After a scoreless opening half, the American University men's soccer team allowed two second-half goals in a 2-0 defeat to defending national champion Virginia on Tuesday night in Charlottesville, Va.  

American (3-3) held tough in a scoreless opening half where the Eagles outshot Virginia (4-1-1) by a 5-4 margin. AU earned three corner kicks in the 45 minutes, including one that resulted in a shot on goal by Eli Dennis in the 33rd minute, although the Eagles were unable to convert the opportunities into a score.

Virginia (4-1-1) had its best scoring opportunity in the first half in the fifth minute when Brian Ownby received a cross and struck a shot on goal from close range. AU goalkeeper Matt Makowski made an unsuccessful lunge for the ball, but defender Cristobal Soto was in perfect position to make the clutch defensive save and keep the match scoreless.

The Cavaliers, which are currently ranked No. 5 in the SoccerAmerica national poll and No. 7 in the NSCAA rankings, took a 1-0 lead in the 60th minute on an Ownby score. After a deflection in front of the goal, Ownby gathered the loose ball and knocked in the shot past Makowski.

In the 78th minute, the Cavaliers added an insurance goal as Will Bates' shot from 18 yards out caught a piece of an American defender and deflected into the upper-right part of the goal, which gave Virginia a 2-0 advantage.

AU's best scoring opportunity in the match came in the 80th minute when Jack Scott crossed a ball to a streaking Mike Marino. Marino's shot was tipped by Virginia goalkeeper Diego Restrepo, but still appeared to be heading inside the left post. Just in front of the goal line, Virginia's Sean Murnane was able to track down the ball and clear the zone to preserve the 2-0 shutout.  

In the match, each team recorded four corner kicks. American was outshot by a 12-6 margin with Virginia also holding a 5-2 advantage in shots on goal.

Dennis led the Eagles with two shots, including the aforementioned shot on goal in the first half. In goal, Makowski made three saves for the Eagles.

"It was a great team effort and a very evenly played match tonight," Head Coach Todd West said. "We know what we are capable of and now we must prepare ourselves both mentally and physically for our first conference match on Saturday."

The Eagles will be back in action this Saturday, September 25 when they host Bucknell in a rematch of last year's Patriot League Championship Match. First kick from Reeves Field is scheduled for 1 p.m. All AU men's soccer home matches, including Saturday's against the Bison, are broadcast live on Eagles Vision TV, part of AUeagles.com.