One of the Cavaliers’ captains, along with senior wingback Paul Wiese and junior midfielder Umberto Pelà, Gashi has been a fixture in the lineup all season. For Smith, a 6-foot-4, 189-pound sophomore, it was only his seventh game as a Cavalier. A junior-college transfer who joined the program this year, Smith has been slowed by injuries, but his performance Sunday night highlighted his immense talent.
“He’s just a presence up there,” Gashi said. “You know if you’re in trouble, you can launch a ball up to him and he can take on two defenders and just hold up the ball, let us come forward, and that adds a lot.”
Smith is “the fastest, most athletic guy that we have on the team,” Gelnovatch said. “I don’t think you’ve seen half of what he’s capable of doing when he gets fit.”
In the 33rd minute, Smith tapped in a cross from sophomore midfielder Brendan Lambe to make it 2-1, and that goal proved to be the game-winner. With about 10 minutes remaining in the match, Kome Ubogu replaced Smith, who left to a warm ovation from the home fans.
“It’s really nice to see him get back into form,” Dang said of Smith. “Every time we’re under pressure, it’s an easy choice. If I’m going to play it long, just aim for his head, and nine out of ten times he’s going to win the ball.”
Moving on ➡️#GoHoos pic.twitter.com/c83vZZATCd
— Virginia Men’s Soccer (@UVAMenSoccer) November 25, 2024
Spurred on their boisterous cheering section at Klöckner, the Mountaineers did not go quietly after falling behind. They finished with 16 shots, to only five for their hosts, but Virginia defended resolutely. Of senior goalkeeper Joey Batrouni’s four saves, three came in the second half.
“He was nice and steady in there,” Gelnovatch said, “and calmed us down and a good presence.”
Defending against a talented team that’s desperate to extend its season is challenging, said Dang, a second-team All-ACC selection. “[The Mountaineers] have a lot of threats up top, so the balls that they were serving in, it’s very difficult to deal with. It takes a toll on you, but at some point you kind of get used to it.”
Dang is a transfer from Lipscomb, where he was 0-2 in NCAA tournament games. He acknowledged that he found himself glancing at the scoreboard clock repeatedly in the second half Sunday night, probably more than he should have.
“I feel like one time I looked back and it was like 4.30 on the clock,” Dang said,…