Whenever the No. 25 ranked Virginia men's soccer squad throws around phrases like "bad blood" and "dogfight" in interviews, this usually means one thing: Virginia is playing Duke.
Historically, the Cavaliers and Blue Devils bring out unusually intense play in one another. In last year's ACC matchup, where unranked Virginia beat No. 18 Duke 3-1 at home, the two squads amassed a total of 47 fouls, a number that quickly invokes gory images of trench warfare-like battles.
Add to the fire that, with a win, the Cavaliers can come one game closer to the number one seed in the upcoming ACC tournament, and you've got the recipe for a fierce competition tonight when Virginia (7-5, 3-1 ACC) travels to Durham to take on the Blue Devils (3-8-1, 1-3) in a 7:00 game at Koskinen Stadium.
The legacy of tough matches between the Blue Devils and Cavaliers has trickled down even to the younger players on the team. Freshman forward Adam Cristman, who leads Virginia in goals scored with five on the season, understands the history between the two squads and the importance of this upcoming ACC game.
"There's going to be bad blood and it's a serious ACC game," Cristman said. "We need ACC wins to ensure ourselves a good spot in the [ACC] tournament. We need to go down there and take care of business."
The Blue Devils are coming off their first ACC win of the year, as they took down NC State at home last Friday night, 3-0. Junior forward Nigi Adogwa scored all three goals that night, earning himself his first career hat trick and the title of ACC Men's Soccer Player of the Week. Adogwa leads the ACC in goals per game with 0.64 and is second in the league in points per game with an average of 1.36.
The Cavaliers look to use the momentum gained from their past two come-from-behind wins against Duke tonight. Down 2-1 to Clemson on Saturday, Virginia pulled out a 3-2 win, and against West Virginia on Wednesday night the Cavaliers scored two goals in the final 11 minutes to beat the Mountaineers 2-1.
"The past two games, we have been finding ways to win," Virginia coach George Gelnovatch said. "This [Wednesday night's] game reminded me of the Seton Hall game [a 1-0 loss], where we had the ball, had the ball, had the ball, and lost. But this time we found a way to win."
Virginia seems to be coming together at the right time, as the Cavaliers are undefeated so far in October games. Late season wins often have postseason implications and junior defender Jeff Truman, one of four Virginia players who have scored two goals on the year, understands the need to play well as a team as November approaches.
"Everyone is finding their niche," Truman said. "We're gelling at the appropriate time. [Duke] is going to be a rough game, but a lot of fun."
On the flip side, however, Gelnovatch recognizes the Cavaliers can't afford to sit back and be satisfied with their 3-1 ACC conference record, but need to take tonight's game seriously.
"Playing ACC teams is always just a dogfight," Gelnovatch said. "Playing at their place [Koskinen Stadium], which is one of the toughest places in the conference to play, I expect it to be very difficult."
If the Cavaliers can continue their October hot streak and come out of Durham with a victory, improving to 4-1 in conference play, it will set up a showdown with Maryland on Oct. 31 that would decide the regular season ACC championship.
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