10th-Seeded Virginia, Notre Dame Square Off in Third Round
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia (10-3-3) will travel to Notre Dame (10-6-3) on Sunday (Nov. 25) for the Third Round of the NCAA Tournament. The match is scheduled for 5 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. Links to the broadcast and live stats 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).
MATCH NOTES
FOR STARTERS
• The two teams played 110 minutes of scoreless soccer on October 23 at Klöckner Stadium. The match was a makeup from a Sept. 14 match postponed due to Hurricane Florence.
• Virginia will play in the round of 16 for the 27th time in program in history and 13th under head coach George Gelnovatch.
• Sunday’s match will be Virginia’s fourth true road game of the season, the Cavaliers won all three of its ACC road games in the regular season.
• No. 13 Notre Dame will be the eighth ranked opponent of the season. UVA is 3-2-2 against ranked foes in 2018.
• The Cavaliers will be vying for its 19th appearance in the NCAA Quarterfinals and first since 2014.
• The winner of Sunday’s match will move on to play the winner of No. 2 seed Indiana and Air Force.
FAMILIAR FOE
• Sunday will be the third time Notre Dame and Virginia will play in the NCAA Tournament, the Cavaliers have won both previous meetings, a 1-0 win in 2014 at Alumni Stadium and a 3-2 victory in 2006 at Klöckner Stadium.
• Virginia has squared off against Notre Dame more than any other program since 2013. The two teams have met each other multiple times in five of the last six seasons including three times in 2014.
• The Cavaliers own a 7-3-4 advantage in the all-time series are 3-3-4 in the last 10 meetings.
• After Notre Dame won the 2013 National Championship, Virginia dashed hopes of a repeat with a 1-0 victory in the third round and went on to win the 2014 title.
MULTI-GOAL EFFORT
• Sophomore Nathaniel Crofts scored twice in the final 12:24 of last Sunday’s second-round win over Furman.
• Crofts is the first multi-goal scorer for UVA since Will Bates recorded a hat trick in 2009. He is now one of 12 Cavaliers to score twice (or more) in a game in an NCAA Tournament match. Nate Friends (1992-94), Mike Fisher and Ben Olsen (1995-97) all accomplished the feat twice in one postseason.
• Crofts was listed on the CollegeSoccerNews National Team of the Week on Monday (Nov. 19).
• Already the team-leader in assists with six, Crofts now leads the team with 14 points (4g, 6 a).
• Crofts is one of 10 student-athletes with a two-goal performance in this year’s NCAA postseason.
MODEL OF CONSISTENCY
• The victory against Furman on Sunday clinched Virginia’s 38th-straight season with 10 or more wins which includes all 23 years of George Gelnovatch’s tenure.
• Only Maryland’s Sasho Cirovsk (25 seasons) has a longer streak among active NCAA coaches. The run is in jeopardy as the Terrapins currently have nine wins and play at Duke on Saturday (Nov. 24) at 7 p.m.
MORE ZEROS
• Virginia recorded its ninth shutout of the season last Sunday, the second highest total in the ACC and 17th most in the NCAA
• Junior-transfer Marcel DaSilva made his Virginia debut, starting in goal on Sunday against Furman and recording four saves. He made two stops in the final eight minutes to preserve the Cavalier clean sheet.
• Through 16 games this season, Virginia has yielded 11 goals, the lowest total since conceding eight in 25 games en route to the 2009 National Championship.
• Virginia’s goals against average (0.66) is the second lowest in the ACC and ranks 12th nationally.
NOTING NOTRE DAME
• After playing 110 minutes of scoreless soccer, Notre Dame advanced past Michigan in the Second Round after 12 rounds of penalty kicks. Goalkeeper Duncan Turnbull made two stops in the shootout including one in the 12th round to seal the victory.
• Notre Dame has allowed just one goal over its last five matches, spanning 490 minutes of play.
• Thirteen of the 29 Irish goals scored this season have come from set pieces.
• Senior forward Thomas Ueland is tied for the team lead with six goals with four coming in the last six matches.
• Notre Dame is making its 10th appearance in the round of 16 and is seeking their fourth quarterfinal appearance.