Continuing on its quest for a spot in the College Cup, the No. 20 Massachusetts men’s soccer team will face a formidable first-time opponent in No. 11 Virginia in the third round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 30.
The Minutemen (12-3-5, 5-2-1 Atlantic 10) squeaked their way past a very game No. 6 Penn in the second round with a 1-0 upset victory on the road. Alec Hughes scored the only goal in the game with a volley past the outstretched arms of the Quakers goalie, giving the graduate student his 16th goal of the season.
The Cavaliers (11-6-3, 3-3-2 Atlantic Coast) earned a first-round bye as a top-16 seed in the NCAA Tournament after a successful 2024 campaign. With extra rest heading into the second round, they beat West Virginia 2-1 thanks to goals from AJ Smith and Albin Gashi.
In a high-powered ACC, Virginia–ranked 14th in RPI–held its own this season on its path to the NCAA Tournament. The Cavaliers’ season was highlighted by two ranked regular season wins against conference rival No. 19 Virginia Tech in the Commonwealth Clash and No. 8 James Madison in non-conference play. Virginia reached the ACC Tournament semifinals, beating No. 21 NC State 2-1 and No. 9 Pitt 2-0 before a 5-1 blowout loss to Wake Forest.
A pair of defenders in senior captain Paul Wiese and junior Lipscomb transfer Nick Dang lead the Cavaliers in assists and goals respectively. Dang was named to the All-ACC Second Team in his first season in the conference. Sitting in goal for Virginia is senior Joey Batrouni, who is completing his second season as a Cavalier after transferring in from Coastal Carolina. Batrouni is having his best collegiate season yet with career highs in saves (52) and wins (nine).
UMass has an advantage offensively against Virginia, as it boasts both the third-leading scorer in the nation in Hughes and the ninth-ranked scoring offense at 2.15 goals per game. The Cavaliers on the other hand grade out as average defensively, as the team ranks 80th in goals against average allowing 1.2 goals per game. The Minutemen can put pressure on Virginia with their scoring ability and aggressive defense.
The Cavaliers are no slouch offensively, ranking 50th in the nation at around 1.75 goals per game. The team is led by Dang with six goals and a pair of forwards (Joaquín Brizuela and Kome Ubogu) who have four apiece. Virginia’s a balanced offensive group as four players have double-digit points on the season. Scoring against UMass will be a tougher challenge as the Minutemen are ranked top-30 in the nation defensively, allowing just under a goal a game at .989 goals against.
UMass will hope to continue its tournament run by creating multiple quality chances for Hughes through Oliver Akintade and assist leader Matt Cence, as the pair has a combined 11 assists on the season. Defensively, the Minutemen hope to rely on the strong play of goalkeeper Alex Geczy, who was a brick wall in his hometown against Penn. Geczy saved seven shots in that game, bringing his season total up to 70 and earning him his ninth clean sheet of 2024.
This historical first-time matchup in the third round of the NCAA Tournament is set for Saturday, Nov. 30 at 5:00 p.m. in Charlottesville, VA. The match can be streamed on ESPN+.
Benito Marinero-Rodriguez can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @bmrodriguez12.
