No. 7 UVA Opens ACC Play At No. 2 North Carolina Saturday
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 7 Virginia women’s soccer team (7-0-1, 0-0-0 ACC) hits the road to open ACC play on Saturday (Sept. 17) when the Cavaliers take on No. 2 North Carolina (7-1-0, 0-0-0 ACC) in a 6 p.m. contest at Dorrance Field.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION
Saturday night’s game will be broadcast on ACCNX which is available through the ESPN app and at WatchESPN.com for customers who have the ACC Network as part of their television subscription. Live stats are also available and links to both the live stream and broadcast are available at VirginiaSports.com. Fans can also get updates by following the program’s official Twitter account (@UVAWomenSoccer).
QUICK KICKS
• UVA moved to No. 7 nationally in the United Soccer Coaches poll for week five after a draw vs. VCU
• The Hoos are 7-0-1 on the season and have posted seven straight shutouts entering ACC play.
• UVA went through the non-conference undefeated and posted seven shutouts in those eight games.
• The shutout of VCU marks 648:08 minutes since UVA last conceded – the fifth longest streak in UVA history. The fourth-longest streak is 654:32 (9/15/90 through 10/6/90).
• Following the draw with VCU, Cayla White is now 11-0-1 as a starter in goal for the Cavaliers.
• White is fourth nationally in goals against average (0.17) and has four solo shutouts this season.
• Maggie Cagle scored her first goal vs. Oregon State and has a goal and five assists. She has three assists on game-winning goals and hit the game-winning goal against the Beavers.
• Maya Carter notched a brace against Oregon State, scoring twice in the final five minutes of the first half to help give the Hoos a 3-0 lead going into the half.
• The Hoos had back-to-back ACC Player of the Week selections in weeks three and four with Haley Hopkins named Offensive Player of the Week for week three and Talia Staude Defensive Player of the Week for week four.
• The Cavaliers are one of the most prolific offenses early in the 2022 season, tied for third nationally with 27 goals, while the 3.38 goals per game is tied for fifth nationally in goals per game.
• Alexa Spaanstra also continues to move up the UVA career record book and sits sixth all-time in assists at UVA with 32 assists following a pair of assists in the win over Memphis.
• Hopkins and Spaanstra are two of only eight players active in the NCAA with 30 goals and 20 assists for their careers. Hopkins has 49 goals and 22 assists (120 points) while Spaanstra has 31 goals and 32 assists (94 points) to rank second and fourth, respectively, among the eight players.
THE SERIES AGAINST NORTH CAROLINA
• Virginia and North Carolina have met 48 times with the Tar Heels leading the all-time series 39-4-5
• UVA has posted all of its wins on the road or at a neutral site – three on the road and one at a neutral site
• The four wins came in five meetings across the 2011-14 seasons, including two games in ACC Tournament play
• This game will be the fourth straight away from home against UNC for UVA which hasn’t hosted UNC since 2017
• The Hoos and Tar Heels played in the ACC Tournament in 2019 and 2020 and at UNC in the 2021 season
• A fifth meeting was to have taken place at UNC in the 2020 regular season but was canceled due to COVID
LAST TIME OUT AGAINST THE TAR HEELS
• Virginia and North Carolina played in Chapel Hill last season with the teams playing to a scoreless draw at Dorrance Field
• In that draw, then UVA keeper Laurel Ivory made five saves on 20 Tar Heel shots in posting the clean sheet
• Diana Ordoñez and Alexa Spaanstra led the UVA offense on the afternoon with a combined seven shots
• Both teams were ranked at the time of the meeting with UVA ranked No. 2 and UNC ranked No. 5 in the polls
HOOS JUMP INTO ACC PLAY WITH TOUGH FIRST HALF SCHEDULE
• The front half of the Cavaliers’ ACC schedule is a tough one for the Hoos with three games on the road
• In addition, four of those games come against teams ranked in the top 12 nationally at the start of ACC play
• Virginia plays back-to-back top six teams with games at No. 2 UNC and at No. 6 Notre Dame
• After hosting Louisville, the Cavaliers will then go back on the road to face off against No. 3 Duke
• Virginia closes the first half of ACC play at home against reigning NCAA Champion and No. 12 Florida State