The whole 12-game schedule for the 2023 Virginia soccer season was launched on Monday night time, giving UVA followers loads to chew on because the lengthy seven-month countdown to school soccer season begins. Because the Cavaliers put together for his or her second season underneath head coach Tony Elliott, let’s break down some key takeaways from the 2023 UVA soccer schedule.
2023 Virginia Soccer Schedule
Saturday, September 2nd: vs. Tennessee (Nashville, TN)
Saturday, September ninth: vs. JMU (Charlottesville, VA)
Saturday, September sixteenth: at Maryland (Faculty Park, MD)
Friday, September twenty second: vs. NC State (Charlottesville, VA)
Saturday, September thirtieth: at Boston Faculty (Chestnut Hill, MA)
Saturday, October seventh: vs. William & Mary (Charlottesville, VA)
Bye Week
Saturday, October twenty first: at North Carolina (Chapel Hill, NC)
Saturday, October twenty eighth: at Miami (Miami, FL)
Saturday, November 4th: vs. Georgia Tech (Charlottesville, VA)
Thursday, November ninth: at Louisville (Louisville, KY)
Saturday, November 18th: vs. Duke (Charlottesville, VA)
Saturday, November twenty fifth: vs. Virginia Tech (Charlottesville, VA)
This is a number of takeaways from the 2023 UVA soccer schedule:
Virginia’s 2023 schedule would not do the Cavaliers any favors.
When trying on the 2023 Virginia soccer schedule, the primary thought from many UVA followers, together with a number of the most optimistic of the bunch, is the place are the wins going to come back from? Virginia’s schedule in 2022 was billed as one of many simpler slates in all of faculty soccer and a chance for Tony Elliott to rack up some wins in his first season main this system. Nicely, the Cavaliers went 3-7, due largely to their very own shortcomings and disappointing play, but in addition because of their competitors outperforming expectations. Illinois, Syracuse, and Duke every fielded higher groups than anticipated and Louisville recovered from a gradual begin to win 5 of its final seven video games, a turnaround that started with a 34-17 victory at UVA.
In 2023, there shall be no misconceptions about UVA having a probably advantageous schedule. Virginia is ready to face six groups that appeared in bowl video games final season and eight of the 12 opponents on UVA’s schedule completed above .500 within the common season. UVA’s two in-state non-conference matchups may very well be extraordinarily troublesome, because the Cavaliers are set to face JMU, who went 8-3 in its first season on the FBS stage in 2022, and William & Mary, who went 11-2 and superior to the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs.
In fact, simply as UVA’s opponents overperformed vs. expectations in 2022, the reverse may find yourself being the case in 2023. However at the least on paper, with Virginia’s 2023 opponents having a mixed 88-62 report final season, this schedule seems to be to be one of many more durable slates in school soccer this fall.
12 months 1 of the brand new 3-5-5 ACC scheduling mannequin
The Atlantic Coast Convention made the transfer to abolish divisions final yr, a change which takes impact with the 2023 season. Sadly, meaning the top of Coastal Chaos as the 2 individuals within the ACC Championship Sport would be the high two groups within the general ACC standings. Nonetheless, Virginia is ready to face 5 of its six former Coastal rivals this season excluding Pittsburgh, who shouldn’t be on Virginia’s schedule for the primary time because the Panthers joined the ACC in 2013.
Below the brand new 3-5-5 ACC scheduling mannequin, every group has three convention opponents it would face each season, and the opposite ten league groups shall be on the schedule twice throughout a four-year cycle, as soon as at residence and as soon as on the highway. Virginia’s three main opponents are North Carolina, Louisville, and Virginia Tech. This season, UVA will even face NC State, Boston Faculty, Miami, Georgia Tech, and Duke in convention play.
One of many advantages of the brand new ACC scheduling mannequin is that groups will now not go a number of years with out taking part in groups from the other division. This season, Virginia will play at Boston Faculty for the primary time since 2010, ending the longest lively interval UVA has gone with out taking part in on the highway towards a selected ACC opponent. The Cavaliers and Eagles have met simply seven occasions since Boston Faculty joined the ACC in 2005.
Virginia offers up a house sport to play a “neutral-site” sport towards Tennessee in Nashville.
