Virginia Faces Top-Ranked Notre Dame Friday in ACC Semifinals

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Nov. 14, 2013

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 10 Virginia men’s soccer team face No. 1 Notre Dame at 5:30 p.m. Friday in the semifinals of the 2013 ACC Championship. The semifinals and championship match will be held at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Germantown, Md.

The Fighting Irish are the No. 2 seed in the field, while Virginia is seeded sixth. No. 4-seeded Clemson and top-seeded Maryland will square off at 8 p.m. in the other semifinal. The advancing sides will match up at 2 p.m. Sunday for the championship.

Records
Virginia: 10-4-4 (ACC: 4-3-4)
Notre Dame: 12-1-5 (ACC: 7-1-3)

Broadcast Information
Both semifinals will be streamed online by ESPN3. A link to live statistics will be located on VirginiaSports.com.

Virginia in the ACC Soccer Championship
Virginia has an all-time record of 38-14-9 at the ACC Championship. UVa has won 10 tournament titles (1988, 1991-95, 1997, 2003-04, 2009). The Cavaliers have reached the semifinals each of the last six years and in 25 of the tournament’s 27 years.

UVa is 1-0-2 in ACC tournament games at the SoccerPlex: 2-0 win over Clemson in 2006, 1-1 draw vs. Wake in 2006 (eliminated on PKs), scoreless draw vs. UNC in 2012 (eliminated on PKs).

Virginia-Notre Dame Series
Virginia holds a 4-0 all-time record against Notre Dame. The teams played on Oct. 26 at Notre Dame, with UVa prevailing, 2-0, in their first match as ACC rivals.

Prior to the October match, the programs last met in the 2006 NCAA Quarterfinals in Charlottesville, with UVa scoring a 3-2 win to advance to the NCAA College Cup. The teams also played in the 1985 season opener in Charlottesville and faced off in the adidas/Met Life Classic in Bloomington, Ind., in 1989.

Virginia-Notre Dame Meetings
Oct. 26, 2013 – No. 23 Virginia 2, @No. 2 Notre Dame 0
Nov. 24, 2006 – @ No. 3 Virginia 3, No. 12 Notre Dame 2 (NCAA Quarterfinals)
Sept. 3, 1989 – No. 1 Virginia 3, Notre Dame 0 (Bloomington, Ind.)
Sept. 1, 1985 – @ No. 2 Virginia 3, Notre Dame 0

Last Meeting: Virginia 2, Notre Dame 0
Darius Madison scored a pair of goals to send Virginia to a 2-0 victory over Notre Dame on Oct. 26 at Alumni Stadium. Madison recorded his first career multi-goal game, scoring in the 43rd and 47th minutes, as UVa became the lone side to score two goals against Notre Dame this season. Virginia out-shot Notre Dame, 8-7, and took four corner kicks to two for the Fighting Irish.

Virginia Reaches Double Figures in Wins Once Again
Virginia won its 10th match of the 2013 season on Tuesday. It marks the 33rd straight year the Cavaliers have won 10 or more games in a season, including all 18 years in George Gelnovatch’s tenure as head coach. UVa last failed to win at least 10 games during a season in 1980.

Three Cavaliers Named All-ACC
Three Cavaliers were named to the 2013 All-ACC Team, which was announced Thursday. Eric Bird and Darius Madison each were second-team selections; Jordan Allen was a third-team pick by the coaches. Each made the All-ACC team for the first time. Allen also was voted onto the All-Freshman Team.

Cavaliers Familiar with Extra Time
Virginia has made a habit of playing overtime games this season, particularly since the start of October. UVa has played eight OT matches this year, and seven of the Cavaliers’ 10 games since Oct. 1 have gone to extra time. UVa is 4-0-4 in overtime this year. The Cavaliers have recorded back-to-back OT wins for the first time since taking three consecutive games in extra time from Sept. 12-19, 2006 (Saint Francis, BC, WVU).

Noting Notre Dame
Since its loss to Virginia, Notre Dame has rattled off four straight wins. The Fighting Irish placed six players on the All-ACC Team, highlighted by Harrison Shipp, the ACC Offensive Player of the Year. Shipp ranks second in the league in points (24), is tied for second in assists (8), and is tied for third in goals (8). Nick Besler also was a first-team honoree. Notre Dame boasts the best defensive team in the league, allowing a conference-low 11 goals this year.

Up Next
The ACC Championship game is slated for 2 p.m. Sunday, with ESPNU televising the match.

The announcement for the NCAA tournament’s field of 48 is set for Monday at noon.

The NCAA tournament begins next Thursday (Nov. 21) with first-round action. Second-round games will be contested Nov. 24 at the sites of the 16 seeded teams, who all receive byes through the first round.