No. 12 Virginia Battles UNC to Scoreless Draw

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — In a rain-soaked battle at Klöckner Stadium, the No. 12 Virginia men’s soccer team (5-1-2, 2-0-2 ACC) played North Carolina (4-1-4, 0-0-4 ACC) to a 0-0 draw on Thursday night (Sept. 27). The Cavaliers dominated the flow of the game outshooting the Tar Heels 15-5 while recording their fifth shutout in eight games.

How it Happened:

• Virginia had the better of the chances in the first half and outshot Carolina by a margin of 5-1 in the opening 45 minutes. The Cavaliers did well to keep the ball in the Tar Heels’ defensive third for long stretches and took three shots before Carolina registered their first of the game.
• Two of Virginia’s best chances in the first half were a result of the ball being worked down the left side before finding an open Cavalier on the opposite side of the field. Reese Miller and Alex Parvu each had chances cutting onto their left foot inside the area but were unable to find the back of the net.
• The second half was highlighted by a pair of golden opportunities for the Cavaliers. With less than 13 minutes to play in the game, Albin Gashi picked out a perfectly timed run by Miller to play him in on goal. With only the goalkeeper to beat, Miller’s chance carried over the crossbar as the match remained scoreless.
• Off a throw-in with under four minutes to play in the game, Marco Dos Santos dribbled through defenders before picking out Nick Simmonds in the penalty area. Turning onto his right foot, the freshman fired his chance just wide of the near post. 

With the Result:

• Virginia is 37-42-12 all-time against the Tar Heels
• The Cavaliers are unbeaten in their last three meetings with North Carolina
• Virginia remains unbeaten in conference play with a record of 2-0-2
• The Cavaliers improve their unbeaten streak to four consecutive games
• UVA records its first 0-0 draw since the 2022 season (vs No. 2 Duke, 10/7/22)

Additional Notes:

• The Cavaliers notch their fifth clean sheet of the season, just one shy of their season total from both the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
• Caleb Tunks marked his first career start logging the full 90 minutes while making one save
• The Cavaliers outshot UNC by a margin of 15-5
• Virginia was held scoreless for the first time in 2025
• The Cavaliers took seven shots in the final 20 minutes of play
• Reese Miller led the team with four shot attempts
• Each team earned four corner kicks

From Head Coach George Gelnovatch:
“Disappointed, the guys are disappointed. This was always going to be a one goal game. UNC has tied four teams in the conference. We had two good looks. One of those chances results in a goal and we win the game. Do I think we deserve to win the game? I do. Do I think they had a good chance in the game? I don’t think so. But they’re hard to play against, they’re tough to break down.” 

Up Next:
The Cavaliers will be back in action on Wednesday (Oct. 1) when they host Milwaukee at Klöckner Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.