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Dec. 4, 2013

NCAA Quarterfinals: Connecticut at No. 8 Virginia
Date/Time Fri., Dec. 6, 2013 | 7 p.m.
Location Charlottesville, Va. | Klöckner Stadium
Multimedia Live Video | GameTracker | Interactive Bracket
Additional Information Tickets | Parking Map | Game Notes | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – A trip to the NCAA College Cup is on the line Friday night as the Virginia men’s soccer team matches up with Connecticut in the NCAA quarterfinals at Klöckner Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.

The eighth-seeded Cavaliers (12-5-5) advanced to the quarterfinals with a 3-1 win over ninth-seeded Marquette last Sunday. Unseeded in the tournament but ranked as high as sixth nationally, UConn (12-2-8) has advanced through back-to-back road games over seeded teams, both by winning penalty-kick shootouts.

The advancing team from the Virginia-UConn game will face either California or Maryland next Friday (Dec. 13) in the NCAA College Cup semifinals at PPL Park in Philadelphia.

Tickets
Tickets are $9 for reserved seats, $7 for adult general admission and $5 for youth/student/senior citizen general admission. Fans can order tickets online at VirginiaSports.com and by phone through the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office at 800-542-UVA1 (8821) or 434-924-UVA1 (8821). Tickets are also available at the Klöckner Stadium box office beginning at 6 p.m. Gates will open at 6 p.m.

Parking
Parking is $5 and will be available in the John Paul Jones Arena, University Hall and McCue Center lots. Free parking will be available in the Emmet/Ivy Garage.

Broadcast Information
A live video broadcast will be available for free via the Cavaliers Live subscription on VirginiaSports.com.

Live statistics (GameTracker) can be found on VirginiaSports.com, as well the Virginia Sports app, which is available free of charge through iTunes.

Virginia Reaches Quarterfinals for 18th Time
Virginia has reached the NCAA quarterfinals for the 18th time in 35 trips to the tournament. UVa is 10-7 in the quarterfinal round, including 9-7 in home matches.

Virginia-Connecticut Series
Virginia and UConn have met three times previously, with the Huskies owning a 2-1 series edge. They last played in the 2008 NCAA Tournament, with UConn scoring a 2-0 second-round win at Klöckner Stadium. The sides also met in Storrs in 1980 (4-0 UConn win) and Charlottesville in 1993 (5-1 UVa win).

UVa and UConn share two common opponents, Syracuse and Louisville. UVa won at Syracuse, 2-0, while UConn lost in Syracuse, 1-0. The Cavaliers lost their season opener to UL, 2-1, while UConn played the Cardinals to a 2-2 draw.

Noting UConn
Making its 14th NCAA quarterfinal appearance, Connecticut has not lost in over two-and-a-half months and boasts a 17-game unbeaten streak. The Huskies have not lost since a 1-0 setback at Syracuse on Sept. 17. UConn opened the tournament with a 2-1 home win over Quinnipiac, then advanced past No. 16-seeded UMBC via penalty kicks in the second round following a 2-2 draw in Baltimore. The Huskies played top-seeded UCLA to a 3-3 draw last Sunday in Los Angeles, then won the shootout, 5-4, to advance once again.

The Huskies are led offensively by Cyle Larin, the American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year, who has scored 14 goals (sixth-most nationally). Adria Beso was tabbed the AAC Midfielder of the Year and owns 10 assists this year. Andre Blake, named AAC Goalkeeper of the Year, is one of the nation’s top goalkeepers and has allowed just 15 goals in 20 matches. UConn owns one of the nation’s best defenses and has surrendered just 0.63 goals per game (eighth-best nationally).

Virginia Extends Streak in NCAA Soccer Championship
Virginia is playing in its 33nd-consecutive NCAA tournament, dating to 1981 – the longest active streak in Division I soccer. UVa has played host to at least one game in the NCAA tournament in each of those seasons and in 34 of the program’s 35 years in the NCAA field.

This marks the 11th time the Cavaliers have hosted three matches in one season in an NCAA tournament (1993, 94, 95, 97, 98, 99, 2000, 04, 06, 09, 13). Virginia has an all-time record of 55-28-4 in the NCAA tournament, including 43-18-2 at home.

Virginia vs. 2013 NCAA Field
The Cavaliers have played a rigorous schedule in 2013, with 12 of UVa’s 19 foes reaching the NCAA tournament (including UConn). UVa is 8-5-2 against those teams. All three of Virginia’s opponents in the ACC tournament were seeded in the NCAA field, and No. 3 Notre Dame and No. 5 Maryland are still alive (No. 14 Wake Forest was eliminated in Round of 16 by Notre Dame).

Last Time Out: Virginia 3, Marquette 1
Despite playing with 10 men for the final 89 minutes, Virginia advanced through the third round with a 3-1 win over No. 9 seed Marquette last Sunday. Defender Matt Brown was shown a red card just 57 seconds into the game. Scott Thomsen, Darius Madison and Todd Wharton each scored for Virginia.

Wharton’s penalty-kick goal came just 20 seconds after Marquette scored in the second half; Marcus Salandy-Defour created the PK after getting taken down on his drive deep into the box. Marquette out-shot Virginia, 13-11, but eight of the Cavaliers’ shots were on goal.

Noting Virginia in 2013 NCAA Tournament
Virginia has out-scored its opponents 5-1 in the NCAA tournament, with five different players scoring. Seventeen Cavaliers have seen playing time. UVa has allowed more shots in both matches (27-23 total), but has taken more shots on goal (11-9).

Offense Ranks Among Top 15 Nationally
Virginia ranks 15th nationally and second in the ACC in scoring offense with 1.91 goals per game. With 42 goals this year, UVa is tied for ninth-most nationally and stands second in the ACC behind Maryland. UVa has scored at least two goals in 13 of its last 18 matches, with 39 goals in that span. The Cavaliers have scored nearly twice as many goals as their opponents this year (42-22); it marks UVa’s most goals since the 2007 team tallied 44.

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