavaliers (5-1-0) overcame an early 1-0 deficit to the Camels (3-2-0), who entered the game unbeaten away from home (3-0-0) this season.
Campbell jumped in front in the 12th minute when Josue Soto played a ball to Josh Elliott, who then hit the crossbar. Freshman Khalil Johnson netted the rebound for his first career goal and the first the Cavaliers have surrendered at home this year. However, those proved to be the only two shots of the evening for the Camels.
UVA equalized in the 26th minute when Neil Barlow turned in the box and scored from 10 yards off Matt Ayotte’s assist. The strike was Barlow’s third of the season.
Jeremy Barlow nearly pushed the Cavs in front just after 74 minutes when his shot hit the post.
Reyering’s fourth goal of the year came from the penalty spot at 82:23 after the Camels were whistled for a handball in the area.
"Our guys fought hard against an excellent team," said Campbell head coach Doug Hess. "We defended very well, but the two goals we gave up were off set plays, a corner and a penalty. I'm proud of the way our team played tonight. Again, it was an excellent performance from our back four; Aaron Johnson was fantastic in goal."
Virginia finished with a 19-2 edge in shots, including a 7-1 advantage in shots on goal. Camel keeper Aaron Johnson finished with five saves, while UVA’s Dan Louisignau did not make a stop in 90 minutes.
Since the start of the 2005 season, Campbell stands 3-3-0 in games against teams ranked either in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) or Soccer America top-25 polls. UVA entered the contest ranked third in this week’s NSCAA listing, and fourth in the Soccer America ranking.
The Fighting Camels play their fourth-consecutive game away from home on Saturday in a 3:00 p.m. kick-off at UNC Asheville.
#3 Virginia 2, Campbell 1
Scoring:
CAM (11:45) Khalil Johnson (Josh Elliott assist)
UVA (25:28) Neil Barlow (Matt Ayotte)
UVA (82:23) Yannick Reyering (penalty kick)
Shots: Campbell 2, Virginia 19
Shots on goal: Campbell 1, Virginia 7
Corner Kicks: Campbell 1, Virginia 13
Saves: Campbell (Aaron Johnson) 5, Virginia (Dan Louisignau) 0
Fouls: Campbell 8, Virginia 16
Yellow Cards: Campbell – Richard Jata (23:33), Aaron Johnson (82:23); Virginia – Matt Williams (56:16)
Records: Campbell 3-2-0, Virginia 5-1-0
Courtesy: GoCamels.com