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No. 7 UVa Hosts No. 18 NC State Saturday on Senior Night
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CHARLOTTESVILLE – The Virginia men’s soccer team, ranked No. 7 in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll, hosts No. 18 NC State on Saturday night at Klöckner Stadium. Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m., and five players (Neil Barlow, Jordan Evans, Ross LaBauex, Chase Neinken and Jonathan Villanueva) will be honored in a pregame Senior Night ceremony. Live statistics for the match are available at VirginiaSports.com.
The Cavaliers (11-3-2, 3-3-1 ACC) are unbeaten in their last seven games with a 5-0-2 record in those contests. The team and goalkeeper Diego Restrepo (West Palm Beach, Fla.) has posted four-straight shutouts, including its most recent 3-0 win over American on Tuesday (Nov. 3) night.
With a goals-against average of 0.44, Restrepo ranks fourth in the nation and first in the ACC in that statistical category. The junior has a league-high eight shutouts on the season, and has allowed just seven goals in 16 games.
Offensively, Virginia is outscoring its opponents 23-7 on the year. Freshman Will Bates (Chester, Va.) leads the squad with seven goals and one assist, followed by sophomore Tony Tchani (Norfolk, Va.) with five goals and senior Neil Barlow (Herndon, Va.) with four goals and four assists.
Dating back to an Oct. 7 win over Longwood, the Cavaliers are unbeaten in their last seven games. Against ranked opponents this year, Virginia holds a 1-2-1 record.
No. 16 NC State (12-4-1, 2-4-1 ACC) is coming off of a 4-2 win over Presbyterian on Tuesday (Nov. 3). Ronnie Bouemboue leads the team with seven goals and 10 assists, followed by Alan Sanchez with seven goals and eight assists.
Wolfpack goalkeeper Christopher Widman has played every minute of NC State’s 17 games. He has allowed 16 goals for a 0.91 goals-against average and has registered seven shutouts.
Saturday’s match concludes the Cavaliers’ regular season. Pairings and seedings for the 2009 ACC Men’s Soccer Tournament, being held Nov. 10-15 in Cary, N.C., will be announced on Monday, Nov. 9.