In what is certain to be an emotional season-opener with Virginia taking the sector for the primary time because the deaths of Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler and D’Sean Perry, the Cavaliers is not going to have the posh of being distracted as they face a Tennessee squad that went 11-2 final season and defeated Clemson handily within the Orange Bowl. That is the primary time that UVA is opening a soccer season at a impartial website since beginning the 1989 season on the Meadowlands towards Notre Dame. However, this matchup can hardly be thought-about a neutral-site sport, besides within the extraordinarily technical sense. Anticipate an amazing home-field benefit for the Volunteers at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
Because of Virginia and Tennessee scheduling this sport in Nashville, UVA will play solely six residence video games in 2023 versus the same old seven. For extra on the fascinating story behind how this non-conference sport ended up on Virginia’s schedule, learn this story: BYU Cancellations and Buyouts: Contained in the Scheduling of the Virginia-Tennessee Sport
The Hoos will definitely have their fallen teammates on their minds on this sport, which is able to ideally lead to them taking part in impressed soccer, however it’s troublesome to think about Virginia having a lot of an opportunity in what is basically a highway sport towards a Tennessee group that almost made the Faculty Soccer Playoff final season.
Brennan Armstrong and a few acquainted teaching faces return when NC State involves Charlottesville on September twenty second.
The Friday-night matchup between Virginia and NC State in week 4 in Charlottesville shall be one of many extra intriguing video games of the ACC soccer season, because it carries a number of entertaining storylines. Brennan Armstrong transferred to NC State final month after spending three years because the beginning quarterback at Virginia, ending his UVA profession as this system’s all-time chief in whole offense, passing yards, and passing touchdowns. In his last season of faculty soccer, Armstrong will play one final sport at Scott Stadium, however he’ll go well with up for the Wolfpack and look to defeat his former group in what is certain to be an uncomfortable and unhappy expertise for a number of UVA followers who cherished and supported Armstrong in his time at Virginia.
With that mentioned, it is onerous to argue towards Armstrong’s resolution to affix the Wolfpack, because it offers him an opportunity to revitalize his profession as he reunites along with his former offensive coordinator Robert Anae, who joined the NC State teaching workers after spending the 2022 season at Syracuse. Anae and Armstrong rewrote the offensive report books at Virginia in 2021, a stage of success that Armstrong was unable to copy underneath Tony Elliott and Des Kitchings. NC State additionally has former UVA offensive line coach Garett Tujague on the teaching workers, as Tujague left the Cavaliers after seven seasons to affix the Wolfpack final month.
If the sport itself would not ship on leisure worth, the presence of Brennan Armstrong, Robert Anae, and Garett Tujague on the sideline reverse Virginia will give this sport loads of intrigue and taste.
Previous ACC rivals conflict when the Hoos battle the Terps in Faculty Park.
On September sixteenth in Faculty Park, Virginia will face Maryland for the primary time since 2013, the Terrapins’ last season within the ACC earlier than they left for the Huge Ten. UVA and Maryland confronted off in each season between 1957 and 2013, however haven’t performed since then. Maryland will then play Virginia in Charlottesville within the 2024 soccer season. Subsequent to Virginia Tech, this sport doubtless represents the sport with the deepest and most intense rivalry implications because the Cavaliers and Terrapins renew a bitter and aggressive rivalry. A decade with out going through one another in soccer is not more likely to mood the warmth of this rivalry, particularly between the fan bases. Win or lose, it will likely be good to see Maryland and Virginia battling on the gridiron once more.
Saturday-Thursday turnaround
For the primary time since 2006, Virginia will play a Thursday-night sport within the week instantly following a Saturday sport. Simply 5 days will separate the Cavaliers’ sport towards Georgia Tech on November 4th in Charlottesville from their subsequent sport on the highway at Louisville on Thursday, November ninth. In lots of situations, groups who’ve a Thursday-night sport on their schedule may have their bye week the weekend previous it so as to preserve an applicable quantity of restoration/relaxation time for the athletes. That shall be one of many tougher weeks for Tony Elliott’s Cavaliers within the 2023 season.
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The Commonwealth Conflict returns in 2023.
Canceling the 2022 version of the Commonwealth Conflict was completely the suitable resolution because the Virginia soccer program and all the UVA neighborhood mourned the tragic deaths of Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler, and D’Sean Perry. The assist and solidarity proven by the Virginia Tech neighborhood within the days and weeks following the taking pictures was a strong and shifting signal of the mutual respect between the 2 colleges that goes properly above any sporting rivalry.
With that mentioned, the Hoos and the Hokies will definitely be able to battle as soon as once more for possession of the Commonwealth Cup, with UVA trying to snap a two-game dropping streak towards Virginia Tech. Because of the cancellation of final yr’s sport, the Cavaliers will get to host the matchup at Scott Stadium for the second time in a row. Given how robust Virginia’s schedule seems to be on paper, the common season finale towards Virginia Tech may function a golden alternative to salvage what could also be an extended and troublesome season for the Wahoos. Ask most UVA followers and so they’ll say the Tech sport is infinitely extra vital than another sport on Virginia’s schedule. That appears to be very true as soon as once more subsequent season as Tony Elliott and Brent Pry face one another for the primary time as head coaches of those two Commonwealth soccer packages.
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