No. 10 Pittsburgh will travel to Klöckner Stadium to take on unranked Virginia in a pivotal late-season ACC matchup on Friday. The Cavaliers (5-7-2, 2-4-0 ACC) will have to play almost perfect soccer to come out with a victory against the Panthers (8-4, 4-2 ACC) who have been on a recent tear, winning four out of their last five games.
Virginia is coming off a much needed victory on the road against NC State, winning 2-1. After a scoreless first half, the Cavaliers scored two quick goals early in the second half and never looked back as the defense, led by sophomore goalkeeper Holden Brown, made enough stops to grab the victory in Raleigh, N.C.
Pittsburgh is looking to get back on track after a heartbreaking loss to Notre Dame in South Bend, IN. The Fighting Irish broke the scoreless tie in the 106th minute and the Panthers could not respond in the final 14 minutes, ultimately losing 1-0.
Although the Cavaliers’ record is disappointing compared to previous seasons, they have been competitive this season. The young Virginia team has lost five games in overtime, so Friday’s win against NC State was a good sign that it could come out with a win in a tight game — something it was unable to do two weeks ago against Denver.
The Cavaliers’ attack is led by sophomore forward Leo Afonso who has six goals and one assist through 13 games. Talented freshman forward Michael Tsicoulias recorded his first assist last game against NC State, so look for him to carry that momentum into Friday’s matchup.
If Virginia wants to come out with a win on Friday night, it needs to attack early, staving off the Panthers’ powerful offense for as long as possible. This will be tough to do as Pittsburgh’s offense, led by senior midfielder Rodrigo Almeida, generates on average more than 13 shots a game while scoring over two goals per game, compared to the Cavaliers who score just over one goal per game.
If Virginia gets the victory against this solid Pittsburgh team, it will have to be in large part due to a stellar defensive performance. Brown, along with freshman defenseman Paul Wiese, will have to continue to lead the backline to try and contain this potent Panthers offense. Pittsburgh has struggled on the road this year as all of their four losses have come away from their home — a positive sign for the Cavaliers. A large crowd at Klöcker Stadium could push this young Virginia team to come out with a much needed win against a talented Panthers team.
The match will kick off Friday night at 7 p.m. in Charlottesville, and the team will be celebrating Senior Night. The game will be broadcast on the ACC Network.
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