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Two Top 25 Clashes This Friday at Klockner
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CHARLOTTESVILLE – The Virginia men’s and women’s soccer teams battle two Top 25 opponents this Friday night (Sept. 11) at Klöckner Stadium. Fans can catch a neutral site women’s game featuring Seton Hall and Dartmouth at 3 p.m., in the opening match of the Virginia Nike Soccer Classic, followed by the 16th-ranked Cavaliers’ tilt against BIG EAST foe and 15th-ranked West Virginia. In the nightcap, the No. 16 Virginia men’s soccer team battles No. 19 Duke in its Atlantic Coast Conference opener, scheduled to begin at approximately 8 p.m.
The largest crowd to ever watch a men’s soccer game at Klöckner Stadium was set in 2007 against Virginia Tech, when 7,906 fans were present for the double-overtime thriller. On the women’s side, the largest crowd for a women’s game that preceded a men’s contest is 4,260 set in 1996.
Tickets for Friday’s triple-header are available online at VirginiaSports.com, and may also be purchased by phone at (800) 542-8821 or in person at the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office in Bryant Hall at Scott Stadium Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fans are encouraged to buy tickets in advance to avoid long lines at the ticket booth on game day.
Live statistics will be available for all three matches on VirginiaSports.com.
UVa’s men’s soccer team posted a 2-0 record to open the regular-season, defeating Portland and Washington at the Portland Nike Invitational last weekend in Portland, Ore. Virginia’s Tony Tchani (Norfolk, Va.) scored two early goals against Portland en route to being named to Soccer America’s Men’s Team of the Week and the tournament’s offensive most valuable player.
With the two victories, Virginia entered both the NSCAA (No. 16) and Soccer America (No. 21) Top 25.
In contests against Duke (3-0), Virginia holds a 37-35-7 advantage in a series that dates back to 1946. In two matches last season, the teams each earned a victory with Duke winning the regular-season meeting, 1-0, in Durham, and Virginia taking the ACC Tournament quarterfinal, 4-2.
Tchani leads the team with his two goals, while freshman Will Bates (Chester, Va.), sophomore Greg Monaco (Virginia Beach, Va.) and Neil Barlow (Herndon, Va.) have also registered goals for the Cavaliers.
Head coach George Gelnovatch is seeking his 198th career victory as he inches closer to milestone win No. 200. His overall record stands at 197-76-22 in 13 years at the helm.
The Virginia women’s soccer team (3-1-1) is coming off of a 1-0-1 performance at the Sun Devil Classic in Tempe, Ariz. The Cavaliers downed Arizona, 4-1, behind goals by Lindsey Miller (Nashua, N.H.), Jess Rostedt (Kent, Ohio), Sinead Farrelly (Havertown, Pa.) and Kika Toulouse (Arlington, Va.), and then battled Arizona State to a 1-1 tie. Lauren Alwine (Elizabethtown, Pa.) scored her third goal of the season for the Cavaliers against the Sun Devils.
Caroline Miller (Rockville, Md.) and Alwine lead the team with three goals and four assists apiece.
Virginia holds a 8-2-1 advantage in the series with West Virginia (2-1-2), with the last meeting resulting in a 3-2 Cavalier victory last season in the NCAA Tournament second round in Charlottesville, Va.