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CARY, N.C. (TheACC.com) – In a matchup of the nation’s top two ranked teams, No. 2 Virginia scored three unanswered goals in the second half to win the 2019 ACC Men’s Soccer Championship, 3-1, over top-ranked Clemson Sunday afternoon at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina.
 
Virginia (17-1-1) was the No. 2 seed in the tournament, while Clemson (16-2-1) was the No. 1 seed. The ACC championship was the Cavaliers’ 16th all-time, but their first since 2009. It was head coach George Gelnovatch’s fifth ACC title in his coaching career, the fifth most of any men’s soccer coach in league history.
 
Clemson struck first in the 19th minute following a Kimarni Smith corner kick, with Malick Mbaye heading a ball that was saved by UVa goalkeeper Colin Shutler, but James Brighton pounced on the rebound and knocked it into the back of the net from short range for his sixth goal of the season.
 
Virginia knotted the scored in the 65th minute when Iraokze Donasiyano sent a through ball forward and into the right side of the box, where Axel Gunnarson shot it from a tough angle just inside the far post for his first career goal.
 
UVa took the lead in the 82nd minute off a Daniel Steedman corner kick, as he found an unmarked Cabrel Happi Kamseu in the box, and he tapped it inside the near post for his second goal of the year.
 
The Cavaliers scored again less than a minute and half later. After Clemson’s Malick Mbaye, as the last line of defense, pulled down UVa’s Daryl Dike in the box, he was shown a red card and sent off. The Cavaliers’ Robin Afamefuna buried the penalty kick – his second goal of the year – for a 3-1 advantage.
 
Both teams finished with five shots on goal. Clemson held a 13-11 edge in shots, and both sides earned eight corner kicks.
 
With the win, Virginia is the ACC’s automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament, which begins Thursday at campus sites. The full field of 48 will be announced at 1 p.m. Monday on NCAA.com
 
2019 ACC Men's Soccer All-Tournament Team
Nathaniel Crofts, Virginia
Bret Halsey, Virginia
Cabrel Happi Kamseu, Virginia
Henry Kessler, Virginia
James Brighton, Clemson
Tanner Dieterich, Clemson
Philip Mayaka, Clemson
Edward Kizza, Pitt
Arturo Ordonez, Pitt
Michael DeShields, Wake Forest
Joey DeZart, Wake Forest
Tournament MVP – Henry Kessler, Virginia