Men’s Soccer: 10th-Seeded Virginia Hosts Furman in NCAA Second Round

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Posted on Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, 9:43 am

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uva soccerCourtesy UVA Sports Media Relations

After a first-round bye, 10th-seeded Virginia (9-3-3) will be home to face Furman (13-6-2) on Sunday, Nov. 18 at 1 p.m. in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The match will air live on ESPN3.

Game Coverage: Similar to ACC Network Extra, ESPN3 is accessible for authenticated subscribers through WatchESPN and the ESPN app. A direct link will be made available on VirginiaSports.com. Fans can also get in-game updates on the match’s live stats feed on VirginiaSports.com and on the men’s soccer official twitter page (@UVAMenSoccer).

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets purchased in advance will be $8 for reserved seating and $5 for general admission. Tickets are also available at the gate beginning one hour prior to the start of play. Tickets purchased at the gate are $10 for reserved seats, $8 for general admission and $5 for students of participating schools with valid student ID.

PARKING

Cash parking for $5 will be available in the John Paul Jones Arena and University Hall lots. Free parking is available in the Emmett/Ivy Garage.

CLEAR BAG POLICY

Virginia Athletics has a clear bag policy and entrance procedures in effect for Klöckner Stadium this season. Please review FAQs here: https://virginiasports.com/sports/2018/5/22/facilities-clear-bag-Disharoon-Klockner.aspx

FOR STARTERS

• Sunday will be the first ever meeting between Virginia and Furman.

• The Cavaliers have played three current SoCon schools (Mercer, UNCG & VMI) and are 24-1 against the trio.

• Virginia hasn’t played since Oct. 31. Sunday will mark its longest stretch in between matches in school history, 17 days.

• The Cavaliers are 6-0-1 against non-conference opponents this season and 24-3-3 against non-conference opponents at Klöckner Stadium since 2015.

• After playing to a double-overtime, 0-0 draw at UNCW on Thursday (Nov. 15), Furman advanced to the second round on penalty kicks, converting all five attempts compared to three by the Seahawks.

• Virginia comes into the tournament as the 10th-seed, its highest since 2013.

• The winner of Sunday’s match will go on to play the winner of Notre Dame and Michigan on either Saturday, Nov. 24 or Sunday Nov. 25. The site of the game will be at the highest remaining seed.

VIRGINIA IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT

• Virginia is making its 38th-straight NCAA Tournament appearance, the longest streak in college soccer history. In each of the 38 years, UVA has hosted an NCAA Tournament match.

• The Cavaliers are 62-32-5 in the NCAA Tournament all-time and are making their 40th overall appearance, the fourth most in college soccer history.

• At Klöckner Stadium, Virginia owns a 36-12-2 (.740) in NCAA postseason play.

• Under George Gelnovatch, the Cavaliers are 32-20-3 in the NCAA Tournament. Gelnovatch has been a part of all seven of Virginia’s National Championships as an assistant or head coach.

VIRGINIA DEFENSE

• The Cavaliers are one of eight teams in the country to concede 11 goals or less and rank 17th in the nation with a 0.70 goals against average.

• Amongst its ACC cohorts, Virginia only trails national leader, North Carolina in goals against average.

• The back line of UVA has produced eight shutouts, tied for the second most in the ACC. The team’s shutout percentage of .533 is the 10th highest in the country.

• In the 11 goals Virginia has given up, opponents have succeeded early, tallying four goals in the first 15 minutes of play.

DISSECTING THE CAVALIER ATTACK

• Virginia has been held scoreless in two of its last three games and look to snap a 217-minute scoreless streak, its longest of the season.

• The offensive firepower has been sparked by the team’s four freshman who are responsible for 13 of the team’s 22 goals this season. Daryl Dike and Cabrel Happi Kamseu, both in their first collegiate seasons, lead the team with five goals each.

• The Cavalier offense has been orchestrated by Joe Bell and Nathaniel Crofts, combining for 11 of the team’s 14 assists. They are the first cavalier duo to each have five or more assists since 2013 when Eric Bird and Jordan Allen had five apiece.

• UVA has a knack for breaking through in the middle of the game, scoring 19 of its 22 goals between the 31st and 75th minutes.

WELL RESTED

• The span between Virginia’s last match and Sunday’s NCAA Tournament is the fourth layoff of more than six days this season.

• The rest has been proven effective as UVA is 2-0-1 with more than six days of rest in between games this season. In those three games, the Cavalier defense held opponents scoreless in all 290 minutes of play.

• The gap between matches at the end of the ACC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament is relatively familiar to Virginia. In 2014 the Cavaliers had 12 days to prepare for its National Championship run in 2014 and 10 days in 2006 when they reached the College Cup.

ACC ACCOLADES

• Virginia set a new ACC record with four representatives on the league’s All-Freshman Team announced on Nov. 7. First years Daryl Dike, Cabrel Happi Kamseu, Aboubacar Keita and Daniel Steedman were all recognized.

• Sophomores Joe Bell and Henry Kessler were listed as third team All-ACC honorees.

NOTING FURMAN

• Furman is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2015 and 11th overall.

• Thursday’s draw against UNCW was Furman’s fourth-straight in NCAA Tournament play.

• The Paladins received an automatic bid into this year’s field after capturing their league-best 14th SoCon Tournament Championship.

• On its roster, Furman has the SoCon’s Goalkeeper of the Year in Ben Hall (8 shutouts, 0.96 GAA) and the league’s Player of the Year Laurence Wyke (7g, 1a).