CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 11 Virginia men’s soccer team is set to commence on its 83rd season of competition when the Cavaliers welcome UCLA to Klöckner Stadium on Thursday (Aug. 20). Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on ACCNX. The match will serve as the second half of a doubleheader with the Virginia women’s soccer team which takes on La Salle at 4 p.m.
Admission to all Virginia men’s and women’s soccer matches is free.
How to Follow:
Thursday night’s season opener against UCLA will be streamed on ACC Network Extra (ACCNX) 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).
Papa John’s Pizza Givaway
The first 500 students at Klöckner Stadium will receive a free pizza courtesy of Papa John’s. Students are encouraged to attend both the men’s and women’s soccer matchups, with those already in attendance for the women’s match able to claim their pizza at the stadium entrance beginning at 7 p.m.
For Openers:
- Under head coach George Gelnovatch, Virginia is 22-7 in season openers overall and has won 10 of its last 11 season openers.
- A Virginia player has scored or assisted on their UVA debut in each of the last three season openers
- Gelnovatch enters his 31st season at the helm. Over his 30 seasons at UVA, he has amassed a record of 395-165-79
The Series with UCLA:
- Virginia will meet UCLA for the first time since its victory over the Bruins in the 2014 NCAA Championship game.
- UVA won the 2014 NCAA Championship 4-2 on PKs after a 0-0 draw
- The Cavaliers trail the all-time series with a record of 3-7-1 against the Bruins
- Virginia and UCLA are two of the most decorated programs in NCAA Division I history, ranking among the top five nationally with seven and four national championships, respectively.
- UCLA assistant coach Sergi Nus is a UVA men’s soccer alum and an All-ACC second-team selection with the Cavaliers scoring six goals in 2018
Noting the 2026 Cavaliers
- Virginia returns four players with 10+ starts in 2025 including Alex Parvu (RWB), Sebastian Pop (CB), Zach Ehrenpreis (LCB), and Marco Dos Santos (CAM).
- An All-ACC third team selection, Pop led the team playing all 1,720 minutes of the 2025 season.
- Dos Santos was third on the team in 2025 with 12 points (1g, 10a). Six of his assists came on game-winning goals, third most in a single season at UVA.
- The roster also features five players who played significant roles in 2025 including Brendan Lambe (CM), Bacary Tandjigora (CM), Sami Oulouheu (CM), Parker Sloan (CB) and AJ Smith (ST).
- Three transfers joined UVA in January including Arnold Matshazi (ST, San Jose State), Ethan Martinez (CDM, Sata Clara), and Peter Tolkin (CB/Butler).
- Virginia’s eight-player signing class was ranked fifth by Top Drawer Soccer and features Isaac Mwakatuya (D), Prince Abanfo (F), Chase Duke (F), Nate Young (D), Chase Gozdieski (D), Zeus Rankin (F/M), Emiliano Mercenari (F/M), and Diego Guerra (M).
The Virginia Standard
- In 2025, Virginia claimed the outright ACC regular season title and the top seed in the ACC Tournament for the first time since 2001 – UVA finished runners up in the ACC Tournament
- The Cavaliers ended last season on 18 points with an unbeaten 5-0-3 record in ACC play
- Head Coach George Gelnovatch was named ACC Coach of the Year in 2025
- As the No. 2 seed in 2025, the Cavaliers earned a first-round bye in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive season.
- Virginia earned a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament for the 11th time in program history
- The Cavaliers are one of three teams in NCAA Division I to earn a first-round bye in each of the last four seasons (Stanford, SMU) – of those teams, Virginia is the only program to earn multiple top-four seeds in that span.
- Overall, Virginia and Georgetown are the only teams to earn multiple top-four seeds in that span.
- Virginia went 3-1-3 against ranked opposition in 2025 with four positive results over the top-10 including wins at No. 6 Louisville, No. 2 NC State and No. 1 Wake Forest
On the Horizon:
The Cavaliers will be back in action on Monday (Aug. 24) when they host No. 16 High Point. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. at Klöckner Stadium on ACCNX.