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Sept. 4, 2003
VIRGINIA’S RANKINGS/RECORD: Virginia is not ranked in either the Soccer America or NSCAA/adidas Top 25 polls this week. UVa entered the 2003 season ranked in several national preseason polls. Virginia was ranked #14 in the NSCAA/adidas Top 25, #16 in the SoccerTimes Top 25, #19 in the Soccer America Top 25 and #21 in the College Soccer News’ Poll. Since the beginning of the 1984 season, the Cavaliers have been the top-ranked team in 71 Soccer America polls and 55 NSCAA polls (formerly the ISAA poll). Virginia was ranked in 183 consecutive NSCAA polls dating back to September of 1983 until the streak was snapped on 10/25/99, and was ranked in 177 consecutive Soccer America polls since September of 1984 until the streak ended on 10/4/99.
VIRGINIA VS. AMERICAN & UCLA: Virginia stands 10-3-0 (.769) all-time against the American Eagles and is 1-4-1 (.250) all-time against the UCLA Bruins. UVa’s match with American will mark the eighth consecutive year the two schools have met and will be the 12th time the two schools will have faced one another since 1991. The Cavaliers’ match with the Bruins will mark the first time the two schools have faced off since the beginning of the 2001 season. Here is a closer look at Virginia’s series history with American and UCLA:
Virginia vs. American – UVa leads the series 10-3-0.
Date Opponents Score Location11/20/79 AU def. UVa 1-0 Charlottesville, Va.11/25/84 UVa def. AU 1-0 Charlottesville, Va.10/12/91 UVa def. AU 2-0 Washington D.C.9/8/93 UVa def. AU 4-1 Charlottesville, Va.9/7/94 UVa def. AU 4-1 Washington D.C.10/29/95 UVa def. AU 5-1 Charlottesville, Va.8/30/97 AU def. UVa 3-1 Washington D.C.12/6/97 UVa def. AU 2-1 (ot) Charlottesville, Va.10/9/98 AU def. UVa 2-1 Charlottesville, Va.9/29/99 UVa def. AU 2-0 Charlottesville, Va.10/25/00 UVa def. AU 4-1 Charlottesville, Va.9/7/01 UVa def. AU 4-2 College Park, Md.10/26/02 UVa def. AU 2-1 Charlottesville, Va.
Virginia vs. UCLA – UVa trails the series 1-4-1.
Date Opponents Score Location9/9/84 UCLA def. UVa 2-1 Bloomington, Ind.9/9/88 UVa def. UCLA 3-0 Las Vegas, Nev.12/14/97 UCLA def. UVa 2-0 Richmond, Va.10/31/99 UCLA def. UVa 2-0 Westwood, Calif.12/4/99 UCLA def. UVa 2-0 Charlottesville, Va.9/2/01 UVa tied UCLA 2-2 (ot) Charlottesville, Va.
CAVALIERS LOOK TO DOWN ANOTHER #1 RANKED TEAM: When it comes to facing the number one ranked team in the nation, the Cavaliers are no stranger to the challenge or to a good outcome. Virginia has faced eight teams ranked #1 in the nation according to Soccer America’s Top 25 Poll. UVa stands 3-3-2 (.500) all-time against the #1 ranked team in the nation. However, the Cavaliers have won their last two meetings against the #1 ranked team, including a 1-0 shutout victory over previously undefeated Wake Forest in the 2002 ACC Tournament just last season. Virginia stands 3-0-2 (.800) in its last five meetings with the #1 ranked team in the land. Here is a look at Virginia’s history against the #1 ranked team in the nation according to Soccer America:
Date Opponents Score Location11/15/02 UVa def. Wake Forest 1-0 Cary, N.C.12/11/94 UVa def. Indiana 1-0 Davidson, N.C.10/28/90 UVa tied Clemson 1-1 ot Clemson, S.C.12/3/89 UVa tied Santa Clara 1-1 ot New Brunswick, NJ11/1/85 UVa def. Clemson 2-0 Charlottesville, Va.9/8/84 Indiana def. UVa 1-0 Bloomington, Ind.10/30/83 Duke def. UVa 1-0 Durham, N.C.10/18/80 UConn def. UVa 4-0 Storrs, Conn.
FIRST TIME FOR FIRST-YEARS: When UVa lined up to face Seton Hall in Virginia’s season-opener (8/29), three true-freshman were in the starting lineup and made their first collegiate start. The Cavaliers’ trio of Ryan Best (GK), Adam Cristman (F) and Will Hall (MF) made their first starts, while first-years Drew Harrison (MF) and Ian Holder (F) made their first appearances for UVa in the match. Brian Yi (MF) made his first appearance for the Cavaliers in UVa’s next match against #13 Saint Louis (8/31), bringing the total number of UVa true-freshman to see action in the 2003 Virginia Soccer Classic to six.
