No. 12 Virginia knows how to cause trouble for the No. 1 Irish.
The Cavaliers knocked Notre Dame out of the ACC Championship with a 4-3 semifinal win on penalty kicks Friday in Campus Park, Md.
Virginia (11-4-4, 5-3-4 ACC) converted four penalty kicks versus three for the Irish (12-2-5, 7-2-3).
Irish senior forward Harry Shipp, sophomore midfielder Patrick Hodan and senior defender Andrew O'Malley scored for Notre Dame in regular time, and Cavaliers sophomore midfielder Todd Wharton (penalty kick), sophomore forward and midfielder Marcus Salandy-Defour and freshman forward NickoCorriveau found the net for the Cavaliers.
Three of the game's six goals came in the final 10 minutes of regular time as Virginia mounted a comeback. O'Malley's goal put the Irish up 3-1 in the 81st minute, but the Cavaliers responded with goals in the 85th and 87th minute to force overtime.
Virginia handed Notre Dame its only loss of the season on Oct. 26. The Irish have allowed only 0.57 goals per game, but the Cavaliers managed to score two goals in that game and buried three Friday. Virginia is the only team to score more multiple goals in a game against Notre Dame this season.
The Irish struck first with Shipp's goal in the 21st minute, and Notre Dame held the advantage with a 2-0 lead at halftime. Sophomore midfielder Connor Klekota passed the ball ahead to Shipp, who chased it into the box and shot the ball to the left of Cavaliers redshirt junior goalkeeper Calle Brown for a goal. Hodan then scored nearly 24 minutes later to extend Notre Dame's lead to 2-0.
Virginia found its stride in the second half, however. Wharton converted a penalty kick in the 57th minute, and the Cavaliers turned up the heat in the closing minutes of regular time. Salandy-Defour and Corriveau sparked Virginia's comeback.
After two scoreless periods of overtime, the game came down to penalty kicks. Shipp converted for the Irish, but Brown saved shots from Klekota and Hodan to set the Irish back. The Cavaliers held on to secure the 4-3 penalty kick advantage and win the match.
The first round of the NCAA Tournament begins Thursday.
Contact Samantha Zuba at szuba@nd.edu
