#2 UVA men’s soccer hosts George Mason on Tuesday

The second-ranked Virginia men’s soccer team welcomes George Mason to Klöckner Stadium Tuesday for a non-conference match. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.

Records
Virginia: 1-0-1
George Mason: 1-2-0

Broadcast Information
Live statistics (GameTracker) can be located at VirginiaSports.com.

Virginia-George Mason Series
Virginia holds an 18-8-3 record in the all-time series with George Mason. The Patriots’ last road victory over the Cavaliers came in 1996, ending UVa’s season with a 1-0 win in the NCAA Tournament. The Patriots beat UVa twice that year, also with a 3-0 drubbing in Fairfax, Va.

Last Year: Virginia 1, George Mason 0
Virginia pulled out a 1-0 win at George Mason in the teams’ last meeting on Oct. 7, 2014, in Fairfax, Va. An Eric Bird second-half goal proved to be the difference, despite UVa playing with just 10 men for the final 14 minutes.

Virginia out-shot George Mason, 12-8, including a 7-3 edge in the second half. UVa put nine shots on goal to five for GMU and held a 9-2 advantage in corner kicks. UVa goalkeeper Calle Brown made five saves, while George Mason keeper Steffen Kraus recorded eight saves.

Virginia struck for the lone goal of the match in the 56th minute. Following a Scott Thomsen corner kick, Todd Wharton cranked a shot from about 20 yards which caromed off Bird and directly into the goal.

Cavaliers Play Tulsa to 1-1 Draw
Virginia battled Tulsa to a 1-1 draw Friday in a wild match at Klöckner Stadium. The Cavaliers jumped out to a 1-0 lead early in the second half on a Riggs Lennon goal off a free kick, but Tulsa scored the equalizer in the 68th minute. The sides battled through a pair of overtime periods before settling for the draw.

Both teams took 18 shots in the exciting, back-and-forth affair. UVa put eight shots on goal, while Tulsa recorded six shots on goal while two more hit the crossbar. Cavaliers’ goalkeeper Jeff Caldwell stopped five shots, while Tulsa keeper Jake McGuire recorded seven saves.

Rookies Make Early Impact
Five Virginia freshmen have put in key minutes during UVa’s first two matches. Malcolm Dixon has started both matches at right back, while Derrick Etienne started at midfield and played all 110 minutes against Tulsa. Edward Opoku, Jean-Christophe Koffi and Wesley Wade all have earned time off the bench. Opoku played 62 minutes at forward on Friday night.

The quintet is part of the Cavaliers’ incoming recruiting class that was tabbed the No. 2 best class nationally.

Noting George Mason
The Patriots hold a 1-2 record after falling, 2-0, to Albany on Saturday night. GMU won their season opener, 5-1, against Howard before losing to American, 3-1. Freshman forward Stephen Durbin recently won Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honors. Alain Sargeant and Henning Dirks each were named to the A-10 All-Rookie Team last year. Atlantic 10 coaches picked the team to finish third in the conference.

Up Next
Virginia opens ACC play at 7 p.m. Friday at Duke in a game that will be broadcast online by ESPN3. The match serves as both the Cavaliers’ road opener as well as their first game in conference play. Virginia returns home next Tuesday (Sept. 15) with a 7 p.m. match against James Madison.