CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia men’s soccer team (3-4-1, 1-1 ACC) is set to take on No. 6 Stanford (7-1-1, 0-1-1 ACC) on Friday (Sept. 25) at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium. Kickoff is set for 10 p.m. ET on ACCNX.
How to Follow:
Friday night’s match against Stanford 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 are set to take on Stanford for the fifth time in a series that dates to 1989. Friday’s game will mark the second meeting between the teams as ACC foes.
- The visiting team has won three of the four games in the history of the series
- In 2025 Virginia was unbeaten (3-0-1) in four matches against teams ranked in the top-10, three of those matches took place on the road including wins over No. 2 NC State, No. 6 Louisville and a 2-2 draw at No. 8 Virginia Tech.
- Under head coach George Gelnovatch, Virginia is 61-58-28 against opponents ranked in the nation’s top-10.
- Virginia has outscored its opponents 16-13 on the season but suffered four losses – each of which featured a game-winning goal scored after the 80-minute mark
- Captains Brendan Lambe (2g, 5a) and Marco Dos Santos (3g, 1a) rank second and third on the team in points and have assisted each other on three occasions, the most common goal-assist connection for the Cavaliers this season.
Smith In-Form:
- Virginia striker AJ Smith has started all eight games of the season and already surpassed single-season career highs in goals (5) and points (11).
- Smith’s 2025 season saw him score four goals and one assist to total nine points over the course of 19 appearances and five starts.
- The Tyler JC product has had a knack for scoring in big moments with five of his 11 career goals coming in postseason play.
- Smith’s most impactful postseason moments include scoring the game-winning goal in the 2025 ACC Semifinal as well as a 1 goal/1 assist performance in a 2-1 win over West Virginia in the 2024 NCAA Second Round.
Noting the 2026 Cavaliers
- AJ Smith leads the team with five goals, surpassing a single-season career high.
- Fourth-year captain Brendan Lambe leads the team with five assists and ranks second on the team with nine points.
- Fourth-year captain Marco Dos Santos has accounted for three goals on the season, one shy of a single-season career high, he ranks third on the team with seven points.
- First-year forward Chase Duke has made six consecutive starts and recorded a pair of assists on the season
- Virginia has scored 16 goals on the season coming from eight different goal scorers
Positive Results Against Top-10 Opposition
- Since 2022, Virginia has recorded 14 positive results (9 Wins / 5 Draws) against opponents ranked in the nation’s top-10. Eight of those results have come on the road.
- The 2025 season featured three wins and one draw against the nation’s top-10 which kickstarted a 14-game unbeaten run to the ACC Championship game.
|
Result |
Opponent |
Date |
|
W, 1-0 |
at No. 3 Syracuse |
9/24/22 |
|
W, 3-1 |
at No. 10 Pitt |
9/30/22 |
|
T, 0-0 |
vs No. 2 Duke |
10/7/22 |
|
T, 2-2 |
at No. 3 Syracuse |
*11/9/22 |
|
T, 1-1 |
vs No. 9 Marshall |
*11/20/22 |
|
T, 1-1 |
at No. 9 JMU |
9/12/23 |
|
W, 3-0 |
vs No. 8 Louisville |
9/29/23 |
|
W, 1-0 |
vs No. 10 UNC |
10/27/23 |
|
W, 1-0 |
vs No. 8 JMU |
10/8/24 |
|
W, 2-0 |
at No. 9 Pitt |
11/10/24 |
|
T, 2-2 |
at No. 8 Virginia Tech |
9/5/25 |
|
W, 1-0 |
at No. 6 Louisville |
9/13/25 |
|
W, 6-3 |
vs No. 1 Wake Forest |
9/19/25 |
|
W, 1-0 |
at No. 2 NC State |
10/5/25 |
*Opponent advanced on penalties in postseason play
On the Horizon:
The Cavaliers will be back in action on Saturday (Oct. 2) when they take on Virginia Tech at Klöckner Stadium in the Smithfield Commonwealth Clash. Kickoff is slated for 8 p.m. at Klöckner Stadium on ACC Network (ACCN).