No. 17 Virginia Hosts Notre Dame in ACC Semifinal

Nov. 7, 2017

2017 ACC Tournament Bracket | ACC Championship Page

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.- No. 17 Virginia (11-3-4) will host No. 13 Notre Dame (11-5-2) in an ACC Tournament Semifinal match at Klöckner Stadium on Wednesday (Nov. 8). The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start and will air live on ACC Network Extra.

Coverage: ACC Network Extra which is available to authenticated subscribers of ESPN3 through WatchESPN and the ESPN app. will be available on VirginiaSports.com. Fans can also get in-game updates on the men’s soccer official twitter feed (@UVAMenSoccer).

Ticket & Parking Information: Tickets are $9 for reserved seats if available, $7 for adults and $5 for youth/seniors. Students of participating schools will be admitted free with a valid ID. Game day parking will be free for the University Hall parking lots. Click here for more detailed parking information.

Match Notes

• Notre Dame and Virginia will play for the second time this season. The two teams played to a 1-1 draw in South Bend on Sept. 29.
• Both the Irish and Cavaliers knocked off higher seeds on the road in the quarterfinals. Notre Dame took down second-seeded North Carolina, 2-1 while Virginia played third-seeded Louisville to a 0-0 draw before advancing in a penalty kick shootout.
• The ACC Tournament semifinal appearance for Virginia is the first since 2013. The Cavaliers have not hosted semifinal match at Klöckner Stadium since 1996.
• Virginia is 13-5-6 in the ACC Tournament semifinal games and is vying for its first ACC Tournament Final appearance since 2013.
• Virginia and Notre Dame have met in postseason four times since 2013, three times in the ACC Tournament (2013, 2014, 2015) and once in the NCAA Tournament (2014).
• The winner of Wednesday’s match will advance to the ACC Tournament Championship in Charleston, S.C. and play the winner of Wake Forest and Clemson on Sunday (Nov. 12) at noon.

Shootout in Louisville

• Virginia recorded its sixth shutout of the season, allowing only four shots on target from the Louisville attack.
• Virginia advanced by virtue of a 4-3 shootout victory. The Cavaliers have advance in the ACC Tournament in penalty kick shootouts six times.
• Goalkeeper Jeff Caldwell made two saves in the penalty kick shootout and Nathaniel Crofts Jr. clinched the victory with successful PK attempt in the fifth round.
• The Cavaliers snapped a three-game losing streak in the ACC Quarterfinals and successfully avenged last year’s 1-0 loss in Louisville.

History vs. Notre Dame

• Including four postseason matches, Virginia has played Notre Dame nine times since 2013, the most against any other opponent.
• The last time Virginia was in an ACC semifinal was in 2013, a wild, 3-3 draw against Notre Dame. The Cavaliers advanced after winning a penalty kick shootout, 4-3 in Germantown, Md.
• The two teams played three times during the 2014 season. After drawing the regular season matchup in Charlottesville, Notre Dame eliminated Virginia in the ACC Tournament and Virginia bested the Irish, 1-0 in the Third Round of the NCAA Tournament.
• In the 2017 regular season match in South Bend, Virginia jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a Pablo Aguilar goal but gave up the equalizer from Thomas Ueland in the 51st minute. The match ended in a 1-1 draw with Notre Dame holding a 13-9 shot advantage.

Conference Awards

• Virginia had a total of six players recognized on the 2017 All-ACC Team. The five players between the first, second and third teams were tied with Wake Forest and North Carolina for the most among the 12 teams in the league.
• Jean-Christophe Koffi was the team’s lone representative on the First Team and was the first Cavalier to earn First Team honors since 2014.
• Jeff Caldwell and Edward Opoku, both second team honorees, were two of five players to be an All-ACC selection for the third time.

ACCT at Klöckner

• Klöckner Stadium has been the site of five ACC Tournament games in which the Cavaliers own a 4-1 mark.
• Virginia has won its last three postseason matches at Klöckner Stadium including a 4-0 victory over Boston College in this year’s first round.
• The only other ACC Tournament Semifinal match at Klöckner Stadium was on Nov. 15, 1996, a 3-2 overtime victory over Duke. The entire ACC Tournament had been held at neutral sites from 1997-2010. The tournament semifinal moved to campus sites prior to the 2014 tournament.

UVA in the ACC Tournament

• The Cavaliers come into the contest with an overall record of 41-18-10 in the ACC Tournament.
• The 15 total ACC Championships and the 10 tournament titles are the most among active league members.

Inside the Numbers

• In 14 career postseason games, Aguilar has four goals, three in the ACC Tournament.
• Caldwell has logged 5,525 career minutes in goal, the third most in Virginia history.
• Prior to the Boston College win, Virginia had scored 20 of its 28 goals (71%) after halftime. The Cavaliers had only scored multiple goals in the first half once, netting two against Hofstra on Aug. 31.
• Scoring early has been paramount for the Cavaliers who are 7-1-1 when scoring first. The Cavaliers have mounted four, come-from-behind victories this season (Villanova, Davidson, Portland, Lehigh).
• Virginia has played in nine overtime contests this year in which they boast a 4-1-4 record. The Cavaliers are one OT game shy of tying a school record set in 2009.

Noting Notre Dame

• The Irish will play in its fourth semifinal in the last five seasons after upsetting second-seeded North Carolina, 2-1 in the quarterfinals.
• The ACC’s leading scorer, Jon Gallagher, was credited with the game-winner after his goal in the 78th minute against the Tar Heels. He now has 12 tallies this season are the 13th most in the country.
• Notre Dame had two players listed on the All-ACC team with Gallagher earning First Team honors and teammate Jeff Farina collecting third team accolades.

Updated Bag Policy

Virginia athletics has updated its bag policies to mirror those already in place for Scott Stadium. At Klöckner Stadium, Turf Field and Memorial Gymnasium the following procedures have been put into effect.

All guests are subject to inspection and search for prohibited items. Event staff will examine the contents of bags, jackets, pockets, or any other personal item before admitting guests to the facility. In order to expedite entrance into the facility, it is recommended that guests not bring bags to events and arrive early at the facility entrances.

Prohibited Items

• Artificial noisemakers^ – see exception below for men’s and women’s soccer games at Klöckner Stadium
• Balls, Frisbees, lacrosse sticks, and similar items
• Containers (including plastic or glass bottles, cans, coolers, or flasks)
• Food and beverages
• Strollers (except umbrella strollers) – prohibited at Scott Stadium only
• Umbrellas – prohibited at Scott Stadium only
• Weapons

^For men’s and women’s soccer matches only, artificial noisemakers are allowed; however air horns, whistles, bullhorns or devices that amplify electric sound, including battery-operated devices, are prohibited.

*The University of Virginia reserves the right to prohibit any item deemed hazardous or disruptive to the athletics event or the enjoyment of the event by other guests.

The above procedures are designed to provide a safe and positive experience for all fans in attendance at Virginia athletics events.