Men’s Soccer
What: Virginia (1-2-0, 0-1-0 ACC) vs. Wake Forest (2-1-0, 1-0-0 ACC)
Where: Winston-Salem, N.C.
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
The Skinny: The Virginia men’s soccer team will make a second attempt for its first win of ACC conference play when it faces No. 15 Wake Forest at Spry Stadium this Friday.
After beginning the season ranked No. 21 in the nation and promptly dropping their opener to Coastal Carolina, the Demon Deacons roll into Friday’s matchup after posting a convincing 2-0 victory against Boston College last Saturday. Following a disappointing 2-0 defeat away to Clemson last week, the Cavaliers will have to find a way to stifle a Wake Forest attack that has outshot opponents 43-24 through five games.
Virginia will look to breakout freshman Jordan Allen to continue his early good run of form as the team searches for offensive inspiration. A former U-18 U.S. National Team call-up, Allen leads the team in chance creation so far with a goal, assist, and seven shots to his name.
—compiled by Nikolas Samaras
Volleyball
What: Western Kentucky Invitational. Virginia (4-2) vs. No. 21 Western Kentucky (5-3); UNLV (3-3); Ohio (5-1)
Where: Bowling Green, Ky.
When: Friday, 8 p.m. (vs. Western Kentucky); Saturday, 2 p.m. (vs. UNLV); Saturday, 6 p.m. (vs. Ohio)
The Skinny: The Virginia volleyball team goes on the road for the second weekend in a row. for the Western Kentucky Invitational. After facing the host Hilltoppers Friday night, the team will play UNLV and Ohio on Saturday.
The Cavaliers are coming off a trip to Malibu, Calif. where they fell to Colorado State and Pepperdine before defeating UC Santa Barbara. Freshman Haley Kole led the team with 49 kills in the three matches, earning her a spot on the All-Tournament Team and the honor of ACC Freshman of the Week.
Although Virginia dropped two of three, the team can find sources of inspiration from its performance. Both Colorado State and Pepperdine made the NCAA Tournament last year, and the Cavaliers competed well with both teams. In addition, Virginia showed great improvement in blocking, nearly doubling the production of their opening weekend.
This weekend, the team faces even tougher competition. Up first are the No. 21 Hilltoppers (5-3), who return most of their players from the team that went 33-4 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year. Early in the 2012 season, Western Kentucky swept Virginia in Charlottesville.
Saturday opens with a match against UNLV, picked in the preseason to finish third in the Mountain West. Ohio, Virginia’s final opponent of the tournament, already pulled off a major upset this season when it ousted then-No. 8 Oregon 3-0 in Eugene. The Bobcats received votes in the latest coaches’ poll but failed to crack the top 25.
—compiled by Peter Nance
Field Hockey
What: The Catamount Field Hockey Classic —Virginia (5-0) vs. Maine (2-3), Vermont (0-4)
Where: Burlington, Vt.
When: Saturday, 11 a.m. (vs. Maine); Sunday, 12 p.m. (vs. Vermont)
The Skinny: The No. 5 Virginia field hockey looks to continue its hot start against a pair of mediocre teams as it competes in the Catamount Field Hockey Classic in Vermont. The Cavaliers are coming off a Wednesday win against Richmond that went down to the wire, reinforcing the invaluable lesson that opponents are often more than their record may suggest.
Maine started the season 0-3 but has since captured two straight wins against Hofstra and Quinnipiac. The Black Bears also managed to come within one goal of undefeated No. 7 Massachusetts in their season opener. The offense takes its cue from sophomore midfielder Nicole Sevey, who leads Maine withfour goals and three assists.
Vermont, the tournament’s host, has fared much worse than the Black Bears, opening the season with a 10-1 home defeat to No. 17 Boston College and a 5-2 loss against Rutgers. The Catamounts have since approached competitiveness, registering a pair of one-goal losses to Davidson and Appalachian State, but are still yearning for their first win.
The Cavaliers will look for increased contribution from top forwards freshman Caleigh Foust and senior Elly Buckley. The pair lead the team in goals but were very quiet in Wednesday’s game — Foust found the net once in the game ending penalty strokes, but neither logged a goal or an assist on the evening.
—Compiled by Matthew Comey
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