No. 11 Virginia Heads to Pittsburgh for ACC Road Match
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 11 Virginia (4-0-2, 1-0-1 ACC) will line up its second ACC road game in as many weeks with a match at Pittsburgh (4-4, 1-2 ACC) on Friday (Sept. 28). The contest is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will air live on ACC Network Extra.
Game Coverage: ACC Network Extra 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 match’s live stats feed on VirginiaSports.com and on the men’s soccer official twitter page (@UVAMenSoccer).
FOR STARTERS
• The Cavaliers have won four of five ACC matches against Pittsburgh, including a 2-1 double-overtime thriller last season in Charlottesville.
• Virginia is 6-0-1 all-time against Pittsburgh in a series that was first played in 1982.
• Coming into the match, Virginia is one of nine unbeaten teams in college soccer at 4-0-2.
• Of Pittsburgh’s eight games this season, five have come against ranked opponents.
LAST MEETING
• In the 107th minute, Jean-Christophe Koffi scored an electrifying goal in double-overtime goal to defeat Pittsburgh, 2-1 last season at Klöckner Stadium on Senior Night.
• After dual red cards in the 86th minute, each team played with 10 players for the final 11 minutes of the contest.
• The equalizer by Pittsburgh’s Alexander Dexter in the 76th minute was the Panthers second goal in seven games against the Cavaliers.
• Prosper Figbe recorded his lone career assist on the Cavalier first goal by Raheem Taylor-Parkes.
DEFENSIVE STAND
• Virginia (6 games) and Rhode Island (7 games) conceded just one goal each this season, the lowest total in the country.
• Behind Rhode Island, Virginia’s goals against average (0.155) is the second lowest in the country.
• The Cavaliers have produced three-straight shutouts and have not allowed a goal in 379-straight minutes.
• Two-time ACC Defensive Player of the Week, Colin Shutler, has the lowest goals against average (0.16) and highest save percentage (.960) in the nation.
HISTORIC DEFENSIVE START
• In its 75 years of soccer, Virginia has allowed one goal through the first six games five times (1979, 1982, 1985, 1989, 2018).
• Only in 1985 did the Cavaliers make it to seven games allowing one goal. The 1985 squad didn’t allow its second goal of the season until the eighth game of the year.
• Virginia has shut out three-straight opponents for the first time since 2016, when it blanked five-straight at the latter end of the 2016 season.
SEEING DOUBLE
• Virginia has registered back-to-back multi-goal games for the first time this season after 2-0 wins over FIU (Sept. 18) and Syracuse (Sept. 21).
• The duo of Nathaniel Crofts and Irakoze Donasiyano have accounted for two goals this season. Donasiyano setup both of Crofts goals this season, the first against Virginia Tech on Sept. 7 and Syracuse on Sept. 21.
• The Cavaliers have scored five of their seven goals this season between the 40th and 53rd minutes.
• Virginia has taken a 1-0 lead into the half of its last three games and are 3-0 when leading at halftime.
NOTING PITTSBURGH
• The Panthers are fresh off an 3-1 upset victory over No. 12 NC State on Tuesday evening. Pitt scored the final three goals of the game to register its first ACC win of the season.
• Virginia will be Pitt’s sixth ranked opponent in 2018. With the exception of Tuesday night, all five games against ranked opponents have been one-goal losses.
• Pitt is fourth in the ACC in goals against average (0.88) and one of four ACC teams allowing less than a goal per game.
• Forward Edward Kizza comes into the game as the team’s leading scorer with six goals. Three of the goals came against Delaware on August 27. The sophomore has 10 career goals to his credit.