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CHARLOTTESVILLE The 19th-ranked Virginia men’s soccer team hits the road for a contest at Duke Saturday night. Kick-off from Koskinen Stadium is 7 p.m., and live statistics are available at VirginiaSports.com.
Virginia (8-4-1, 4-1-0 ACC) wraps up its road schedule with the match against the Blue Devils, as the Cavaliers play their final three regular-season games within the friendly confines of Klckner Stadium. UVa is coming off of a 2-2 double-overtime tie vs. Longwood on Tuesday night.
Jimmy Simpson scored twice for the Cavaliers vs. the Lancers, upping his season total to six. Freshman Tony Tchani continues to lead the team with nine goals, while Matt Mitchell (three goals) and Brian Ownby (two goals) have also led UVa offensively. The Cavaliers are out-scoring their opponents, 27-15, this season.
On the defensive end, Michael Giallombardo has started the last eight games for Virginia and has allowed four goals. His goals-against average of 0.49 ranks second in the ACC.
Duke (7-5-2, 2-2-2 ACC) is led by Mike Grella, who has scored 10 goals and assisted on four more so far in 2008. Kyle Bethel (four goals), Temi Molinar (two goals), Cole Grossman (two goals) and Nick Sih (two goals) also contribute to Duke’s offensive firepower.
Blue Devil goalkeeper Brendan Fitzgerald has started 13 of Duke’s 14 games and has allowed 11 goals. Duke has out-scored its opponents, 22-13, on the year.
In the all-time series between the two teams, Virginia holds a 36-34-7 edge in meetings dating back to the 1946 season. Last year in Charlottesville, the Blue Devils came away with a 2-1 double-overtime victory.
Following Saturday night’s game, Virginia ends its regular-season with a three-game homestand. American (Oct. 28) marks the end of the non-conference slate, followed by league match-ups with Maryland (Oct. 31) and Wake Forest (Nov. 7) at Klckner Stadium.