Coach George Gelnovatch said that one of the hardest accomplishments in the world of college soccer is to win the ACC regular season championship. But Friday, Virginia men’s soccer did just that.
With a 1-0 victory at SMU, the Cavaliers (10-1-4, 5-0-3 ACC) emerged at the top of the conference. This is the first time since 2001 that Virginia won the ACC title without sharing it with another team — the last one also coming under Gelnovatch, who has been the Cavaliers’ head coach since 1996.
Yet, entering Friday night at SMU, the Cavaliers did not control their own destiny to win the ACC’s top seed. Stanford sat in first place — but its 0-1 loss at California cleared the way for Virginia to claim the ACC regular season title.
The Cavaliers knew that not only did they have to beat the Mustangs (7-4-4, 3-2-3 ACC), but that they needed the Cardinal to drop points. Even so, Gelnovatch was not focused on scoreboard watching.
“Tonight, we played to win and not to worry about the results of the other games,” Gelnovatch said.
That win came thanks to stellar defense — Virginia recorded its eighth shutout of the 2025 campaign as graduate goalkeeper Casper Mols tallied two saves on SMU’s nine shots.
Offense, though, was difficult to come by for both teams. The lone goal was a career-second from freshman midfielder Barry Tandjigora. The goal, which came in the 85th minute, was the latest time the Cavaliers scored a game-winning goal this season.
Tandjigora was assisted by senior defenseman Nick Dang and freshman forward Nick Simmonds. The assist marked Simmonds’ fourth of the season and doubled as his team-leading 20th point of the season.
After the victory in Dallas, Virginia finished as the only ACC team to go undefeated in conference play, albeit with three ties. 2025 marks the program’s first undefeated ACC season since 2001.
The Cavaliers, as the ACC champion, receive the only bye into the ACC Tournament. Virginia will not play at Klöckner Stadium until a quarterfinal Sunday at 4 p.m. — hosting the winner of North Carolina versus Notre Dame.
“Now we get a full week to prepare for the quarterfinal,” Gelnovatch said. “I couldn’t be happier for my guys — they deserve this moment.”
Should Virginia win Sunday, it would advance to the ACC semifinals in Cary, N.C., Nov. 13 — facing either Clemson, Pittsburgh, Duke or California. The Cavaliers did face the Tigers earlier this year, winning 4-0 Oct. 25, but have not faced the other potential opponents.
Notably, as the ACC’s top seed, Virginia avoids powerhouse foes NC State and Stanford on its side of the ACC Tournament bracket. The Cavaliers would not encounter either until the ACC title game Nov. 16.
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