The exact signs of Klockner Stadium will be bathed in Chicago maroon and burnt orange this Friday evening. The left side, soon filled with a different shade of orange, seems to drown the previous whip. On the field, Virginia men’s soccer (2-2, ACC) and Virginia Tech (0-3-1, ACC) will be involved in another Commonwealth clash. This time, it would be right to start 1-0 in the ACC.
So far, the Cavaliers have completely dominated the Hokies when the two sides have met. Since its inception in 1975, Virginia has lost four times and taken 33 of 43 teams.
Lately, however, it’s been a different story. Virginia Tech has turned things around against its rivals, taking two of its last three matches. The teams last met in It’s September 17th, 2021 and the Hokies have won a dramatic 2-1 overtime game to give the Cavaliers their second straight home win. It was a game that Virginia certainly deserved to win, producing more shots, goals and corner kicks than Virginia Tech.
That signature win for the Hokies is something they’ll be looking to build on heading into Friday, when they’re still looking for their first win of the season. The losses to Grand Canyon, UCLA and Mercer came with a scoreless tie against Radford.
On offense, Virginia Tech looks to sophomore midfielder Danny Flores, who is leading the ball in points, goals, assists and rebounds through four games. Flores enters Friday off the back of an impressive performance that saw him score and assist on Monday against Mercer.
On defense, junior defenseman Jack Derry and senior defenseman Kyle McDowell played every minute for Virginia Tech, leading a defense that allowed more than one goal on just one occasion. Sophomore goaltender Ben Martino has been in between the sticks for the Hokies with eight saves and five goals to start the campaign.
It couldn’t have been worse for the Cavaliers last time out. Virginia fell to No. 9 Maryland 6-1 on Monday night, marking the first time since 2016 that the Knights allowed six goals in a game. With an easier opponent and the much-anticipated home-field advantage, Virginia will be hoping for a similar result.
As the Cavaliers have proven all season, the key is a balanced effort. Six different players have scored eight of Virginia’s goals this campaign, with only junior midfielder Daniel Mangarov and junior forward Leo Afonso finding the back of the net twice. Afonso led the team on offense with 17 shots and eight assists.
In midfield, the Cavaliers will rely on Mangarov and new midfielder Albin Gashi. The pair combined for three goals and two assists and proved to be a dangerous pillar in the final third.
Defense was a strong point for Virginia until their last outing. Led by senior defender Andreas Ueland and graduate student Moritz Kapelsberger, the team conceded just one goal in its first three games. After an underwhelming performance against the Terrapins, a big response is needed from a team that has shown the ability to be the backbone of the Cavaliers.
It all comes together to create the 44th edition of Commonwealth Clash. Each team enters the tournament coming off a losing streak, and each team needs a win to kick off what has been a fairly rocky season. In the end there will be only one winner, and fans can be sure that both teams will put everything on the line in the right side of the result.
The game is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. and will be broadcast on the ACC Network.
