Football
What: Virginia (2-4, 0-2 ACC) vs. Duke (4-2, 0-2 ACC)
When: Saturday, 3:30 p.m.
Where: Scott Stadium
The Skinny: Junior quarterback Anthony Boone had an impressive return to the Blue Devil squad last week against Navy, throwing for 295 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-7 blowout. Duke had also performed well in his absence, as junior backup Brandon Connette threw for 1022 yards and 11 touchdowns in five games.
The Blue Devils rank 42nd in the nation in total offense at 448.8 yards and are 34th in scoring offense at 35.8 points per game.
Duke has had a running game by committee so far, as Connette, sophomore Jela Duncan and junior Josh Snead have each tallied more than 200 rushing yards so far this season. Junior Jamison Crowder leads the team in receiving with 618 yards — good enough for 15th in the nation — and has added two touchdowns.
The Blue Devils rank 54th in the nation in total defense at 386.5 yards per game and 51st in scoring defense at 24.7 points per game. Senior defensive end Kenny Anunike has been fearsome on defense so far, tallying 7.5 tackles for loss. Sophomore safety Jeremy Cash has six tackles for loss, and has two interceptions and four passes defended.
—compiled by Michael Eilbacher
Women’s Soccer
What: No.1 Virgina (15-0-0, 9-0 ACC) vs. No. 4 UNC (13-2-0, 7-2 ACC)
When: Sunday, 1 p.m.
Where: Chapel Hill, N.C.
The Skinny: The Cavaliers and Tar Heels clash Sunday in what could be a preview of the ACC and even National Championships. The Tar Heels are coming off a National Championship winning season, in which they won 15 games. North Carolina has had similar success this year and is currently on a six game winning streak.
Virginia typically has success against the Tar Heels, though, and will expect a positive result. In the regular season last year, the two conference juggernauts played to a 2-2 tie, but Virginia earned a 1-0 victory in Chapel Hill to win the ACC Championship.
This match up again promises fireworks, as both teams have put up phenomenal numbers this season. Virginia has forced nine shutouts thus far and is scoring over three goals per game. The Tar Heels, too, boast nine shutouts on their résumé, and have given up multiple goals just one time all year.
—compiled by Ryan Taylor
Men’s Soccer
What: No. 19 Virginia (6-3-3, 2-2-3 ACC) at Virginia Tech (3-4-4, 1-2-4 ACC)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Where: Blacksburg, Va.
The Skinny: Currently on an eight-game undefeated streak, No. 19 Virginia travels to face in-state rival Virginia Tech Friday night. The Cavaliers are coming off a hard-fought 3-3 draw against No. 4 Maryland, and have won five games during their eight-game run. In a back–and-forth, riveting contest, Virginia and Maryland were tied 3-3 after less than 25 minutes of action, and then played the rest of the game and two overtime periods without scoring a goal.
Virginia Tech enters the game on a six-game winless streak; the Hokies last win was one month ago. In those six games, Virginia Tech did not score a single goal. However, the Hokies were able to play North Carolina and Clemson—now ranked No. 21 and No. 9, respectively—to scoreless draws at home during that stretch. The Hokies’ only wins have come at home.
The Cavaliers boast junior midfielder Eric Bird, who has tallied five goals and three assists this season to spearhead the Cavalier attack. Sophomore goalkeeper Jeff Gal is also an impact player and has saved 27 shots this season. The Hokies leading scorer is senior Robert Alberti, who has four goals and two assists, while senior goalkeeper Kyle Renfro has 53 saves on the season.
Last season, Virginia beat Virginia Tech 3-2 in overtime in Charlottesville.
—compiled by Andrew O’Shea
Field Hockey
What: No. 6 Virginia (14-3, 2-2 ACC) vs. No. 8 Duke (10-3, 2-1 ACC)
When: Friday, 6 p.m.
Where: Blue Turf Field
The Skinny: The No. 6 Virginia field hockey team finishes a three-game home stand Friday night against No. 8 Duke. It is the final regular season home game for the Cavaliers, during which the team will celebrate Senior Day.
The Cavaliers are coming off a puzzling weekend in which they defeated then-No. 6 Boston College, but fell to unranked William & Mary. The offense struggled in those two games last weekend, scoring only once in each — the one goal against the Eagles proved enough to secure a victory in double overtime, but was too little against the Tribe. Moreover, neither forwards nor midfielders scored goals — both came from junior back Kelsey LeBlanc.
The Blue Devils are looking to rebound from their first ACC loss of he year, a 2-1 loss to Syracuse in overtime last Friday. Duke, however, handed No. 3 North Carolina its first loss of the season Sept. 27. Senior forward Emmie Le Marchand paces the offense with seven goals and seven assists to rank seventh in the conference in points.
The Blue Devils have scored the least goals per game in the ACC with 2.62, which should bode well for the Cavaliers, who lead the conference in shutouts. The Cavalier offense ranks fifth in the ACC in goals per game with 3.06.
—compiled by Matt Comey
Volleyball
What: Virginia (10-8, 3-3 ACC) vs. No. 13 North Carolina (16-1, 5-1 ACC), NC State (14-4, 5-1 ACC)
When: Friday, 7 p.m. (North Carolina); Saturday, 7 p.m. (NC State)
Where: Memorial Gymnasium
The Skinny: The Cavaliers continue their homestand against ACC foes North Carolina and NC State this weekend.
Virginia fell 3-1 to Syracuse before besting Boston College 3-2 last weekend. Sophomores Lauren Fuller and Natalie Bausback, who contributed 45 assists, and nine blocks along with seven kills, respectively, highlighted the Cavaliers’ victory against the Eagles.
The Tar Heels and Wolfpack each represent formidable opponents, sitting 2nd and 4th in the ACC standings, respectively. North Carolina’s only loss came last weekend 3-0 at the hands of cross-town rival Duke. NC State will play Virginia Tech Friday night before coming to Charlottesville to face the Cavaliers Saturday.
—compiled by John Jepson
Women’s Cross Country
What: Indiana State Pre-National Invitational
When: Saturday 11:45 a.m.
Where: Terre Haute, Ind.
The Skinny: The No. 17 Virginia women’s cross country team takes to the course for the first time since its stunning victory at the Panorama Farms Invitational last month. An enormous field featuring 50 other teams, including many national powerhouses, opposes the Cavaliers in the 6,000 meter Blue Race.
Pre-Nationals poses an unfamiliar threat to Virginia’s large group of true freshmen. The Cavaliers’ victory at the Panorama Farms Invitational was due in large part to the contributions of first-year standouts Maria Hauger, Sarah Fakler and Sara Sargent, who finished in the top 14. This meet will mirror the high pressure environment of postseason meets.
Senior Barbara Strehler, runner-up at Panorama Farms, is expected to pace Virginia once more.
—compiled by Matthew Wurzburger
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