UVA Men Travel to No. 1 Maryland, Friday on FOX Soccer Channel

Virginia Heads to No. 1 Maryland for Friday Clash

Game starts at 7 p.m., will be televised by FOX Soccer Channel

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – After a week off, the Virginia men’s soccer team returns to action at 7 p.m. Friday when it travels to top-ranked Maryland for a 7 p.m. televised match at Ludwig Field. The unbeaten Terrapins are the eighth UVa opponent that has been ranked at some point this season.

Live Coverage 

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

Live statistics also will be available at VirginiaSports.com.

Records and Rankings

Virginia: 5-4-1 (1-2-0 ACC)

Maryland: 8-0-1 (3-0-0 ACC); No. 1 (NSCAA, Soccer America)

Virginia-Maryland Series

Maryland owns a 37-29-8 edge in the programs’ all-time series, which dates to 1941. The teams met six times in the last three seasons. Virginia upset the then-No. 2-ranked Terps, 2-1, last year, with Will Bates (Sr., Chester, Va.) scoring the go-ahead goal in the waning minutes to break the 1-all tie.

The Cavaliers are 5-5-1 in their last 11 matches against Maryland. UVa is making its first trip to College Park since the 2009 season when the teams played to a scoreless draw.

Virginia-Clemson Recap

UVa lost 2-0 to Clemson last Friday on a rainy evening at Klöckner Stadium. Playing its seventh match in 22 days, UVa struggled through a sluggish first half, and Clemson scored first in the 27th minute when Manolo Sanchez took a pass near the goal line and fired a low cross across the box to a wide open Ara Amirkhanian, who buried the shot from short distance.

UVa’s offense peppered Clemson with eight shots in the first 21 minutes of the second half, but to no avail. The Tigers added an insurance goal in the 74th minute when Sanchez served the ball into the center of the box, and an open Austin Savage knocked it past UVa keeper Spencer LaCivita (So., Raleigh, N.C.).

Virginia finished with an 11-9 shots advantage. UVa out-shot Clemson, 10-4, in the second half after recording only one shot in the first half. UVa put two shots on goal, while CU recorded three shots on goal.

Virginia Tidbits

•  Virginia’s opponents have combined for a 65-26-16 record (.682) this year.

•  Eight of Virginia’s 10 matches have been decided by one goal or a tie.

•  UVa’s roster features one player from the state of Maryland, freshman Marcus Salandy-Defour, who hails from Kensington (Georgetown Prep).

•  Maryland marks the fourth side that UVa has played this year that ranks among the current Top 10 teams (Georgetown, UCLA, North Carolina).

•  UVa is 1-2-1 this year vs. ranked teams; the Cavaliers also opened against then-unranked Georgetown, which is now ranked as high as No. 3 nationally. 

• UVa is 23-1-1 since 2009 when Will Bates scores a goal (only loss was last year at Wake Forest, 4-3, when Bates scored hat trick).

Noting Maryland

Coming off a 3-2 win at College of Charleston last Saturday, the Terrapins are unbeaten at 8-0-1 and ranked No. 1 in all of the major soccer polls. Maryland leads the nation in scoring, averaging 3.33 goals per game and outscoring its foes 30-7 this year.

Patrick Mullins leads the potent offense with five goals and six assists, while three others have four goals each this year. 

Up Next

Virginia plays its next four matches at home. The tough schedule continues at 7 p.m. Tuesday when the Cavaliers return home to take on undefeated and 23rd-ranked High Point at Klöckner Stadium.