No. 21 UVA Entertains No. 2 Notre Dame Friday

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Oct. 13, 2016

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Unbeaten in its last five matches, the No. 21 Virginia men’s soccer team plays host to No. 2 Notre Dame Friday night at Klöckner Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.

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: 6-2-4 (1-2-2 ACC)
Notre Dame: 10-1-1 (3-1-1 ACC)

Promotions
• Cavalier Men’s Soccer Rally Sticks for the first 1,000 students
• UVA soccer scarves, food and Pepsi products for the first 500 students
• Student Knockerball Tournament at halftime

Virginia-Notre Dame Series
Virginia holds a 5-3-2 all-time record against Notre Dame. The sides last met on November 8, 2015, in South Bend in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament with the Cavaliers falling to the Fighting Irish, 1-0.

UVA Looks to Keep Up Solid Play at Home
Virginia is unbeaten (4-0-4) on its home pitch at Klöckner Stadium this season. UVA plays its next two matches and three of its final four regular-season games at home. UVA has outscored its opponents 15-6 at home this year. Now in its 73rd year of men’s soccer, Virginia is playing its 25th season of soccer at Klöckner Stadium. UVA has a 261-52-24 record at the venerable facility.

UVA Scores Late to Draw Radford, 1-1
Pablo Aguilar hit the game-tying goal in the 86th minute on Tuesday night as No. 21 Virginia played Radford (9-2-1) to a 1-1 draw in a physical contest. The Highlanders took the lead on an 82nd-minute penalty kick before Aguilar scored the equalizer to set up overtime. UVA out-shot Radford, 11-10.

Caldwell Earns Second Straight League Honor
UVA goalkeeper Jeff Caldwell was named the ACC Co-Defensive Player of the Week for the second straight week on Monday. He recorded a pair of wins over top-30 RPI teams last week, posting a clean sheet in a victory over Hofstra and matching a career high with seven saves (five in the second half) in UVA’s 2-1 win at North Carolina.

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 14-5 in the second half of matches this year. In comparison, the Cavaliers have been outscored 9-7 in the first half.

Rigorous Schedule Continues
UVA is currently in the midst of a stretch of nine matches in a 28-day span. Four of the nine games are against top-25 foes (Louisville, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Notre Dame). Seven of the nine against teams with winning records.

UVA matches up with its sixth top-20 opponent in as many ACC matches Friday. In all, nine of UVA’s first 12 matches (including Friday), have come against top-30 RPI teams.

Noting Notre Dame
Notre Dame is 10-1-1 and currently tied for the ACC Coastal Division lead at 3-1-1 following a 2-0 win at Michigan on Tuesday. Notre Dame is ranked No. 2 nationally by the NSCAA. The Fighting Irish have reached the NCAA Tournament their past three seasons and claimed the National Championship in 2013. In 2014, Notre Dame fell 1-0 to Virginia in the round of 16 of the NCAA tournament.

Jon Gallagher leads the team with 11 goals and five assists. The Fighting Irish have outscored their opponents 28-5 and rank among the nation’s top 10 in both scoring offense and defense.

Up Next
Virginia plays host to William & Mary next Tuesday (Oct. 18) before hitting road to take on Pitt on Oct. 21.