CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The ACC announced Tuesday (Sept. 27) that Virginia’s senior captain, Andreas Ueland, has been honored as the ACC Defensive Player of the Week following a pair of outstanding performances anchoring the Cavalier back line.
Ueland was named to the 2022 ACC preseason watch list and has picked up his first weekly honor of the season. As a center back, he has played the most minutes of any Virginia field player this season and led the Cavalier defense to a pair of shutouts as well as a victory over No. 3 Syracuse over the course of the last week.
After a strong showing against American where the Cavaliers allowed just eight total shots and zero goals, Virginia’s defensive anchor turned in an incredible performance on the road against the nation’s third-ranked team in Syracuse. The Cavaliers allowed a combined total of just 11 shots on goal to American and Syracuse.
The Cavaliers conceded just four shots on target to Syracuse and kept a clean sheet against a team that had scored in each of its previous eight matches this season. Ueland was at the center of it all including an individual effort that almost assuredly saved the game for Virginia.
With 70 minutes played in a scoreless battle, Syracuse’s Levonte Johnson was played into the Virginia penalty area and was in on goal. It was a sliding challenge from Ueland that had to be perfect in order to prevent a golden opportunity for Syracuse to snatch the game. Ueland made no mistake and dealt with the danger to keep things scoreless before fellow captain Leo Afonso found the winner for Virginia in the final minutes to seal the victory.
Up Next:
Virginia will hit the road for another ACC battle with No. 8 Pittsburgh on Friday (Sept. 30) for a 7 p.m. kickoff. The Cavaliers will return home to Klöckner Stadium to take on No. 11 Denver on Tuesday (Oct. 4). That match is scheduled to kick off at 6 p.m.