Virginia To Face Rice In Round Of 16 Wednesday
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia women’s soccer team (12-4-2) continues play in the NCAA Tournament when the Cavaliers face Rice (14-2-1) in the Round of 16 on Wednesday (May 5). Kick is set for 9 p.m. at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.
The winner of Wednesday night’s match advances to the Elite Eight to face the either fourth-seeded TCU or Georgetown. That match will be played at 5 p.m. on Sunday (May 9).
HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION
Wednesday night’s match will be available on live stream at GoHeels.com/watch and live stats will be provided by the NCAA. Links to both the streaming broadcast and the live stats are available at VirginiaSports.com. Fans can also get updates by following the program’s official Twitter account (@UVAWomenSoccer).
LAST TIME OUT FOR THE HOOS
Virginia advanced to the Round of 16 by virtue of a 2-0 shutout over the No. 12 seed and 17th-ranked BYU Cougars in a second-round matchup. Alexa Spaanstra (Brighton, Mich.) turned in a brace for the second straight game to help lift the Cavaliers the victory. Laurel Ivory (Surfside, Fla.) posted a career-high 11 saves and faced a career-high 19 shots as she helped keep Virginia in the game defensively – especially in the early minutes of the game.
NOTING THE CAVALIERS
• Diana Ordoñez continues to lead the team in points with 23 after tallying her fifth assist of the season vs. BYU.
• Alexa Spaanstra moved into the team lead in goals and now has 10 this season with 22 points for the year.
• Laurel Ivory picked up the 50th win of her career in goal with the clean sheet against BYU.
• In addition to the victory, Ivory also now has 30 shutouts in her career for the Cavaliers.
• Virginia is making its 15th appearance in the Round of 16 in the last 16 seasons with Wednesday night’s match.
NOTING THE OWLS
• Rice is in the Round of 16 for the first time in the program’s five NCAA Tournament appearances.
• The Owls won Conference USA this season, going 5-1-0 in the regular season and winning the tournament.
• Rice has scored 38 goals this season while allowing only 10 through 17 games this season.
• Mikayla Furuto leads the team with six goals, while Delaney Schultz and Haley Kostyshyn each have eight assists.
• Bella Kilgore has played every minute in goal, making 67 saves on 78 shots faced and posting 11 shutouts.
THE SERIES WITH RICE
This is the first meeting between Rice and Virginia on the pitch.
VIRGINIA IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
• The Hoos have been a mainstay in the NCAA Tournament with 33 appearances overall and 27 straight berths.
• The 33 appearances is second all-time, while the 27 straight appearances is the second longest active streak.
• Virginia holds a 46-28-7 record in matches played in the NCAA Tournament all-time.
• The Cavaliers have out-scored opponents 172-to-89 in NCAA Tournament matches all-time.