Virginia
Match 13 Preview: #8 Virginia
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Notre Dame travels to Charlottesville for a pivotal ACC tilt against No. 8 Virginia at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Oct. 10 at Klockner Stadium. The match will be streamed on ACCNX.
NOTRE DAME vs. VIRGINIA
Location: Charlottesville, Virginia | Klockner Stadium
Watch: ACCNX
Live Stats: Click Here
Twitter Updates: @NDMenSoccer
Game Notes: vs. Virginia
THE VIRGINIA SERIES
• The Irish and Cavaliers will meet on the pitch for the 22nd time on Friday.
• Notre Dame narrowly trails the Cavaliers in the series with a mark of 8-9-4.
• The Irish have won four of the last five matchups, splitting the series in 2020-21 and winning the 2021, 2022 and 2023 meetings.
• Eleven of the last 12 matches between the two sides have either been decided by one goal or a draw.
• Notre Dame won the most recent matchup in the series by a score of 3-1 during the 2023 regular season at Alumni Stadium. Current midfielder Wyatt Lewis scored one of the three goals in the victory.
• KK Baffour scored a dramatic winner the last time the Irish played in Charlottesville during the 2022 season, scoring in the final 10 seconds on a breakaway to deliver Notre Dame the 2-1 win.
INSTANT IMPACT
• The freshman class has already made its presence felt on the Notre Dame roster, as the group has produced 22 points off seven goals and eight assists this season.
• Luke Burton has led the way from the striker position with three goals and two assists while making eight starts up top for the Irish.
• Ren Sylvester has found his form with two goals and two assists, all coming over the last four matches.
• Alex Rosin has made six starts at left back and has proved capable of going forward in attack with two goals and three assists.
• Karson Baquero has played in five matches as a midfielder, recording an assist in the win over Green Bay.
SET-PIECE SUCCESS
• The Fighting Irish have scored 11 goals off set pieces during the 2025 campaign.
• Three of the goals have come from free kicks, with Mitch Ferguson scoring a direct free kick and Diego Ochoa and Ferguson finishing from service into the box.
• The Irish have been even more lethal on corners, firing in eight goals this season. Ferguson, Burton and Rosin have each scored twice while Wyatt Borso and Martin Von Thun have each recorded one.
BK THE GK
• Blake Kelly has gotten off to a great start to his sophomore season in goal for the Irish, posting four clean sheets.
• The shot stopper ranks second in the ACC in saves per game with a mark of 3.18 per outing.
• Kelly started 12 matches for the Irish in 2024 and became the first true freshman goalie to start the season opener in the last 30 years for the program.
STRIKE FORCE
• The starting striker tandem of Wyatt Borso and Luke Burton has found its form over the last couple of weeks, as the two have combined for eight goals and two assists.
• Borso leads the team in goals with four, scoring in five of the last eight matches.
• Burton has recorded a point in five of the last eight matches, scoring in wins over Pitt, Omaha and Hope and picking up assists in victories over Louisville, Wright State and Hope.
BALANCED ATTACK
• Ten players have scored the 21 goals for the Irish this season, as Wyatt Borso (5), Mitch Ferguson (4), Luke Burton (3), Alex Rosin (2) and Ren Sylvester (2) have each scored multiple times while Nolan Spicer, Stevie Dunphy, KK Baffour and Diego Ochoa and Martin Vont Thun each found the back of the net once.
• Ten returning Irish players registered at least one point in their Notre Dame career, as the team returns 54 points from last year.
• Nine players that scored a goal during the 2024 campaign are back on this year’s team.
• Junior Jack Flanagan is the top returning goal scorer on the 2025 squad after firing in a career-high four goals during his sophomore campaign.
2025 CAPTAINS
• Mitch Ferguson and Wyatt Lewis will serve as the captains for this year’s Fighting Irish team and Blake Kelly will take on the role of assistant captain.
• Ferguson has appeared in 62 games over his Notre Dame career, scoring seven goals and adding eight assists from the center back position.
• Lewis enters his third season with the Fighting Irish and has three goals and four assists as a holding midfielder.
• Kelly started 12 matches as a freshman in 2024, posting a record of 4-3-5 while recording 26 saves.
