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Aug. 28, 2003
Game No. 1
No. 18/11 West Virginia (0-0) at No. 11/9 Virginia (0-0)
August 30, 2003
Kl?ckner Stadium
Charlottesville, Va.
1:00 pm
Live Stats
Today’s Game: The Cavaliers open the 2003 regular season today as they host the West Virginia Mountaineers at Kl?ckner Stadium. The match between the two preseason top 25 teams is a rematch of a NCAA Tournament game last season.
Virginia is coming off a 13-7-2 season in 2002, with a 4-3 mark in the ACC. The Cavaliers finished in a second place tie in the conference and finished the season ranked No. 17 in the nation. The team also participated in the NCAA Tournament for the ninth consecutive season, and reached the third round for the fourth consecutive season.
West Virginia is coming off a 2002 season in which they posted a school record 18 victories, going 18-3-1 on the year. The Mountaineers were the No. 5 seed for the 2002 NCAA Tournament, but were defeated by Virginia 1-0 in the second round in Morgantown.
All-Time Series: Today is the fourth all-time meeting between the Cavaliers and the Mountaineers, with Virginia holding a 2-1 edge in the series. The teams split their two meetings last year, with each winning on the road. West Virginia handed Virginia a 2-1 loss in September at Kl?ckner Stadium as part of the Virginia Soccer Classic. In November, the Cavaliers ended the Mountaineers’ season with a 1-0 NCAA Tournament win in the mud of the Mountaineer Soccer Complex. The Cavaliers won the first meeting between the schools in 2001, defeating West Virginia 2-1 as part of the Virginia Soccer Classic at Kl?ckner Stadium.
Michigan Preseason Trip: The Cavaliers opened the 2003 season with a week-long preseason trip to Michigan. On the trip, Virginia played two exhibition contests, posting a 1-0-1 record. On August 20, Virginia defeated Oakland 9-1 in Traverse City. Michigan native Lindsay Gusick led the way with four goals, while Noelle Keselica and Kelly Hammond each had two goals and an assist. Two days later, the Cavaliers tied Michigan State 1-1 in East Lansing. Virginia outshot MSU 27-3 for the game, but Kelly Hammond’s second half goal was the Cavaliers’ only tally. The trip marked the second time in the past three years that Virginia has traveled to Michigan for preseason training, also doing so before the 2001 season.
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