Virginia Men's Soccer Takes On American at 7 p.m. Tuesday

From Press Releases:

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The No. 21 Virginia men's soccer team will take on American at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Klöckner Stadium. It marks the Cavaliers' final non-conference game, as well as the start of three straight home matches to conclude the 2011 regular season.

Tickets are $9 for reserved seats, $7 for adult general admission and $5 for youth/student/senior citizen general admission. Fans can order tickets for online at VirginiaSports.com and by phone through the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office at 800-542-UVA1 (8821) or 434-924-UVA1 (8821). Tickets are also available at the gate beginning one hour prior to the start of play. Gates open one hour prior to the match. Free parking is available in the University Hall and John Paul Jones Arena lots.

With a 9-5-1 record this season, Virginia is 4-1-1 with four shutouts in its last six games. Prior to this run of games, UVa had allowed two goals or more in four straight contests.

Virginia played to a scoreless draw at Virginia Tech in ACC play last Friday. The goalkeepers each made some tremendous stops in keeping the game scoreless. Virginia's Spencer LaCivita (Fr., Raleigh, N.C.) stopped six shots, while the Hokies' Kyle Renfro notched seven saves, including a crucial stop of a Will Bates (Jr., Chester, Va.) penalty kick in the 65th minute. Virginia took 19 shots, while Virginia Tech recorded 14. Both teams took five corner kicks.

With the shutout against Virginia Tech, LaCivita now leads the ACC with six shutouts this season. He ranks fifth in the ACC in goals against average (1.25) and saves (56).

American holds a 6-9-1 record following a 2-1 loss at Navy last Saturday in Annapolis. The Eagles currently sits atop the Patriot League with a 4-1 record. Alassane Kane leads the team in goals (6) and points (14), while Tyler Collins has five goals. Matt Makowski has received the bulk of the minutes in goal and owns a 3-7-1 record with a 1.67 goals against average.

This marks the 20th all-time meeting between Virginia and American, with the Cavaliers holding a 16-3 series lead. The match marks the fourth straight year these programs have faced off, with UVa winning each, including a 2-0 result last year. UVa has won 10 straight against the Eagles since AU's last win in 1998 (2-1 in Charlottesville).

UVa assistant coach Michael Behonick is an alumnus of American. Behonick was a goalkeeper at American from 1999-2002. He posted 16 career shutouts and earned second team All-Patriot League honors as a junior. Behonick was the Eagles' captain in 2001 and 2002, and in those years American made NCAA tournament appearances. His 2001 AU squad was the Patriot League champion.

Virginia finishes the regular season with home ACC contests against No. 18 Boston College at 7 p.m. Saturday and NC State on Nov. 3. With 10 points in ACC play, UVa stands in a fourth-place tie with Duke and leads BC by one point. The top four teams in the final conference standings receive home-field advantage in the ACC tournament.