No. 4 Virginia Hosts North Carolina in Regular Season Finale
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 4 Virginia (13-1-1, 5-1-1 ACC) will play its final regular season match of the year at Klöckner Stadium on Friday (Nov. 1) when it hosts North Carolina (7-6-3, 3-4 ACC) in Atlantic Coast Conference action. The contest is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will air live on ACCNX.
Game Coverage: ACCNX is available to authenticated subscribers of ACC Network via the ESPN App. Links for the live stream and in-game live stats are available on VirginiaSports.com. Fans can also follow the Virginia men’s soccer official twitter account (@UVAMenSoccer) for in-game updates.
TICKET INFORMATION
Reserved single-game tickets for Friday’s match can be purchased for $8 online and in advance, and $10 at the box office on game day. General admission single-game tickets are $5 online and in advance, and $8 at the box office on game day.
FOR STARTERS
• A win or draw against North Carolina will clinch the ACC Coastal Division Championship for Virginia. A Pittsburgh loss or draw at Notre Dame will also give UVA the division crown.
• Virginia will honor seven student-athletes – Robin Afamefuna, Marcel DaSilva, Max Diamond, Aaron James, Henry Kessler, Jerren Nixon Jr. and Colin Shutler – approximately 20 minutes prior to the match as part of its Senior Day recognition.
• The Cavaliers own a 9-1 record at home this season with the only loss coming against Pittsburgh on Oct. 18.
• Virginia comes into the match with the nation’s lowest goals against average (0.26), the highest save percentage (.905) and the most shutouts (12).
• The Cavaliers are one of 10 programs nationally with one or no losses this season and Virginia’s .900 winning percentage is tied for the fifth highest in the NCAA.
• North Carolina comes into the match winless in its last five matches (0-4-1), including a 1-0 loss at home to Appalachian State on Tuesday (Oct. 28).
• The Tar Heels are 6-1-3 against Virginia in the last 10 meetings, including 4-0-1 in the last five games at Klöckner Stadium.
• North Carolina head coach Carlos Somoano (.743 – 9 seasons) and Virginia head coach George Gelnovatch (.693 – 24 seasons) own the two highest winning percentages among active head coaches in the ACC.
POSTSEASON IMPLICATIONS
• Virginia has clinched a top-4 seed in the upcoming ACC Tournament thanks to a Syracuse win over NC State last Saturday.
• The Coastal Division and the Atlantic Division Champions are locked into the top two seeds in the ACC Tournament and seeds 3-12 are determined by points regardless of division.
• Since the current two-division format started in 2014, Virginia has not finished higher than second (2016) in the Coastal Division standings. The Cavaliers have earned a first-round bye once (2015) in the last six seasons.
• Virginia’s last regular season ACC championship came in 2001. George Gelnovatch has won two regular season titles (1996, 2001) and four ACC Tournament Championships (1997, 2003, 2004, 2009) in his 24-year tenure.
COMING FULL CIRCLE
• Virginia is seeking its sixth conference win of the season, the most since going 6-2 in 2005. The Cavaliers have won six ACC games, four times (1984, 1986, 2001, 2005).
• Gelnovatch was a player on the 1984 and 1986 teams that won six ACC games and later as head coach led the Cavaliers to six league victories in 2001 and 2005.
AGAINST NORTH CAROLINA
• Friday will be 86th meeting between North Carolina and Virginia.
• The two programs have played each other every year since 1946 with the exception of 2018 when weather forced the regular season finale to be canceled.
• Friday marks the first time Virginia faces an unranked North Carolina team since 2007, coincidentally the last time UVA defeated UNC at Klöckner Stadium.
• The Tar Heels own a 40-35-10 advantage in the series and the Cavaliers are 11-12-4 under Gelnovatch against UNC.
DIKE DAZZLES
• For the second time in his career, sophomore Daryl Dike was named the ACC Offensive player of the Week after totaling three goals in two games against Saint Louis (Oct. 22) and then-No. 25 Virginia Tech (Oct. 25).
• Dike currently leads the Cavaliers in points (18), goals (6) and assists. He’s also the team’s active leader in career goals with 11.
• The sophomore striker was also an honorable mention for the on the TopDrawerSoccer.com Team of the Week for the third time in 2019.
CLEAN SHEETS
• Virginia has produced a shutout in 12 of its 15 matches this season, the most in the country. Only Washington (11), Georgetown (10) and New Hampshire (10) have reached double-digit shutouts in 2019.
• Under George Gelnovatch, the Cavaliers have reached 10+ shutouts, eight times including the National Championship seasons of 2009 and 2014.
• The 12 clean sheets in the regular season are the most in Gelnovatch’s tenure and tied for third most in UVA history.
NATIONAL ACCOLADES
• Nathaniel Crofts was credited with the game-winning goal against then-No. 25 Virginia Tech last Friday and for his efforts was an honorable mention on TopDrawerSoccer.com’s Team of the Week.
• Goalkeeper Colin Shutler pitched a pair of shutouts and totaled seven saves in two matches including a season-high five against Virginia Tech. He was recognized on the College Soccer News Team of the Week.
• Three Cavaliers were included on TopDrawerSoccer.com’s midseason Top 100 college players, headlined by Joe Bell at the top spot. Henry Kessler and Daryl Dike are listed at No. 16 and No. 27, respectively.
• First year Andreas Ueland is the seventh-ranked freshman on TopDrawerSoccer.com’s MidseasonTop-100 freshman list.