Virginia Hosts George Mason In Friday Night Exhibition

Story Links

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – In its first of three preseason exhibition contests in 2009, the Virginia men’s soccer team hosts George Mason Friday at Klöckner Stadium. Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m., and live statistics will be available at VirginiaSports.com.

Despite being one of the youngest teams in the nation last season, Virginia advanced to the final of the ACC Tournament and continued its longest-active streak in the nation of 29-straight NCAA Tournament appearances. Head coach George Gelnovatch welcomes the Atlantic Coast Conference’s top-ranked recruiting class according to Top Drawer Soccer and returns for his 14th season at the helm of UVa.

Virginia was picked to finish second in the league, as announced by the preseason coaches poll released on Wednesday (Aug. 19).

Cavalier midfielder and reigning ACC Freshman of the Year Tony Tchani (Norfolk, Va.) was named as one of the 38 members of the Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy Watch List. He was the Cavaliers’ leading goal-scorer last season with nine goals and three assists.

Fellow sophomore Brian Ownby, meanwhile, spent the summer with the United States Under-20 Men’s National Team that played two international games as part of the Copa Ciudad de Rosario in Argentina. Last year, Ownby was an ACC All-Freshmen team selection and had five goals and four assists for the Cavaliers.

Friday’s match is the first of three preseason exhibition contests for the Cavaliers, as UVa travels to Old Dominion on Monday, Aug. 24, for a 7 p.m. exhibition and then returns to Klöckner Stadium for a Saturday, Aug. 29, exhibition against West Virginia. Kick-off for that match is scheduled for 7 p.m.

The regular season begins with the Nike Portland Invitational on Sept. 4 and 6, when the Cavaliers face host Portland and Washington. The home-opener is Sept. 11 vs. Duke at 8 p.m. at Klöckner Stadium.