Virginia Heads to No. 4 North Carolina Friday

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Oct. 6, 2016

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The Virginia men’s soccer team plays No. 4 North Carolina at 5 p.m. Friday at Fetzer Field in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels represent the fifth straight top-20 team the Cavaliers have faced in ACC play this season.

PLEASE NOTE: originally scheduled for 7 p.m., the game has been moved up to a 5 p.m. start.

Live Video/Stats
The match will stream live on ACC Network Extra, which is available to authenticated subscribers of ESPN3 through WatchESPN and the ESPN app. A link to live statistics can be located at VirginiaSports.com. In-game updates will be provided on the UVA Men’s Soccer Twitter account, @UVAMenSoccer.

Records
Virginia: 5-2-3 (0-2-2 ACC)
North Carolina: 8-1-1 (3-0-1 ACC)

Tight Matches the Norm in UVA-UNC Series
Virginia is 34-39-10 all-time against North Carolina. UNC is unbeaten in its last nine matches with Virginia (6-0-3), although the teams have played to draws each of the last two years and in three of the last four meetings.

Eleven of the last 12 meetings have been decided by one goal or a draw. UVA’s last win against UNC came on Oct. 3, 2008, 1-0 in Chapel Hill.

Defense Extends Scoreless Streak
Virginia has recorded three straight clean sheets, going 2-0-1 in that stretch with wins over Cornell and Hofstra and a draw against Virginia Tech. UVA has not conceded in its last 317 minutes of play, dating to the second half of the Louisville match on Sept. 24.

The reigning ACC Co-Defensive Player of the Week, goalkeeper Jeff Caldwell has recorded four clean sheets this year and a dozen in his career. He has moved into 10th place in career shutouts at UVA and will slide into an eighth-place tie with his next clean sheet.

Rigorous Schedule Continues
Virginia continues its arduous ACC schedule Friday, matching up with its fifth top-20 opponent in as many matches. It becomes six straight next Friday when No. 2 Notre Dame comes to Klöckner Stadium.

Virginia is currently in the middle of stretch of nine matches in a 28-day stretch. Four of the nine games are against top-25 foes (Louisville, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Notre Dame), with seven of the nine against teams with winning records.

Cavaliers Grow Stronger in Second Half
With increased depth throughout its roster this year, Virginia has worn its opponents down and been especially strong in the second half of games. UVA has outscored its foes 11-4 in the second half of matches this year. In comparison, the Cavaliers have been outscored 8-7 in the first half.

Opoku Highlights Offense
Edward Opoku leads the team with four goals after scoring the game winner in the 79th minute on Tuesday against Hofstra. Daniel Barir sent in the cross for the assist on that goal for his team-leading fourth assist of the season. Six Cavaliers have multiple goals this year — Sergi Nus and Wesley Wade (three each) and Pablo Aguilar and Paddy Foss (two apiece).

Noting North Carolina
North Carolina extended its unbeaten streak to five matches (4-0-1) with a 1-0 victory over No. 20 UNCW on Tuesday. UNC has not allowed a goal in 359 minutes, 58 seconds, last conceding in the first half of the 4-1 win at William & Mary on Sept. 20. It marks the longest scoreless stretch by Tar Heel opponents since 2014. Nils Bruening leads UNC with five goals, while Tucker Hume owns four goals.

Up Next
Virginia returns home at 7 p.m. Tuesday (Oct. 11) to face Radford in the opener of a three-match homestand. The Cavaliers welcome No. 2 Notre Dame to Klöckner Stadium next Friday (Oct. 14).