While many students travel home for Fall Break today, Virginia’s men’s soccer team will be gearing up to take on in-conference rival Clemson tonight at home.
Virginia (7-3, 3-0 ACC) is currently on a hot streak with five straight wins and with junior goalkeeper Michael Giallombardo recording four shutouts. Giallombardo is one shutout away from tying his mark from last year. Currently, he is ranked first in the ACC for shutouts per game (0.8) and second for overall shutouts.
Despite a rough start, the Cavaliers have managed to climb back into the national rankings, currently tied at No. 21 with Charlotte. The Cavaliers are currently second in the ACC behind undefeated Wake Forest.
Clemson (3-4-2, 2-1-1 ACC) is fourth in the ACC. Tuesday, senior forward Michael Brooks was named ACC Player of the Week, Soccer America’s National Player of the Week and National Player of the Week by College Soccer News. In last Friday’s game against No. 10 Maryland, he scored four of the team’s five goals to lead Clemson to a 5-3 victory. This was the first time since 1999 that a Clemson player had managed to score four goals in one game. Virginia will need to be watchful of the senior forward.
“It’s going to be a tough game,” freshman defender Howard Turk said. “Our defense is going to need to make plays. If [Clemson] can put up five against Maryland, then they can do it against us.”
Virginia has split with the Tigers during the last two years, losing to Clemson 2-1 in 2007 and winning 1-0 in 2006. Clemson will come into the game also on a winning streak, having won its past three games, two of which were at home.
“They’ve been on a little bit of a roll,” coach George Gelnovatch said. “In their last three games they have played really well. They’re feeling pretty good about themselves. They’ll be up for [the game] and we’ll be up for it.”
On offense, Virginia will look to freshman midfielder Tony Tchani, who is tied for first place in the ACC for goals scored, with nine on the books. He is also third for total points with 20. Tchani played a key role in the game against North Carolina when he got the ball past the goalie on a penalty kick.
Along with Tchani, the team will look to junior forward Matt Mitchell for leadership, experience and offense. Mitchell has had a strong presence on the field, currently ranking fourth for the most goals on the team, a total of three. He made the biggest impact during the game against Virginia Tech, scoring both Cavalier goals to defeat the Hokies.
Freshman defender Hunter Jumper could be the Cavalier feeding Tchani and Mitchell goals, as he currently leads the team in assists with four.
With a win tonight, Virginia would extend its winning streak to six games, keep up with ACC-leading Wake Forest and maintain at least a one-game lead on third-place Duke.
Tonight’s game is set for 7 p.m. at Klöckner Stadium. The Cavaliers will then have a week to prepare to play Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Mass..
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