If you saw sophomore forward Daryl Dike walking down the street, you would assume he was a football linebacker rather than a soccer player.
Despite hiccups late in the match, Virginia's defense held strong for the final 10 minutes, sealing a 2-1 win and a semifinal bid for the Cavaliers.
With a challenging road ahead of them, let’s take a look at Virginia’s path to the ACC title.
Along with winning the Coastal Division, Virginia has also secured the No. 2 seed in the ACC Tournament.
While the two teams have taken two very different paths this year, the upcoming game will likely be very close and be decided by several key factors.
The Cavaliers defeated the Hokies for their 41st win — out of 50 matches —against Virginia Tech, extending Virginia's undefeated streak against the Hokies to 15 games.
The Cavaliers and Hokies both enter the highly anticipated matchup after key wins against Saint Louis and Notre Dame, respectively.
Despite falling to No. 6 in the rankings, Virginia rediscovered their form Tuesday night, defeating Saint Louis with a convincing team performance.
As the team huddles up for its final pep talk before the overtime period, a charismatic voice bellows from the center of the scrum.
No. 1 Virginia men's soccer lost their first game of the season Friday night.
With this win, the Cavaliers have outscored their opponents 20-2 over the span of 12 matches and have outscored their five ranked opponents 9-1. Virginia is also now 8-0 at Klockner Stadium this season.
This marked the end of a six-match shutout streak and 692 total minutes without conceding a goal for Virginia.
Virginia has defeated their opponents by a combined score of 18-1 this season, thanks to an efficient attack and solid back-line.
The now-No. 1 ranked team in the nation has won its first nine games of the season for the first time in Coach George Gelnovatch’s 24-year tenure.
Throughout their dominance of collegiate soccer, Virginia has relied on a strong defense combined with an offense that has multiple players capable of both playmaking and scoring.
The Cavaliers (9-0-0, 3-0-0 ACC) have used an efficient offense and a strong defense to climb up the rankings from No. 12 to No. 1.
This was Virginia’s first road win against Notre Dame since 2014, when the Cavaliers won 1-0 to advance to the NCAA quarterfinals.
While this game not only gives Virginia a chance to solidify itself among the nation’s elite with a win over another high caliber opponent in the Fighting Irish, it gives the Cavaliers a chance at long-awaited revenge.
No. 5 men’s soccer finished a three game homestand Monday night, defeating Western Michigan 1-0. However, the Cavaliers’ (7-0-0, 2-0-0 ACC) seventh win proved to be a difficult one, as it took an overtime period to down the Broncos (4-3-0, 0-0-0 MAC).
No. 5 Virginia men's soccer hosted N.C. State Friday night at Klockner Stadium, defeating the Wolfpack 2-0 for a crucial conference win.
