No. 10 Virginia Clashes with No. 21 Virginia Tech Friday Night

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Atlantic Coast Conference play commences on Friday night (Sept. 7) at Klöckner Stadium as No. 10 Virginia hosts No. 21 Virginia Tech. The match will air live on ACC Network Extra at 2:30 p.m..
 
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 feed (@UVAMenSoccer).
 
TICKETS AVAILABLE
Fans can purchase tickets at a discounted rate in advance by going online to VirginiaSports.com/Tickets. For all regular season home games, available reserved single-game tickets can be purchased in advance for $8 online or via mobile devices. Tickets are $10 at the sport-specific ticket office on game day. General admission single-game tickets are $5 in advance and $8 at the sport-specific ticket office locations on game day.
 
CLEAR BAG POLICY
Virginia Athletics has a clear bag policy and entrance procedures in effect for Klöckner Stadium this season. Please review FAQs here: https://virginiasports.com/sports/2018/5/22/facilities-clear-bag-Disharoon-Klockner.aspx
 
COMMONWEALTH CLASH
Friday’s match is sponsored by Virginia Five Two Nine, the official college savings plan of University of Virginia Athletics.  It is also a potential point in the Commonwealth Clash, the point rivalry series between University of Virginia and Virginia Tech and presented by Virginia Five Two Nine.  This is the first Commonwealth Clash event of the new athletic season.  Learn more about VirginiaFive Two Nine and this competition at TheCommonwealthClash.com.
 
SCARF NIGHT
The First 1,500 fans in attendance will receive an UVA Soccer Scarf. Gates to Klöckner Stadium open at 1:30 p.m.
 
MATCH NOTES
• Virginia commences a four-game home stand on Friday, the longest of the 2018 season.
• Only in 2013 has Virginia opened up ACC play on an earlier date. The Cavaliers fell 2-0 at Clemson on Sept. 6.
• Virginia has opened ACC play with Virginia Tech only once before, a 1-0 win in Charlottesville in 2014.
• Since 2010, the Cavaliers are 3-2-3 in ACC openers and are seeking their first win in an ACC opener since 2014.
 
SERIES HISTORY
• Friday’s match will be the 49th meeting between Virginia and Virginia Tech and the 14th time in ACC regular season play.
• The Cavaliers are unbeaten in the last 13 games against the Hokies and have dominated the all-time series with a 40-4-4 mark.
• The Hokies and Cavaliers are both ranked while opposing each other for the first time since 2007, a 1-1 draw in Charlottesville. There have been four total matches (1997, 2005, 2006, 2007) in which both programs have been ranked. Virginia owns a 2-1-1 record in those contests.
• At Klöckner Stadium, the Cavaliers are 8-1-2 against Virginia Tech since the facility opened in 1992.
• The two programs have met in each of the last 14 seasons including twice in 2014. Since the Hokies joined the ACC in 2004, the Cavaliers own an 8-2-4 advantage in the ACC regular season.
 
RANKED OPPONENTS
• Virginia improved to 5-4-7 against ranked opponents since the 2016 season after its 1-0 win over No. 19 New Hampshire in the season opener.
• Tonight’s match marks the first time since 2014, the last time Virginia won a National Championship, that the Cavaliers will have faced two, Top 25 opponents in their first three games.
 
LAST MEETING vs. TECH
• Coming in as the No. 12 team in the country, Virginia emerged with a 2-1 victory in Blacksburg against Virginia Tech last season.
• Edward Opoku, current member of the Columbus Crew, scored the first two goals of the game, one in each half.
• The Hokies spoiled the shutout after a goal with seven seconds left in regulation.
• The win for George Gelnovatch was No. 300 of his career, becoming one of four coaches in ACC history to eclipse 300 wins. Since taking over in 1996, Gelnovatch is 13-2-4 against Virginia Tech.
 
SHUTOUT TIDBITS
• Virginia is one of seven teams in the country yet to concede a goal in 2018.
• The last time the Cavaliers recorded back-to-back shutouts to start the season was in 2007.
• The school record for shutouts to begin a season is five, set back in 2005.
• Dating back to last season, the Cavaliers have kept opponents off the scoreboard in five of the last seven games.
 
LAST LINE OF DEFENSE
• In his first two starts of his career, redshirt sophomore Colin Shutler has posted consecutive clean sheets.
• Against Maryland at Audi Field on Monday night, he made a career-high seven saves. It marked the most saves by a UVA goalkeeper since 2016 when Jeff Caldwell turned away nine chances against Notre Dame.
• Shutler was rewarded for his efforts against No. 19 New Hampshire when he was named ACC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, Aug. 27.
 
NOTING VIRGINIA TECH
• The Hokies are in the midst of a six-game road trip to start the season. For the second time in three years, Virginia Tech got off to a 3-0 start before playing to a 2-2 draw at UCF on Sunday afternoon.
With wins over Air Force, Gardner-Webb and South Florida, the Hokies are one six ACC teams with three victories on the young season.
• The duo of Kristo Strickler and Marc Hoppler lead the team with two goals apiece while first-year netminder Mathijs Swaneveld leads the ACC in saves with 18.
• The Hokies were picked to finish sixth in the ACC Preseason Coaches poll after 10-10 campaign last season