“The Skinny” on weekend matchups for football, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s basketball, volleyball, wrestling and swim and dive.
The quest to obtain that next trophy begins Sunday, when the No. 9 and eighth-seeded Cavaliers host the winner of Thursday’s NCAA Tournament first round matchup between Delaware and St. John’s in a second round match at Klöckner Stadium.
The 2013 regular season was a demonstration in dominance for the Virginia women’s soccer team. The season opener against VCU saw them ranked seventh, but by their Sept. 11 ACC opener, the Cavaliers had shot up to second in the nation. A week later they were on top, and for good reason. The Cavaliers eventually notched 19 wins — a school record and perfect season.
The No. 12 Virginia men’s soccer team received a No. 8 seed to the NCAA tournament and a first round bye Tuesday.
The Virginia men’s soccer team stumbled late against longtime rival Maryland in the ACC Championship game Sunday, losing 1-0 in Germantown, Md.
Monday morning, Virginia men’s soccer coach George Gelnovatch had his Cavaliers finish up practice with three penalty kick shootouts, requesting that his players approach the trial rounds with in-game intensity. The next day, Virginia’s focused preparation paid tangible dividends, as sophomore midfielder Todd Wharton converted his penalty kick in the 94th minute to propel the No. 12 Cavaliers to a 1-0 overtime victory at No. 9 Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament Quarterfinals.
The ACC Men’s Soccer Tournament first round fixture between Virginia and Wake Forest is becoming something of a tradition.
The No. 15 Virginia men’s soccer team finished the regular season with a 1-0 overtime win against conference foe Boston College Friday night at Klöckner Stadium to secure the six seed in the ACC Tournament.
For more than a month and a half, during a dazzling stretch from Sept. 13 to Oct. 29, the Virginia men’s soccer team did not lose a game. Friday night at Klöckner Stadium, North Carolina quietly silenced Virginia’s 11-game unbeaten streak with a 1-0 victory.
Football What: Virginia (2-6, 0-4 ACC) vs. No. 8 Clemson (7-1, 5-1 ACC) Where: Scott Stadium When: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. The Skinny: All of Clemson’s offense runs through one man — senior quarterback Tajh Boyd.
Six minutes into overtime Tuesday night at Klöckner Stadium with the score knotted at one, Virginia sophomore midfielder Todd Wharton lined a corner kick into the UNC-Greensboro penalty box, where the Cavaliers and Spartans jostled for position. As the ball arced through the air, freshman forward Riggs Lennon broke free from the throng, while Virginia’s ten-game unbeaten streak hung in the balance.
After a tumultuous start to the season, including losses in three of its first four games, No. 14 Virginia (7-3-4, 3-2-4 ACC) has rebounded and is riding a 10-game unbeaten streak after a 2-0 upset against No.
The No. 23 Virginia men’s soccer team traveled to South Bend, Ind. Saturday afternoon for its most daunting test of the year: a road game against unbeaten No. 2 Notre Dame. The Cavaliers decisively passed the examination, swashbuckling their way to a 2-0 defeat of the Fighting Irish in the first game between the teams as ACC rivals.
The Virginia defense, working below-decks, has been integral to the season-long voyage, allowing just 1.15 goals per game and holding opponents to one goal or fewer in seven of its last nine games.
Despite outshooting Virginia Tech, 37-2, Virginia walked off Thompson Field with a 1-1 draw, a result only made possible when junior midfielder Eric Bird scored a game-tying goal with 34 seconds remaining in regulation. The No. 19 Cavaliers (6-3-4, 2-2-4 ACC) extended their undefeated streak to nine games, but failed once more to earn a win against a moderately imposing ACC opponent.
Tuesday night in Durham, North Carolina, the No. 23 Virginia men’s soccer team played ACC-rival Duke to a scoreless draw. Graduate student goalkeeper Alex Long and the Blue Devil defense recorded the first shutout of Virginia since Sept. 6, ending the Cavaliers’ streak of games with two or more goals at seven.
In the five games leading up to the Virginia men’s soccer team’s match against Pittsburgh, the Cavaliers faced opponents with a combined 20-5-5 pre-match record.
The Cavaliers won their fourth game in a row and extended their unbeaten run to six games with a virtuoso performance. Virginia scored its most goals in a conference game since 2008 and held the Panthers without a shot on goal to win the first ACC matchup between the two teams.
Previews for all the Virginia teams in action this weekend.
At this point, the powers that be should just budget 110 minutes for future men’s soccer games between Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth. They might as well mark it a Cavalier victory, as well.
