No. 8 Virginia Hosts NC State Thursday Night
Oct. 19, 2016
| No. 8 Virginia (10-3-2, 3-2-2 ACC) vs. NC State (9-5-1, 3-3-1 ACC) | |
| Date & Time | Oct. 20 – 7 p.m. |
| Location | Charlottesville, Va. | KlÃÆ’¶ckner Stadium |
| Multimedia | | ACC Network Extra |
| Additional Information | Buy Tickets | Twitter | Facebook |
CHARLOTTESVLLE, Va. – The No. 8 Virginia (10-3-2, 3-2-2 ACC) women’s soccer team returns home to KlÃÆ’¶ckner Stadium this week, hosting NC State (9-5-1, 3-3-1 ACC) at 7 p.m. in the first of two home matches this week.
Fans can get tickets online at VirginiaSports.com or find links to GameTracker and the ACC Network Extra broadcast to follow the action if they can’t make it to the game.
The Cavaliers are coming off a tough 1-0 loss at No. 4 Duke over the weekend as the Blue Devils picked up the win on a second-half penalty kick. It’s the start of the final stretch of the regular season for Virginia who is fighting for position and seeding in the upcoming ACC Tournament. The top four seeds host quarterfinal matchups before the semifinals and finals will be played in Charleston, S.C.
Three matches remain in the regular season with Virginia playing at home in two of those three. Following Thursday night’s match against the Wolfpack, the Cavaliers will host Boston College on senior day at 1 p.m. Sunday and close the season at Louisville next Thursday (Oct. 27).
Senior midfielder Alexis Shaffer (Cary, N.C.) returns home leading the Cavalier offense with nine goals and four assists on the season. In all, the Cavaliers have 12 different goal scorers this season and 13 different players with assists. Virginia has scored 37 goals on the year, averaging almost three goals per match, while allowing only eight goals through 15 matches.
That defensive production has come from a veteran back line that features seniors Meghan Cox (Springfield, Va.), Tina Iordanou (Upper Brookville, N.Y.), Kristen McNabb (Montville, N.J.) and junior Megan Reid (Orinda, Calif.). Senior Morgan Stearns (San Antonio, Texas) anchors the defense in goal.
The squad has posted 10 shutouts, all victories for the Cavaliers.
NC State is led by Tziarra King with five goals and the Wolfpack has scored 28 goals on the season. In the last outing, NC State dropped a tight 1-0 contest with No. 9 Florida State. The Pack is also fighting for a spot in the ACC Tournament as the regular season enters the final weeks.