VIRGINIA OFF TO FIRST 0-2 START SINCE 1974: Following its 1-0 shutout loss to Seton Hall (8/29) and its 3-2 overtime loss to #13 Saint Louis (8/31) in the 2003 Virginia Soccer Classic, UVa is off to its first 0-2 start since the start of the 1974 season. Virginia has not had an 0-3 start to a season since the 1966 season when UVa finished winless at 0-10.
UVA DROPS ITS FIRST SEASON OPENER SINCE 1997 AND FALLS IN ITS FIRST HOME OPENER SINCE 1994: Following Virginia’s 1-0 shutout loss to Seton Hall (8/29) in the 2003 Virginia Soccer Classic, the defeat marked the first time UVa had lost its season opener since falling 3-1 to American on August 30, 1997 in Washington D.C. and marked the first time the Cavaliers has lost a home opener since September 3rd, 1994 when Boston University defeated UVa 3-2 in the 1994 Coca-Cola Classic.
VIRGINIA FALLS TO #13 SAINT LOUIS IN OVERTIME: Virginia rallied from a 2-0 halftime deficit and tied the #13 ranked Saint Louis Billikens in the final game of the 2003 Virginia Soccer Classic (8/31), but were unable to pull out the win after Saint Louis scored the game-winning goal in overtime to down UVa, 3-2. The loss was Virginia’s first to a ranked team in 2003.
FIRST 20 SECONDS OF MATCH DOOM VIRGINIA AGAINST SETON HALL: Virginia only allowed seven shots in its game against Seton Hall (8/29), but it was the first shot allowed that did the Cavaliers in, as UVa fell 1-0 to the Pirates. SHU scored just 20 second into the match and was outshot 19-6 for the game, but the Pirates were able to hold Virginia scoreless for the remaining 89:40 to secure the 1-0 shutout victory.
UVA’S MATT OLIVER & John Hartman NAMED TO 2003 VIRGINIA SOCCER CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: Virginia’s had two players named to the 2003 Virginia Soccer Classic All-Tournament Team. UVa’s defending duo of Matt Oliver and John Hartman were selected to the squad. Oliver was also named to the team last year (2002).
VIRGINIA PLAYS TO SCORELESS TIE AGAINST SOUTH CAROLINA: Virginia played to a scoreless tie against the South Carolina Gamecocks in an exhibition match at UVa’s Kl?ckner Stadium. Both teams had several opportunities to net a goal, but solid goalkeeping and a few shots off the crossbar of the goals resulted in a 0-0 tie. There was no overtime period played in the match. UVa outshot USC by one (11-10) and had one more corner kick (7-6) but was unable to put in a goal. With the tie, Virginia ends it 2003 exhibition season with a record of 0-0-2. The match was South Carolina’s only exhibition of the 2003 preseason.
VIRGINIA TIES ODU IN EXHIBITION MATCH: Virginia tied Old Dominion by the score of 1-1 in the Cavaliers’ first exhibition game of the 2003 season on August 19th. UVa’s Kirk Dinnall scored Virginia’s goal and first-year forward Adam Cristman dished-out an assist in the match. First-year goalkeeper Ryan Best also gathered three saves in goal in the match.
VIRGINIA PICKED THIRD IN 2003 ACC COACHES PRESEASON POLL: The University of Virginia men’s soccer team was picked to finish third in the 2003 Atlantic Coast Conference Coaches Preseason Poll. UVa, which received 30 points to record its third place spot, was predicted to finish behind only Maryland (first place/48 points) and Wake Forest (second place/40 points) as determined by a vote of the league’s seven head coaches.
Maryland, the 2002 ACC Champions, has been selected as the favorite for the upcoming 2003 ACC Men’s Soccer season with 48 points. The Terrapins finished the 2002 campaign with a 20-5 overall record, including a 4-2 league mark, and advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Men’s Soccer College Cup. Heading into 2003, Maryland edged out defending ACC regular-season champion Wake Forest.
WFU was predicted to finish runner-up to Maryland and finished second in the poll with 40 points. The Demon Deacons ended the 2002 regular-season with a 4-0-2 league record and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Championship. Finishing third in the poll was Virginia with 30 points. The Cavaliers advanced to the finals of the 2002 ACC Championship and made their fourth consecutive trip to the conference finals last season. Last year, Virginia made its 22nd consecutive appearance in the NCAA Championship.
Completing the preseason poll in order of finish is North Carolina (28 points) in fourth place, Clemson (26 points) in fifth place, Duke (17 points) in sixth place and N.C. State (7 points) rounding out the poll in seventh place.
