UVA Men Travel to No. 8 UNC on FOX Soccer Channel

Virginia Men's Soccer Visits No. 8 North Carolina at 7 p.m. Friday

Game will be televised by FOX Soccer Channel

 

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia men’s soccer team hits the road Friday for a 7 p.m. ACC contest at No. 8 North Carolina. The match at UNC’s Fetzer Field will be televised by FOX Soccer Channel and also is UVa’s first true road game of the season.

Live Coverage 

FOX Soccer Channel will have live television coverage of the NSCAA National Game of the Week, with Dean Linke, Charlie Slagle and Blakely Mattern on the call.

Live statistics also will be available at VirginiaSports.com.

Records and Rankings

Virginia: 4-2-1 (1-0-0 ACC)

North Carolina: (4-1-1, 1-0-1 ACC); No. 8 (NSCAA), No. 12 (Soccer America)

Virginia-Drexel Recap

UVa picked up a 2-0 win over Drexel on Tuesday evening at Klöckner Stadium to wrap up a six-match homestand. 

Todd Wharton (Fr., Glen Allen, Va.) and Will Bates (Sr., Chester, Va.) each scored for the Cavaliers.

Virginia goalkeeper Spencer LaCivita (So., Raleigh, N.C.) made six saves for the Cavaliers for his second shutout of the year. While the Cavaliers out-shot Drexel 4-3 in the first half, the Dragons finished with a 13-8 shots edge. Drexel also took 11 corner kicks to one for UVa.

Virginia Tidbits

•  Six of Virginia’s seven matches have been decided by one goal or a tie.

•  UVa’s roster features three players from the state of North Carolina, including GK Spencer LaCivita from nearby Raleigh.

•  UVa is 1-1-1 this year vs. ranked teams; the Cavaliers opened against then-unranked Georgetown, which is now ranked as high as No. 9. 

•  The Cavaliers have held the possession advantage in each of their last four matches. Georgetown and UCLA are the only teams to have a possession edge this year against UVa.

• After playing six of their first seven matches at home, the Cavaliers are the visiting side for three of their next four games.

• UNC marks the third straight team to have a week of rest in advance of its match with UVa; VCU will become the fourth straight side on Tuesday. The Cavaliers have played on short rest in each of those matches.

Noting North Carolina

The reigning national champions have a 4-1-1 record entering the match Friday and own a 31-match home unbeaten streak. UNC has not suffered a loss at home since a 3-0 defeat to Akron on Sept. 3, 2010.

UNC’s scheduled Tuesday home match with Davidson was postponed because of inclement weather. The Tar Heels lost 1-0 at James Madison on Sept. 11, then played Wake Forest to a scoreless draw last Friday in their last contest.

Led by senior goalkeeper Scott Goodwin, the Tar Heels have surrendered only two goals this year (0.32 goals against average). On offense, Martin Murphy owns a team-high four goals, while Andy Craven boasts two goals and two assists. 

The Youth Movement  

Virginia’s lineup has taken on a much younger look this year. The Cavaliers have started at least five freshmen in each match and have had at least eight underclassmen in each starting lineup. Underclassmen have played 78 percent of the possible minutes through seven matches (5,763 of 7,315). 

Minutes Breakdown by Class:

Freshman: 3,032 (41.4 percent)

Sophomore: 2,731 (37.3 percent)

Junior: 885 (12.1 percent)

Senior: 621 (8.5 percent)

Tough Early Schedule Continues

Virginia has been challenged with an arduous schedule this year. Counting North Carolina, six of UVa’s first eight opponents have been ranked at some point this season. The Cavaliers are 2-2-1 against these squads, with both losses coming in overtime.

Top 25 foes Maryland, NC State and Wake Forest remain on the Cavaliers’ schedule. 

Up Next

Virginia travels to Richmond, Va., at 7 p.m. Tuesday to battle VCU at Sports Backer Stadium. The Rams are unbeaten at 4-0-2 and receiving votes in the NSCAA poll.