CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 11 Virginia men’s soccer team is set to host No. 16 High Point on Monday (Aug. 24) at Klöckner Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. on ACCNX.
Admission to all Virginia men’s and women’s soccer matches is free.
How to Follow:
Monday night’s match against High Point 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).
For Openers:
- The Cavaliers enter the match coming off a 2-1 defeat to UCLA, Virginia’s first defeat in a season opener since 2022.
- The Cavaliers have not lost back-to-back games to open a season since 2008 (0-1 vs St. Johns, 1-3 vs #14 SMU)
- Since head coach George Gelnovatch took over in 1996, Virginia is 66-32-21 against teams ranked in the top 25 when playing at home.
- The Cavaliers went 3-1-3 against teams ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Poll last season
The Series with High Point:
- The Cavaliers hold the edge over High Point with a 4-3-1 record in a series that dates to 1941, UVA’s inaugural season of men’s soccer.
- High Point won three of the first four meetings between the sides with one draw between them in 1942.
- Virginia has won four consecutive meetings since 2012 and are unbeaten against the Panthers since 1948. The last meeting between the sides featured a 3-1 win for the Cavaliers in 2023
- UVA Assistant Coach Johnny Fenwick played four seasons at High Point 2015-18. Fenwick was a four-time all-conference selection, a second-team All-American and conference player of the year as a senior.
- Monday’s match marks the first meeting between UVA and High Point in which both teams are ranked in the top-25.
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 Mwakutuya (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 Friday (Aug. 28) when they host American. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. at Klöckner Stadium on ACCNX.