No. 21 Virginia Hosts No. 2 Duke in ACC Clash

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 21 Virginia men’s soccer team (7-4, 3-1 ACC) is set to take on No. 2 Duke (8-0-2, 3-0-1 ACC) as both teams look to take control of first place in the ACC Coastal Division Friday night (Oct. 7) at Klöckner Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

HOW TO FOLLOW
Friday night’s match against No. 2 Duke will be streamed on ACCNX which is available through the ESPN app and at WatchESPN.com for customers who have the ACC Network as a part of their television subscription. Live stats are also available and links to both the live stats and broadcast are available at VirginiaSports.com. Fans can also get updates by following the program’s official Twitter account (@UVAMenSoccer).

TICKETS AVAILABLE
Tickets are available for Tuesday night’s game and fans can purchase single-game tickets in advance online at UVATix.com. Reserved seats purchased in advance are $12 and general admission tickets are $8. UVA athletics strongly encourages fans to avoid lines on game day and purchase their tickets online in advance. Single-game tickets will be $15 at the gate on game day for reserved seats if available and $10 for general admission seats. Group packages for parties of 20 or more are $6 and are available for purchase over the phone in advance only.

FOR STARTERS

• Virginia sits in second in the ACC Coastal Division standings trailing Duke by just a single point
• A win for either side would put the team in sole possession of first place in the ACC Coastal
• Virginia will face off with a top-10 opponent for the fifth time this season – Friday’s match with Duke will be the fourth consecutive top-10 matchup for UVA
• The Cavaliers will look to get back on track following a 1-0 loss to No. 10 Denver after the team had bagged consecutive top-10 wins during a three-game win streak
• Virginia’s offense ranks second in the ACC with 24 goals to its credit – The Cavaliers trail only Wake Forest with 31
• Phil Horton was unanimously selected as the national player of the week by the United Soccer Coaches, College Soccer News and Top Drawer Soccer
• Horton and Holden Brown became the second and third Cavaliers to earn ACC honors this season as Horton was named Offensive Player of the week while Brown picked up Co-Defensive Player of the Week Honors

AGAINST THE BLUE DEVILS

• Friday’s match will be the 93rd meeting in a tight series between Virginia and Duke as the Hoos lead 42-40-10
• In recent history, Virginia has struggled as the Cavaliers have won just one matchup out of the last five with Duke
• Virginia is 20-18-3 against Duke in matches played at home
• Under head coach George Gelnovatch the Hoos are 17-14-3 against the Blue Devils

DEADLY STRIKE PARTNERS

• Virginia’s trio of strikers, Leo Afonso, Phil Horton and Kome Ubogu have proven to be a force at the top for UVA
• On the road against No. 3 Syracuse and No. 10 Pitt, Virginia’s starting strikers Phil Horton and Leo Afonso combined for eight points over the course of two Virginia wins
• Afonso leads the team with 12 points followed by 10 from Ubogu and Horton to combine for a total of 22 from the trio

NOTING DUKE

• Duke enters the match ranked No. 2 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll
• The Blue Devils earned a statement 3-2 win over formerly top-ranked Wake Forest, handing the Demon Deacons their first loss of the season on Saturday (Oct. 1)
• Shakur Mohammed leads the Blue Devils in scoring with 12 points (five goals, two assists)

ON THE HORIZON

The Cavaliers have another marquee matchup on the horizon as Virginia travels to face off with the reigning national champion Clemson Tigers next Saturday (Oct. 15). Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in Clemson.