The ACC is considered by many to be one of the top soccer conferences in the nation. ACC schools have won 10 national championships in men’s soccer over the last 19 years. Below is a listing of the 2003 preseason coaches’ poll with 2002 records and regular season finishes.
2003 ACC COACHES MEN’S SOCCER PRESEASON POLL
Rank School Points 2002 Record/Finish1. Maryland 48 20-5, 4-2-0 ACC/2nd2. Wake Forest 40 15-2-4, 4-0-2 ACC/1st3. VIRGINIA 30 15-7, 3-3-0 ACC/4th4. North Carolina 28 14-7-1, 3-2-1 ACC/3rd5. Clemson 26 14-5-3, 2-3-1 ACC/6th6. Duke 17 11-8-1, 3-3 ACC/5th7. NC State 7 5-14, 0-6-0 ACC/7th
HOME SWEET HOME: Virginia has enjoyed much success playing in the friendly confines of Kl?ckner Stadium. One of the finest college soccer facilities in the country, Kl?ckner Stadium has been a very tough place for opponents to record a win. Since its opening in 1992, UVa has posted an eye-opening record of 136-19-7 (.861) at Kl?ckner Stadium. The Cavaliers finished the 2002 regular season a perfect 12-0-0 at home this season and finished the 2002 season 12-1-0. Virginia is 20-6 (.769) in NCAA Tournament games held at Kl?ckner Stadium during the past 11 seasons, outscoring its opposition 60-23 in those games.
GELNOVATCH TOPS 100 AND IS CLIMBING: UVa men’s soccer head soccer coach George Gelnovatch recorded his 100th career head coaching victory on August 30th, 2002 when Virginia defeated #25 Kentucky by the score of 3-2. Gelnovatch, in his eighth season as head coach at UVa, has recorded 114 wins as a head coach at Virginia with a career record of 114-37-12, including a mark of 26-10-6 in the ACC. By reaching the 100-win mark, it makes him only the second UVa men’s soccer coach to record the milestone. Former Virginia men’s soccer head coach Bruce Arena holds UVa’s all-time coaching victory mark with 295 (295-59-31, 74-21-11 ACC).
HOME OPENERS: Following its 1-0 loss to Seton Hall on August 29, 2003, Virginia’s home-opener record fell to to 42-15-3 (.725) all-time dating back to the start of the 1941 season. However, over the last 35 years, Virginia has been nearly unbeatable in home openers. The Cavaliers have posted a record of 30-3-2 (.886) during that time span. Prior to its loss to Seton Hall in 2003, the last time Virginia was defeated in a home opener was on September 3, 1994 when Boston University handed the Cavaliers a 3-2 defeat. Although UVa began that season with a loss, Virginia didn’t miss a beat the rest of the season and closed out the year with its fifth National Championship.
VIRGINIA SOCCER TOURNAMENT HISTORY: The 2003 season marked the 19th consecutive year the Cavaliers hosted a soccer tournament. Virginia stands 28-6-4 (.790) all-time during that time span in tournament play in the Coca-Cola Classic (1985-1998) and the Virginia Soccer Classic (1999-2002). Here is a year-by-year look at UVa’s results:
1985 West Virginia W 3-0 1-0-0 George Washington W 4-1 2-0-01986 Richmond W 3-0 3-0-0 Cornell W 2-0 4-0-01987 Wake Forest W 3-0 5-0-0 Adelphi W 1-0 6-0-01988 Illinois State W 2-0 7-0-0 William & Mary W 1-0 8-0-01989 UNC-Charlotte W 2-0 9-0-0 Charleston W 6-0 10-0-01990 Army W 4-0 11-0-0 South Carolina T 1-1 11-0-11991 Creighton T 3-3 11-0-2 Rutgers W 2-1 12-0-21992 Penn State W 4-0 13-0-2 Seton Hall W 4-1 14-0-21993 Florida International W 3-1 15-0-2 Connecticut W 5-1 16-0-21994 Boston University L 2-3 16-1-2 St. John's W 2-0 17-1-21995 UNLV W 3-0 18-1-2 Boston College W 3-2 19-1-21996 Cal-State Fullerton T 2-2 19-1-3 Saint Louis W 2-1 20-1-31997 Akron W 5-1 21-1-3 Florida International T 1-1 21-1-41998 American L 1-2 21-2-4 Adelphi W 3-0 22-2-41999 Seton Hall W 4-3 23-2-4 Gonzaga L 2-3 23-3-42000 South Florida W 3-2 24-3-4 Jacksonville W 7-1 25-3-42001 Liberty W 2-1 26-3-4 UCLA T 2-2 26-4-42002 Kentucky W 3-2 27-4-4 Rhode Island W 2-1 28-4-42003 Seton Hall L 1-0 28-5-4 Saint Louis L 3-2 29-6-4