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Virginia Plays UCLA Sunday for NCAA Championship
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Dec. 13, 2014
| NCAA Championship: Virginia vs. UCLA | |
| Date/Time | Sun., Dec. 14, 2014 | Noon |
| Location | Cary, N.C. | WakeMed Soccer Park |
| Multimedia | Television: ESPNU | ESPN3/WatchESPN | |
| Additional Information | Tickets | Game Notes | Tournament Brackets | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram |
CARY, N.C. – The Virginia men’s soccer team plays UCLA in the NCAA championship game at noon Sunday (Dec. 14) at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. Seeded 16th in the field, Virginia is aiming for its seventh national championship. The No. 2 seed, UCLA is gunning for its fifth crown.
Records
Virginia: 13-6-3
UCLA: 14-4-5
Broadcast Information
ESPNU will carry the television coverage, and the game also will be streamed online via ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app. A link to live statistics (GameTracker) will be available on VirginiaSports.com.
Virginia-UCLA Series
UCLA holds a 7-2-1 series edge against UVa, including a 3-0 mark in NCAA tournament matches. The teams last met on Sept. 2, 2012, a 1-0 UCLA win in overtime in Charlottesville. UCLA and UVa squared off in the 1997 NCAA Championship match in Richmond, Va., with the Bruins scoring a 2-0 win (17 years to the day of this match). The Cavaliers’ last win over UCLA was on Sept. 4, 2006, a 1-0 triumph at home.
Previous NCAA Tournament Meetings
Dec. 2, 2006 – UCLA 4, UVa 0 (Semis)
Dec. 4, 1999 – UCLA 2, UVa 0 (Quarters)
Dec. 14, 1997 – UCLA 2, UVa 0 (Finals)
Championship Game Notes
UVa is 12-5-2 all-time in College Cup matches, including 6-1 in championship matches. UVa has won six national championships (1989, 1991-94, 2009). The Cavaliers were runners-up to UCLA in 1997 and also competed in the 1983, 1995, 2006 and 2013 College Cups.
UVa’s 2009 title came in Cary, and the Cavaliers are 15-6-3 all-time in Cary.
Virginia in 2014 NCAA Tournament
Virginia has outscored its opponents 6-2 in the NCAA tournament, with six different players scoring; four of UVa’s six goals have come in the final 30 minutes of the second half. For the first time in program history, the Cavaliers advanced past two opponents on the road in the NCAA tournament. UVa has been out-shot, 42-31, in its four tournament matches but has the same number of shots on goal as its opponents (10 each).
Notes from Friday Semifinals
• The University of Virginia is aiming for its 21st team national championship Sunday; the last title was men’s tennis in 2013.
• UVa is the second school to send both its men’s and women’s teams to the College Cup championship games in the same season (UNC in 2001, 2008).
• With its fifth-minute goal, UVa recorded its earliest goal in a match this year.
• UVa scored its fifth first-half goal of the season and held a halftime lead for the fourth time this year.
• UVa was the first team to score on UMBC in five matches this postseason.
Bird Earns All-America Honors Once Again
For the second straight season, midfielder Eric Bird has earned NSCAA All-America honors. He was named to the second team this year. Bird was a third-team pick in 2013. After missing all but one minute of UVa’s first three NCAA tournament matches with an injury, Bird played the final 10 minutes Friday.
Scouting UCLA
The Bruins earned a 3-2 double-overtime win over No. 11 seed Providence in the semifinals on Friday night. UCLA advanced to the College Cup through three straight home matches, downing San Diego (2-1 in OT) and California (3-2) and moving past North Carolina on penalty kicks (3-3 draw, 7-6 PKs). Hermann Trophy finalist Leo Stolz leads the team with nine goals and six assists this season.