No. 19 Cavaliers Visit Virginia Tech Friday Evening

Story Links

Oct. 17, 2013

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 19 Virginia men’s soccer team travels to Virginia Tech Friday for a 7 p.m. match with the Hokies at Thompson Field in Blacksburg. A link to live statistics is available at VirginiaSports.com.

Records
Virginia: 6-3-3 (ACC: 2-2-3/9 points)
Virginia Tech: 3-4-4 (ACC: 1-2-4/7 points)

Virginia-Virginia Tech Series
Virginia owns a 36-4-2 all-time record against Virginia Tech and has won 19 of the last 22 meetings. UVa is unbeaten in its previous seven matches against the Hokies, with the last three going to overtime; Tech’s last win against UVa was in 2005 (2-1 in OT in Blacksburg).

UVa is 6-2-1 in ACC play vs. the Hokies, including 3-1-1 in Blacksburg.

The Cavaliers rallied from a 2-0 deficit with 20 minutes remaining last season to claim a 3-2 overtime win in Charlottesville. The teams played to a scoreless draw in 2011 in Blacksburg.

Last Meeting: Virginia 3, Virginia Tech 2 (OT)
Virginia came back from a 2-0 second-half deficit to score a 3-2 overtime victory over Virginia Tech last season at Klöckner Stadium. Zach Carroll headed home the golden goal with just 12 seconds remaining in overtime.

Marcus Salandy-Defour and Will Bates also scored, while Scott Thomsen notched a pair of assists off corner kicks as UVa rallied from a 2-0 deficit with 20 minutes remaining in the second half. UVa out-shot Virginia Tech, 17-9, including 10-4 during the second half and overtime.

Last Time Out: Virginia 3, Maryland 3 (2OT)
Virginia played No. 5 Maryland to a 3-3 draw last Friday in Charlottesville. The teams combined for six goals over the first 27 minutes during a manic stretch before the defenses settled in and kept the game scoreless over the final 83 minutes.

Todd Wharton, Marcus Salandy-Defour and Patrick Foss each scored for the Cavaliers, while reigning MAC Hermann honoree Patrick Mullins had a big night for the Terrapins with a pair of penalty-kick goals as well as an assist.

Virginia out-shot Maryland 19-15, while the Terrapins held an 8-7 edge in shots on goal. The first five shots in the game resulted in goals.

Offense Ranks Among Top 10 Nationally
Virginia ranks eighth nationally and tops in the ACC in scoring offense with 2.25 goals per game (as of Monday rankings). With 27 goals this year, UVa is tied for fifth most in the nation.

UVa has scored at least two goals in eight of its last nine matches, with 24 goals in that span. The Wahoos tallied three goals in their first three matches combined this year.

Virginia Stands 18th in NCAA RPI
Virginia holds the No. 18 position in the latest NCAA RPI report for the 2013 season. That is third highest among ACC schools (Notre Dame – 7, Maryland – 9).

Fifteen of UVa’s 17 regular-season foes are amongst the top 70, including nine in the top 40. Virginia Tech is ranked 99th in the RPI this week.

Plenty of Offensive Threats
Virginia has scored 27 goals in 12 games this season. Twelve different players have scored. UVa had 11 different goal scorers during the entire 2012 season.

UVa has not had more than 12 goal scorers in a season since the 2004 team had 17 players score.

Noting Virginia Tech
While Virginia Tech comes in at 3-4-4 on the season, the Hokies have been particularly tough on their home pitch this year, including a 1-1-2 mark against ranked ACC teams. The Hokies defeated then-No. 17 Syracuse in overtime at home and played then-No. 1 UNC and then-No. 16 Clemson to scoreless draws before falling, 1-0, on a last-minute goal to No. 2 Notre Dame last Friday.

Robert Alberti leads the team with four goals and a pair of assists; the Hokies have scored 10 goals as a team this season. Goalkeeper Kyle Renfro has made a league-high 53 saves this season as Tech gives up an average of 1.09 goals per game.

Up Next
UVa travels to No. 2 Notre Dame for its final regular-season road match on Oct. 26 before returning home Oct. 29 to take on UNC Greensboro. The Cavaliers wrap up the regular season with home contests against No. 21 North Carolina (Nov. 1) and Boston College (Nov. 8).