SU Hosts No. 2 Virginia

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- No. 18 Syracuse (7-1-0, 1-1-0 ACC) welcomes ACC rival No. 2 Virginia (4-2-1, 1-0-1 ACC) to the SU Soccer Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. Both teams have opened the season in impressive fashion, and look to remain near the top of the Atlantic Coast Conference standings.

LAST TIME OUT
Syracuse improved to 7-1-0 on the season with its 1-0 victory against Central New York rival Binghamton on Tuesday, Sept. 23 at the Bearcats Sports Complex. Emil Ekblom capitalized on a cross from Jordan Murrell in the 65th minute to record his fourth game-winning goal of the year. Alex Bono had five saves, including three in the second half, on his way to his NCAA-leading seventh shutout of the season.The Orange dominated the match, outshooting the Bearcats, 18-5.

DOMINATING DEFENSE
Syracuse is tied with Michigan State and George Mason for the national lead in fewest goals allowed this season (1) and owns the nation's top goals-against average at 0.13. In addition, Syracuse's .968 save percentage and .880 shutout percentage are tops in the country.

Goalie Alex Bono leads the NCAA in goals-against average (0.13), save percentage (.968) and shutouts (7). The Orange's seven shutouts are one short of tying for seventh on the SU single-season record list and the college soccer season is only five weeks old.

SIZZLING START
Syracuse's clean sheet versus Binghamton raised its season total to seven shutouts in eight games, the fewest through the first eight games of any season in team history. At 7-1-0, the 2014 season marks the best eight-game start for the Orange since 1984 when it also began the campaign with seven wins in its first eight contests.

GOLDEN BOY
Sophomore Emil Ekblom leads the Orange and is tied for second in the ACC in goals (5) and points (11). Four of Ekblom's five tallies have been game-winners, tied with George Mason's Timi Mulgrew for the second-most in the country. Ekblom notched the deciding goal in SU's wins against St. Mary's, Rutgers, Clemson and Binghamton. Ironically, Ekblom scored 10 goals in 2013, none of which decided a match.

SCOUTING THE CAVALIERS
The Cavaliers are 4-2-1 overall and 1-0-1 in ACC play. Virginia is coming off a 2-1 loss to Davidson on Wednesday, a defeat that ended the Cavaliers' four-game unbeaten streak.

Virginia has scored seven goals this season. Six of the seven have come in the second half or overtime. Sam Hayward is the only Cavalier with multiple goals (2).

Calle Brown has started five games in goal, while Jeff Caldwell received the starting nod in the other two matches. Brown is 3-1-1 with 21 saves and two shutouts. Caldwell is 1-1 on the year and played all 90 minutes in UVa's loss to Davidson.

George Gelnovatch is in his 19th season at the helm for the Cavaliers. Gelnovatch has led Virginia to the NCAA Tournament every season he's been in Charlottesville, including winning the 2009 national championship. During his tenure, UVa has four College Cup appearances (1997, 2006, 2009, 2013), four ACC titles and he's been named ACC Coach of the Year twice.

THE VIRGINIA SERIES
Saturday's match is the second meeting between the Orange and Virginia. The Cavaliers won the first meeting last season by a score of 2-0. Jordan Allen and Riggs Lennon both scored once in the first half for the Cavaliers. Alex Bono totaled five saves for the Orange.

UP NEXT ...
The Orange welcomes another Central New York rival to the SU Soccer Stadium when Colgate comes to town Tuesday, Sept. 30 for a 7 p.m. match. Admission is free. The game will be televised live locally on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel and available nationally on ESPN3.

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Players Mentioned

Alex Bono

Emil Ekblom

Jordan Murrell

Syracuse University Athletics