The No. 10 Virginia men’s soccer team will face No. 5 Denver at home Monday night.
The Cavaliers’ (6-1-2, 2-1-1 ACC) undefeated season was ruined Friday night in Charlottesville with a 2-0 loss against No. 23 Duke (6-3-1, 2-2 ACC).
The Blue Devils scored two early goals to defeat Virginia. The first was a penalty kick conceded by sophomore goalkeeper Colin Shutler and cleanly converted by junior midfielder Daniele Proch, while the second was a header in the twentieth minute by sophomore defender Matthias Frick.
The two goals doubled the total number of goals the Cavaliers had let in all season, as they had only given up two in their previous eight matches combined. The loss was the first of Shutler’s career, as he only earned the starting job this season.
Virginia outshot Duke 9-5 over the course of the match, but Duke’s sophomore goalkeeper Will Pulisic made two important saves — one against Virginia sophomore forward Irakoze Donasiyano, and the other against freshman forward Daniel Steedman — late in the match to keep the score 2-0.
Denver (10-0-2, 2-0-1 Summit League) will be the Cavaliers’ third straight ranked opponent, after Duke and then-No. 22 Wright State. Virginia and Denver have never faced each other.
The Pioneers are one of five unbeaten teams remaining in the NCAA. Denver junior forward Andre Shinyashiki is the leading scorer in the nation with 21 goals. Denver’s attack averages 2.33 goals per game.
Monday’s match will begin at 6 p.m.