THE CHAD RILEY ERA
• McFarland Family Head Men’s Soccer Coach Chad Riley is in his eighth season in charge of the Notre Dame men’s soccer program in 2025.
• Riley became the first head coach in program history to lead the Fighting Irish to two College Cup appearances, coming during the 2021 and 2023 seasons.
• Notre Dame has captured both an ACC regular season and tournament title under his direction, both firsts in program history.
The final week of the 2025 Virginia high school football season has arrived. The state public championships will take place Saturday.
No. 1 Oscar Smith will play No. 9 North Stafford for the Class 6 state championship at James Madison University. The second match at James Madison University features second-ranked and two-time defending champ Maury against No. 7 Highland Springs in the Class 5 final.
The Class 3 and 4 championship games will be at Liberty University. No. 3 Varina will take on 24th-ranked Loudoun County in the Class 4 match while Lake Taylor plays Kettle Run, which eliminated defending champ Liberty Christian Academy in the semifinals.
The Class 1 and 2 championships will be decided at Salem Stadium. No. 25 Strasburg, which enters the poll after defeating then-No. 21 Poquoson in the semifinals, plays Glenvar. Rappahannock and Rye Cove play for the Class 1 crown.
Here’s this week’s High School on SI Virginia football Top 25:
Previous rank: No. 1
Record: 12-1
Last week: Defeated James Madison, 34-28, Virginia Class 6 state semifinal
This week: vs. No. 9 North Stafford, Virginia Class 6 state final at James Madison University, Dec. 13
Previous rank: No. 2
Record: 13-1
Last week: Defeated No. 4 Stone Bridge, 48-27, Virginia Class 5 state semifinal
This week: vs. No. 7 Highland Springs, Virginia Class 5 state final at James Madison University, Dec. 13
Previous rank: No. 3
Record: 12-2
Last week: Defeated Jefferson Forest, 49-21, Virginia Class 4 state semifinal
This week: vs. No. 24 Loudoun County, Virginia Class 4 state final at Liberty University, Dec. 13
Previous rank: No. 4
Record: 11-2
Last week: Lost to No. 2 Maury, 48-27, Virginia Class 5 state semifinal
SEASON COMPLETE – VIRGINIA CLASS 5 STATE SEMIFINALIST
Previous rank: No. 5
Record: 11-1
SEASON COMPLETE – VISAA DIVISION I CHAMPION
Previous rank: No. 6
Record: 8-1
SEASON COMPLETE
Previous rank: No. 13
Record: 11-3
Last week: Defeated then-No. 7 Indian River, 35-8, Virginia Class 5 state semifinal
This week: vs. No. 2 Maury, Virginia Class 5 state final at James Madison University, Dec. 13
Previous rank: No. 7
Record: 11-3
Last week: Lost to then-No. 13 Highland Springs, 35-8, Virginia Class 5 state semifinal
SEASON COMPLETE – VIRGINIA CLASS 5 STATE SEMIFINALIST
Previous rank: No. 20
Record: 12-2
Last week: Defeated then-No. 19 West Springfield, 19-7, Virginia Class 6 state semifinal
This week: vs. No. 1 Oscar Smith, Virginia Class 6 state final at James Madison University, Dec. 13
Previous rank: No. 8
Record: 11-1
SEASON COMPLETE – VIRGINIA CLASS 5 REGION A FINALIST
Previous rank: No. 9
Record: 11-2
SEASON COMPLETE – VIRGINIA CLASS 4 REGION B FINALIST
Previous rank: No. 10
Record: 11-2
SEASON COMPLETE – VIRGINIA CLASS 5 REGiON B FINALIST
Previous rank: No. 11
Record: 11-1
SEASON COMPLETE – VIRGINIA CLASS 4 REGION B SEMIFINALIST
Previous rank: No. 12
Record: 9-2
SEASON COMPLETE – VISAA DIVISION I FINALIST
Previous rank: No. 14
Record: 11-1
SEASON COMPLETE – VIRGINIA CLASS 5 REGION D FINALIST
Previous rank: No. 16
Record: 11-1
SEASON COMPLETE – VIRGINIA CLASS 4 REGION B SEMIFINALIST
Previous rank: No. 17
Record: 7-2
SEASON COMPLETE
Previous rank: No. 18
Record: 9-2
SEASON COMPLETE – VISAA DIVISION II CHAMPION
Previous rank: No. 19
Record: 10-3
Last week: Lost to then-No. 20 North Stafford, 19-7, Virginia Class 6 state semifinal
SEASON COMPLETE – VIRGINIA CLASS 6 STATE SEMIFINALIST
Previous rank: No. 22
Record: 10-2
SEASON COMPLETE – VIRGINIA CLASS 6 REGION A FINALIST
