On Friday, the Irish refused to give up in Charlottesville. In one of its most resilient performances of the season, the Notre Dame men’s soccer team battled back from an early deficit to draw 1-1 with No. 8 Virginia on Friday night at Klöckner Stadium. Junior forward Jack Flanagan provided the dramatic equalizer in the 86th minute, firing home his first goal of the season to secure a crucial road point in ACC play.
The result moves Notre Dame to 7-2-4 overall and 2-1-2 in the ACC, extending its unbeaten run to four matches following home wins over Hope and Green Bay and a draw with Virginia Tech. The trip to Charlottesville marked the Irish’s first match away from South Bend in nearly a month, ending a seven-game homestand that began after their Sept. 12 victory at Pittsburgh.
The match had all the hallmarks of an ACC heavyweight clash — physical, tactical and defined by small margins. Virginia’s pressure and possession tested Notre Dame, but the Irish defense held firm. The draw marked a steadying performance for an Irish backline that had been searching for consistency in recent weeks. After conceding nine goals across its previous five matches, Notre Dame limited the Cavaliers to just one despite Virginia’s 14 shots and 57% of possession.
A steady presence all season, sophomore goalkeeper Blake Kelly anchored the Irish defense with confidence in Charlottesville. The ACC’s saves leader added three more stops to his total, allowing just one goal in another composed performance between the posts.
Notre Dame’s determination finally broke through in the closing minutes. Virginia opened the match on the front foot, firing off the first four shots, including a dangerous cross that junior forward AJ Smith headed just over the bar from close range. The Cavaliers eventually broke the deadlock in the 20th minute. Graduate defenseman Jesus De Vicente delivered a lofted free kick toward freshman Nick Simmonds in the center circle, who controlled it cleanly before finding sophomore defender Alex Parvu on the right wing. Parvu slid to send a low cross toward Smith, and the junior forward smashed his finish into the roof of the net to give Virginia a 1-0 advantage.
The Irish earned five corners and several free kicks but couldn’t capitalize on any set pieces or convert them into any real chances. Their best opportunity of the first half came in the 41st minute, when senior midfielder Sebastian Green whipped a dangerous ball into the box for freshman forward Ren Sylvester, whose effort slipped narrowly wide of the left post.
After the break, Notre Dame began to grow into the match. The Irish doubled their shot total from two to four in the second half while limiting Virginia to just five after allowing nine before halftime. All three of Blake Kelly’s saves came in that improved second period as the Irish began to find their rhythm.
The contest was physical from start to finish, with the Irish whistled for 18 fouls and shown one yellow card, while Virginia committed 12 fouls. Senior midfielder KK Baffour picked up the lone yellow card for Notre Dame in the 65th minute. But the senior would later play the hero’s role — with less than five minutes remaining, he created space on the left wing and sent a driven cross into Flanagan, who redirected the ball into the back of the net, scoring on the half-volley to rescue the draw for the Irish.
Flanagan delivered the long-awaited response to AJ Smith’s early goal, scoring his first of the season at the perfect time. Fittingly, the stalemate came on a night defined by the juniors — Smith for Virginia and Flanagan for Notre Dame. Friday’s draw served as another example of Notre Dame’s growing resilience in tightly contested matches.
Notre Dame head coach Chad Riley reflected on that toughness afterward, saying, “Virginia is clearly a good team, and they were better in the first half. I thought our team came out well in the second half and did a great job pushing to get the equalizer. I love that we never stopped and kept going. We have to keep being a team that goes until the final whistle.”
The Irish will look to carry that momentum back home next week for their regular-season home finale at Alumni Stadium against No. 10 NC State on Friday, Oct. 17 at 7:30 p.m.
