No. 9 Virginia Hosts No. 22 Syracuse in ACC Quarterfinals Sunday

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The No. 9 Virginia men’s soccer team (10-3-3, 5-2-1 ACC) is set to host No. 22 Syracuse (8-3-6, 2-1-5 ACC) on Sunday afternoon (Nov. 5) at Klöckner Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.

HOW TO FOLLOW
Sunday afternoon’s match against Syracuse will be streamed on ACC Network which is available through the ESPN app and at WatchESPN.com for customers who have the ACC Network as part of their TV subscription. Links to both the broadcast and live stats are available at VirginiaSports.com. Fans can also get updates by following the program’s official Twitter account (@UVAMenSoccer).

THE SERIES WITH SYRACUSE

• This will mark the 10th match between the two sides all-time—the series between UVA and Syracuse dates back to 2013.
• Virginia has not played Syracuse in 2023, but the Cavaliers faced off with the 2022 NCAA Champions twice last season
• UVA took down No. 3 Syracuse on the road by a score of 1-0 in the 2022 regular season
• The game will be a rematch of the 2022 ACC Semifinals when Virginia and Syracuse tied 2-2 after 90 minutes with the Orange advancing on penalty kicks
• Virginia’s Leo Afonso has found the back of the net in each of the last three meetings between the two sides
• UVA has matched up with Syracuse twice in ACC Tournament play with a 1-0-1 record against the Orange

CAVALIERS FINDING FORM

• The Cavaliers are unbeaten in their last eight games while winning each of its last four
• In those matches, Virginia has outscored its opponents by a margin of 15-4 while keeping four clean sheets
• In four ACC contests over that stretch, Virginia has taken 13 points out of a possible 15 to secure its second consecutive runner-up finish in the ACC Coastal division

ACC TOURNAMENT NOTES

• Virginia has been crowned ACC Champions on 16 occasions with 11 tournament titles
• The Cavaliers’ last title came in 2019 when UVA topped Clemson in the ACC final and Henry Kessler was named tournament MVP—that run also began with a home match against Syracuse
• UVA has impressed when they reach the quarterfinal round of the ACC tournament having advanced in each of its last four quarterfinal-appearances—the last time UVA exited at the quarterfinal round was in 2016
• Virginia has an all-time ACC Tournament record of 46-2-13

HOOS HOT

• Stephen Annor leads the team with 10 goals after becoming the first Cavalier to score in double digits since Daryl Dike (’19)
• Mouhameth Thiam has scored in three of Virginia’s last four games, scoring three goals and adding one assist over that stretch
• Axel Ahlander has netted a pair of goals and contributed one assist in Virginia’s last two games