Previous rank: No. 23
Record: 11-2
SEASON COMPLETE – VIRGINIA CLASS 6 REGION B FINALIST
Previous rank: No. 24
Record: 10-2
SEASON COMPLETE – VIRGINIA CLASS 6 REGION B SEMIFINALIST
Previous rank: Not ranked
Record: 12-1
Last week: Defeated then-No. 15 Lafayette, 25-23, Virginia Class 4 state semifinal
This week: vs. No. 3 Varina, Virginia Class 4 state final at Liberty University at Liberty University, Dec. 13
Previous rank: Not ranked
Record: 12-1
Last week: Defeated then-No. 21 Poquoson, 31-10, Virginia Class 2 state semiffinal
This week: vs. Glenvar. Virginia Class 2 state final at Salem Stadium, Dec. 13
Several delays and closings are in place across our region as wintry weather continues to move through parts of Virginia.
WSLS 10 has issued a Weather Authority Alert Day, forecasting snow for Southwest Virginia. On and off scattered snow showers build into the region early Friday morning with a wintry mix of sleet and freezing rain at times. For more information on how the wintry mix could impact your Friday morning commute, click here.
Here is a list of closings and delays. For more information on our website, click here.
All locations for Mountain Gateway Community College will be closed on Friday, Dec. 8, due to the weather.
For more information about using the closing system as an organization administrator, visit this page.
Copyright 2025 by WSLS 10 – All rights reserved.
Virginia was hoping that today would be the day where they found out where they would be heading for the College Football Playoff, but after being upset last night by Duke, the Cavaliers are not going to be going to CFP. They should get one of the ACC’s better bowl games, but considering the stakes of yesterday’s game, today might feel a little disappointing.
For Virginia and the rest of the ACC teams, it could be chaotic in terms of where they end up this postseason.
There is a chance the ACC gets zero, one, or two teams in the playoff. After the results of yesterday, will Miami get in as an at-large? Will Duke get in over James Madison as the last conference champion in the field? Is there a world in which they both get in? Not only that, but what about Notre Dame? The Fighting Irish are eligible for ACC bowl spots, and if they are left out in favor of Miami and Alabama, that would also complicate the picture.
Given all of that, here are the final bowl projections for UVA heading into selection Sunday.
Projections
Athlon Sports
Athlon Sports is projecting for Virginia to play in the Pop Tarts Bowl and face Big 12 runner up BYU. In their projection, neither Miami or Duke get into the CFP.
The Athletic
Scott Dochterman at The Athletic has Virginia going to San Diego to play in the Holiday Bowl against Arizona. The Wildcats went 9-3 in a big bounce back year and have a potent offense.
CBS Sports
Brad Crawford at CBS Sports also has Virginia going to the Pop Tarts Bowl to face BYU.
ESPN
The two analysts at ESPN are split on where Virginia is going to be playing this postseason. Kyle Bonagura projects that UVA is going to the Pop-Tarts Bowl to face TCU, while Mark Schlabach is projecting Virginia to go to the Duke’s Mayo Bowl to face Georgia Tech. That would be a unique scenario and an intriguing matchup.
Final Word
The playoff field is going to determine everything. If either Miami or Duke gets in, or neither of them does, it is going to make for a chaotic bowl picture. Lots of destinations are seemingly on the table for Virginia. The Duke’s Mayo Bowl, the Gator Bowl, the Pop Tarts Bowl, the Holiday Bowl, the Sun Bowl, and even the Pinstripe Bowl could be possibilities for the Yellow Cavaliers. It seems impossible to project right now, and that will be the case right up until the announcement. Another thing to watch is if the SEC can’t fill up their bowl slots, and then look to some ACC teams.
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