Virginia Defeats Clemson 2-0 in Men’s Soccer

Sept. 30, 2011

CLEMSON, SC – Brian Span scored one goal and had one assist in leading Virginia to a 2-0 victory over Clemson in a men’s Atlantic Coast Conference soccer match at Clemson, SC Friday night.

With the win, Virginia improves to 6-4 overall, and 2-1 in the ACC. Clemson falls to 3-5 overal,l and 1-3 in league play.

Virginia scored first in the 16th minute. Span sent a through ball past the Clemson defense, and Ryan Zinkhan fired a diagonal shot to the netting for his first goal of the season. This was Span’s fourth assist of the season.

The Cavaliers scored their second goal of the evening in the 75th minute. Span dribbled through the Clemson defense to get a one-on-one matchup with Clemson goalkeeper Cody Mizell. He sent a shot from eight yards out near the right post for his third goal of the year.

“I give credit to Virginia,” said Clemson Head Coach Mike Noonan. “They kept us from doing anything in the offensive 1/3 of the field. We had two deep penetrations and could not do anything with our opportunities. We have a young team, and we are continuing to learn and gain experience. Defensively, we did not play bad. I would say we were sound defensively. We lacked a competitive toughness tonight–that was definitely missing. We have to move forward and continue to work hard as our schedule does not get any easier.”

Clemson will play at North Carolina on Friday, October 7, at 7:00 p.m. and at Elon on Tuesday, October 11.

Virginia 2, Clemson 0

Virginia – Ryan Zinkhan (Brian Span) 15:57 Virginia – Brian Span (Unassisted) 74:51

Shots: Virginia 15, Clemson 2 Corner Kicks: Virginia 3, Clemson 4 Saves: Spencer LaCivita (UVA) 2, Cody Mizell (CU) 4 Fouls: Virginia 6, Clemson 10 Attendance: 1,471