Orange Host #1 Virginia For Saturday Night Clash

Syracuse (4-2-4, 0-1-1) finishes off a five-game home stand on Saturday, Sept. 20, when it faces #1 Virginia (7-0-1, 1-0-0) at 7:00 p.m at the SU Soccer Stadium.

This is the second time in program history that the Orange have hosted the top-ranked team in the nation. 

The Syracuse-Virginia Series

Virginia owns an 8-0-1 advantage in the all-time series over the Orange, including a 4-0-0 advantage in matches played in Syracuse. The last meeting in the series came on Oct. 26, 2023, where the Cavaliers defeated the Orange, 4-0. 

Syracuse Status

Syracuse is now 4-2-4 overall and 0-1-1 in ACC play following a 1-1 draw versus SMU and a 4-0 defeat against #7 Florida State. 

Senior forward Mia Klammer has a squad-best five goals on the campaign. She also has three assists and 13 points. Graduate midfielder Ashley Rauch has four goals and three assists, while freshman midfielder Julia Arbelaez has a goal and three assists. 

Senior goalkeeper Shea Vanderbosch has started all 10 matches for the Orange. Vanderbosch ranks second among ACC goalies in saves with 40 and third in saves per game with 4.00. She owns a 0.95 goals against average and a .816 save percentage. She is four saves from reaching second on Syracuse’s career stops list (331). 

Virginia Status

#1 Virginia (7-0-1, 1-0-0) is coming off a 3-0 victory versus VCU. 

Two-time All-ACC First Team midfielder Lia Godfrey leads the team with four goals and two assists. Senior forward Maggie Cagle has three goals and seven points. Junior midfielder Ella Carter has two goals and two assists on the season, scoring the game-winning goal and adding an assist in Virginia’s 3-1 triumph over ACC foe Duke. The performance against the Blue Devils earned Carter ACC Offensive Player of the Week honors. 

The Cavaliers’ defense has been nearly impenetrable this season, allowing just two goals in eight contests. Virginia is tied for fifth in the nation with a 0.25 goals against average. Junior goalkeeper Victoria Safradin has started seven matches and owns a 0.29 goals against average and a .931 save percentage. She has recorded five shutouts so far. 

Around the ACC

There has been plenty of ACC action so far this week, with key ranked match-ups taking place. On Wednesday, #7 Florida State defeated #18 North Carolina 1-0 in Chapel Hill. One night later, #6 Notre Dame triumphed 3-2 over #3 Duke in South Bend, while #16 Wake Forest won 2-1 at home over Virginia Tech.