No. 14 Cavaliers host No. 24 Pitt in ACC Quarterfinals at Klöckner

jerryratcliffe.com

Posted on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022, 11:18 am

Follow Jerry Ratcliffe on Twitter

Advertising inquiries: Connect with us

Email Jerry Ratcliffe: jratcliffe7000@gmail.com

 

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Photo: UVA Athletics

The No. 14 Virginia men’s soccer team is set to take on No. 24 Pitt in ACC quarterfinal action on Sunday. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m.

HOW TO FOLLOW
Sunday afternoon’s quarterfinal match against Pitt will be broadcast on ACC Network and will also be streamed through the ESPN app and at WatchESPN.com for customers who have the ACC Network as part of their television subscription. Live stats are also available and links to both the live broadcast and live stats are available at VirginiaSports.com. Fans can also get updates by following the program’s official Twitter account (@UVAMenSoccer).

TICKETS AVAILABLE
Tickets are available for purchase in advance online at UVATix.com. Reserved seats (if available) are $12 while general admission tickets are $8. Students are admitted free with a valid student ID.

FOR STARTERS

  • Virginia (9-4-3, 5-1-2 ACC) enters the 2022 ACC Tournament with the No. 3 overall seed after finishing as runners-up in the coastal division after being picked to finish last in the ACC Preseason Poll in August
  • As a top-four seed Virginia earned a bye in the first round of the ACC tournament
  • Virginia is one of five ACC teams ranked in the top-15 of the most recent United Soccer Coaches poll checking in at No. 14 – its highest ranking of the season
  • The Cavaliers are one of four ACC teams listed on the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Committee’s Top-16 ranking announced Friday as the Hoos checked in at No. 11 – The top-16 correspond to the number of teams that are seeded in the 48-team NCAA Championship bracket
  • The matchup will feature the two winningest coaches in ACC men’s soccer history as George Gelnovatch and Jay Vidovich meet for the second time this season

LAST TIME AGAINST THE PANTHERS

  • Virginia visited Pitt (8-3-5, 3-2-3) this season when the Cavaliers downed the 10th-ranked Panthers by a margin of 3-1 to close out a statement road trip for Virginia which included a 1-0 road victory over No. 3 Syracuse.
  • Phil Horton delivered a break-out performance with a career-high five points (two goals, one assist) and was unanimously selected as national player of the week.
  • Freshman Reese Miller scored his first career goal which served as the game-winner

HOOS IN THE ACC TOURNAMENT

  • Among current ACC programs, Virginia leads with 16 ACC Championships. Clemson is second with 15. UVA has captured a league-best 11 tournament titles, while Clemson has won four.
  • The last five tournaments have featured five different champions (Wake Forest, Louisville, Virginia, Clemson, Notre Dame)
  • Virginia’s last ACC title came in 2019 when the Cavaliers defeated Clemson in the final by a score of 3-1 – Henry Kessler was named tournament MVP
  • Virginia made a semifinal appearance in 2020 falling to Clemson, but bowed out of the tournament in the first round in a 3-0 loss to Wake Forest last season

HISTORY WITH PITT

  • Virginia leads the all-time series with the Panthers with a record of 8-4-2
  • The Cavaliers snapped a five-game winless streak against the Panthers earlier this season
  • The teams have matched up in the ACC Tournament just once. Pitt earned a 2-0 victory over the Cavaliers at Klöckner Stadium in the first round of the 2018 tournament

NOTING THE PANTHERS

  • Pitt enters the match as the six seed after dispatching 11th-seeded NC State in the first round with a 4-1 victory which required overtime
  • Pitt is led in points by Filip Mirkovic with 18 (3 goals, 12 assists)
  • Mirkovic ranks third in NCAA Division I with 12 assists

ON THE HORIZON

  • A Virginia win would see the Cavaliers advance to the semifinal round of the ACC tournament on Wednesday (Nov. 9)
  • With a win, the Cavaliers would either travel to second-seeded Syracuse, or host seventh-seeded North Carolina depending on the outcome of a quarterfinal match between the two