Virginia Athletics
Virginia Soccer Teams Set for Top 5 ACC Showdowns at Klockner
In the next 48 hours, two monumental soccer matches will take place under the lights at Klockner Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia. Both the UVA women's and men's soccer teams are hosting ACC rivals that are each nationally ranked in the top five. The Virginia women's soccer team, ranked No. 2 in the nation, will face No. 3 Florida State on Thursday at 8pm, while the No. 21 UVA men's soccer team is set to take on No. 2 Duke on Friday at 7pm.
Women's Soccer: No. 3 Florida State at No. 2 Virginia
Thursday at 8pm, Klockner Stadium, ACC Network
Thursday night marks the latest big time clash between the Cavaliers and the Seminoles. And as always, this matchup has colossal implications in the Atlantic Coast Conference and in the national women's college soccer landscape.
Virginia leads the all-time series with Florida State 21-10-8, but the Seminoles have had the advantage more recently with a 4-2-4 edge in the last 10 matches. UVA is seeking its first victory over FSU since November 2019. The Hoos and Noles played to a 1-1 draw in the regular season finale last fall, a result that gave UVA the ACC regular season title. But, Florida State came back to beat Virginia 1-0 in the ACC Championship Game and went on to win the 2021 NCAA National Championship as well.
Once again, UVA and FSU are among the best soccer teams not just in the ACC, but in the entire country. Virginia (10-1-1, 3-1-0 ACC) held its spot at No. 2 in the United Soccer Coaches rankings this week, while Florida State (8-0-2, 4-0-0 ACC) ascended to No. 3 in the nation in this week's rankings as the Seminoles remain unbeaten and tied for first place atop the ACC standings.
This will be the fourth ranked opponent UVA has played in the last five matches and the third against an opponent ranked in the top five over that same stretch.
Back on September 17th, Virginia staged an incredible comeback on the road at Chapel Hill and erased a 2-0 deficit to take down then-No. 2 North Carolina 3-2. The Cavaliers then suffered their first loss of the season 1-0 at Notre Dame, now ranked No. 17, but bounced back with a 2-0 victory against Louisville. Then, Virginia traveled to Durham for another tough test against No. 4 Duke. UVA proved equal to the task again, defeating the Blue Devils 1-0.
In an extremely competitive Atlantic Coast Conference full of elite teams, this match will serve as a pivotal moment in the race for the ACC title that is sure to come down to the final weekend of the season once again.
Hear what head coach Steve Swanson had to say about the matchup against Florida State in the video below:
Men's Soccer: No. 2 Duke at No. 21 Virginia
Friday at 7pm, Klockner Stadium, ACC Network Extra
Another undefeated opponent comes to Klockner on Friday night as the UVA men's soccer team hosts Duke (8-0-2, 3-0-1 ACC), the No. 2-ranked team in the nation. The Blue Devils certainly have an argument as the top team in the ACC at this moment, as they knocked off Wake Forest, who was the No. 1 ranked team in the nation, 3-2 last weekend in Winston-Salem.
Meanwhile, the Virginia men's soccer program appears to be on the rise after a couple of down seasons. The Cavaliers thrust themselves into the top 25 for the first time since 2020 this week after picking up back-to-back road wins against top 10 ACC opponents. Virginia defeated then-No. 3 Syracuse 1-0 on September 24th and then-No. 10 Pittsburgh 3-1 last Friday. UVA then stumbled in a 1-0 loss at home to another highly-ranked team in No. 10 Denver on Tuesday.
Now, the Cavaliers get another crack at adding yet another impressive victory to their season resume as the Blue Devils come to Charlottesville on Friday. UVA holds a slim advantage in the all-time series with Duke 42-40-10, including a 17-14-3 record under George Gelnovatch, but the Blue Devils have taken four of the last five matches, including a 3-2 decision in Durham in the 2021 regular season finale.
This match will determine first place in the ACC Coastal, as Duke currently leads the division with a 3-0-1 conference record, with UVA right behind at 3-1 in ACC play.
If you happen to be in the Charlottesville area this weekend, there are a couple of major soccer matches happening on Thursday and Friday night and the Wahoos will need all the support they can get.
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