It’s a battle of blue bloods as Indiana men’s soccer (14-4-4, 4-2-2 B1G) travels to face No. 7 national seed Virginia (11-3-4, 5-2-1 ACC) in the NCAA Tournament Third Round Sunday (Nov. 26) at Klöckner Stadium in Charlottesville, Va.
The match will stream live on the ESPN+ digital platform. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET.
Both Indiana and Virginia are red-hot. IU has won seven straight matches and 11 of its last 12. The Cavaliers have not lost since September 22, a 3-1 defeat at Notre Dame.
Indiana is coming off a 3-2 win at No. 10 national seed Wake Forest last Sunday. The Hoosiers came back from down 1-0 and 2-1 to defeat the Demon Deacons 3-2 Senior midfielder Hugo Bacharach scored two of IU’s goals, both assisted by junior midfielder Patrick McDonald.
IU is playing in its 42nd NCAA Tournament Round of 16 as well as making its ninth consecutive appearance in the third round, marking the NCAA’s longest active streak. The Hoosiers have appeared in the Sweet 16 in 14 of the last 16 seasons.
The Cavaliers are led by 28th-year head coach George Gelnovatch, who owns a 372-155-71 record during his time in Charlottesville.
Virginia is making its 43rd appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Cavaliers have won the national title seven times (last in 2014), been to the College Cup 13 times and made 20 quarterfinal appearances.
In its first match of the tournament, Virginia defeated FIU 2-1 as senior forward Leo Afonso’s brace pushed it past the Panthers. The Cavaliers are led in scoring by freshman forward Stephen Annor Gyamfi, who has 10 goals this season.
SERIES HISTORY
• Sunday’s match will mark the first meeting between the blue bloods this century and the first-ever matchup in Charlottesville. The two programs last met September 10, 2000, a 2-1 win for Indiana in College Park, Maryland. The Hoosiers have won for the of the seven meeting and hold a 4-2-1 record.
• The teams have met in the NCAA Tournament twice prior, and each time the winner would become the NCAA Champion. In 1983, the first-ever meeting between the programs, the Hoosiers handled the Hoos 3-1 in the national semifinal before defeating Columbia six days later for their second national title. Since, the remaining six matches have all been decided by one goal.
• IU and Virginia met in the 1994 national championship, and, that time, the Cavaliers won (1-0) to capture their fourth straight title and fifth overall. That match was current IU head coach Todd Yeagley’s final game as a student-athlete. Current Virginia head coach George Gelnovatch was an assistant coach for the Cavaliers at the time.
To see the full 2023 NCAA Tournament bracket, GO HERE.
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