No. 21 Virginia Wraps Up Regular Season Saturday at No. 6 UNC

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Oct. 31, 2014

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 21 Virginia men’s soccer team concludes the regular season Saturday with a 7 p.m. match at No. 6 North Carolina at Fetzer Field. The match will be streamed online via ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app. A link to live stats is available on VirginiaSports.com.

Records
Virginia: 9-5-1 (ACC: 3-3-1/10 points)
North Carolina: 12-4-0 (ACC: 5-2-0/15 points)

In the Polls
Virginia is No. 21 in the latest NSCAA poll, No. 23 in the Top Drawer Soccer rankings and No. 15 in the Soccer America poll. UNC is ranked as high as No. 3 nationally by Soccer America and is No. 6 in the NSCAA and Top Drawer Soccer polls.

Virginia-North Carolina Series
North Carolina owns a 39-34-8 advantage in the all-time series with Virginia, which dates to 1946. Ten of the last 11 meetings have been decided by one goal or a draw.

North Carolina is unbeaten in its last seven matches with Virginia – all via shutouts. UVa’s last goal against UNC came on Oct. 3, 2008, in the 85th minute of the Cavaliers’ 1-0 win in Chapel Hill. UNC and Louisville (0-1) are the lone ACC teams that own a winning all-time record against UVa.

Expect a Close Match
Virginia has played its share of close games this year. Thirteen of UVa’s 15 matches have been determined by one goal or a draw. Eight of the 15 have been tied at the half. All five of UVa’s losses have been by one goal. UVa’s 3-0 wins against Pitt and Radford are the Cavaliers’ lone matches not determined by a goal or a draw.

Virginia No. 11 in Latest RPI
UVa stands at No. 11 in the NCAA’s latest RPI figures. Three Cavalier opponents rank in the top 20 – Notre Dame (3), Syracuse (4), and Clemson (16). Ten of Virginia’s 16 foes (including UNC) are ranked among the top 50. North Carolina is No. 14 in the latest RPI.

Cavaliers Challenged by Strong Schedule
Virginia head coach George Gelnovatch annually challenges his squad with a tough schedule – 2014 is a case in point. UVa boasts the nation’s fifth-toughest schedule this season (by win pct).

Virginia’s opponents own a combined 118-69-30 record (.613 win pct.); 11 of the 14 UVa foes currently have records at or above .500. UVa played the nation’s fourth-toughest schedule in 2013.

Virginia Produces Late in Matches
Virginia has done the vast majority of its scoring late in matches. Fourteen of UVa’s 19 goals this season (74 percent) have come during the final 30 minutes of regulation and in extra time. UVa has scored three times in the first half this season.

Noting North Carolina
Winners of seven straight matches over the past month, UNC is one of the nation’s hottest teams. The Tar Heels boast the ACC’s top offense with an ACC-best 38 goals this season (2.38 per game). Andy Craven leads the conference in goals (11) and points (25), while Verneri Valimaa also has scored five times.

Up Next
Virginia plays in the ACC tournament beginning next week. The first round, featuring the seven through 10 seeds, is Wednesday night (Nov. 5) at campus sites. The quarterfinals are Sunday, Nov. 9, with the top four seeds hosting.