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Oct. 7, 2013

Virginia at Duke
Date/Time Tue., Oct. 8, 2013 | 7 p.m.
Location Durham, N.C. | Koskinen Stadium
Multimedia Live Video ($) | Live Stats
Additional Information Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia men’s soccer team continues ACC play Tuesday with a rare conference midweek contest at Duke. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at Koskinen Stadium in Durham, N.C. Virginia is unbeaten in its last six matches, including its last three ACC games.

Records
Virginia: 6-3-1 (ACC: 2-2-1/7 points)Duke: 4-4-3 (ACC: 0-3-2/2 points)

Broadcast Information
GoDuke.com will provide a live video broadcast (subscription required). Links to the video broadcast and live statistics can be found on VirginiaSports.com.

Virginia-Duke Series
Virginia holds a 39-36-8 advantage in its series with Duke. UVa scored a 1-0 win last year over the Blue Devils on Will Bates’ goal in the 57th minute and also won 1-0 at Duke in 2011. Eight of the last nine meetings have been determined by a goal or less.

Last Meeting: Virginia 1, Duke 0
Will Bates scored in the 57th minute and Virginia was stout on defense in picking up a 1-0 win over Duke on Sept. 7, 2012, at Klöckner Stadium. After a defensive struggle in the first half with the teams combining for no shots on goal, Virginia scored when Marcus Salandy-Defour tracked the ball down near the goal line and tapped it back to Bates, who sent the ball into the far corner of the goal from six yards out. UVa finished with an 11-6 shots advantage; both teams put two shots on goal. UVa held a 3-2 edge in corner kicks.

Last Time Out: Virginia 5, Pitt 0
Virginia extended its unbeaten streak to six straight matches with a 5-0 defeat of Pittsburgh Friday evening at Klöckner Stadium. Freshman Riggs Lennon scored a pair of goals as the Cavaliers recorded their most goals in an ACC contest since tallying five against NC State on Sept. 19, 2008.

The Cavaliers used a season-high 22 players, while none of the starters played the full 90 minutes. Virginia out-shot Pitt, 17-2, and did not surrender a shot on goal. Pitt previously had not allowed more than two goals in any match this season. Eric Bird, Todd Wharton and Ryan Zinkhan also scored for the Cavaliers.

Offense Ranks Among Top 10 Nationally
Virginia ranks ninth nationally and tops in the ACC in scoring offense with 2.4 goals per game (24 goals total). UVa has scored at least two goals in each of its last seven matches, with 21 goals in that span (three goals per game).

This is the first time UVa has scored two or more goals in seven straight games since Sept. 28-Oct. 26, 2002, when the Cavaliers scored two or more goals in eight straight matches. The Wahoos tallied three goals in their first three matches combined this year.

Virginia Stands 12th in NCAA RPI
Virginia is ranked No. 12 in the latest NCAA RPI report for the 2013 season. That is second highest among ACC schools (Notre Dame, 5). The Cavaliers’ first nine opponents this season all are ranked among the top 55 in the RPI. Fourteen of UVa’s 17 regular-season foes are amongst the top 65, including nine in the top 40.

The Grind Continues
Virginia is in the midst of its busiest and most demanding portion of the 2013 schedule. UVa is playing its eighth match in 26 days on Tuesday. The Cavaliers play Maryland Friday before getting a week off prior to their Oct. 18 match at Virginia Tech.

Plenty of Offensive Threats
Virginia has scored 24 goals in 11 games this season. Twelve different players have scored. UVa had 11 different goal scorers during the entire 2012 season. Eric Bird leads the Cavaliers with five goals on the year and is tied with Jordan Allen with a team-best three assists.

Bird Among ACC Leaders
Eric Bird has been a major catalyst on offense and ranks among the ACC top five in goals and points. He is tied for second in the ACC with five goals and fourth with 13 points. Bird also is 11th in the conference with three assists. He already has topped his goal and point totals from his first two years combined (3 goals, 9 points).

Lennon Also Hot
Freshman forward Riggs Lennon also has been a key contributor of late, scoring four goals in the Cavaliers’ last four matches. He recorded a pair of goals last Friday against Pitt. He also had an assist last Tuesday on Eric Bird’s golden goal in double overtime against VCU.

Defense Stiffens During Streak
After getting burned for 10 goals in the first six matches, the Virginia defense has been much stingier of late, allowing just one goal during a four-game win streak. Even more impressively, UVa has given up just six shots on goal in that four-game span (17 total shots). The Cavaliers did not allow a shot on goal Friday against Pitt.

Scouting Duke
Duke holds a 4-4-3 record, including an 0-3-2 mark in ACC play, after playing No. 13 North Carolina to a scoreless draw last Friday in Chapel Hill. Brody Huitema leads the team with seven goals and 15 points.

In contrast to the Cavaliers’ young lineup which features seven underclassmen, the Blue Devils started a lineup with 10 upperclassmen in their match at North Carolina, including seven seniors.

The Blue Devils have played UNC and Virginia Tech to draws in league play and have suffered defeats to Maryland, Syracuse and Notre Dame. Overall, Duke is 3-2-2 on its home pitch this season.

Up Next
Virginia returns home to play No. 7 Maryland Friday (Oct. 11) in the programs’ final regular-season match as ACC foes. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.; the ACC’s Regional Sports Networks will have the television broadcast (CSN Mid-Atlantic in Charlottesville area).

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