Following last night’s draw in Tallahassee, Fla., the Virginia women’s soccer team heads even farther south Sunday to take on the Miami Hurricanes.

Virginia embarked on the season’s first conference road trip with a 2-0-0 ACC record, marking the fourth consecutive year the Cavaliers have defeated their first two conference opponents.

“It was great to get these [wins] under our belt at home before we head[ed] out on the road to Florida,” sophomore Jen Redmond said.

In their two previous away games, the Cavaliers fell in overtime to the Tennessee Lady Volunteers, 1-0, and tied the West Virginia Mountaineers, 1-1.

The Hurricanes are 6-3-0 on the season but just 0-2-0 in the ACC following a pair of losses at the hands of N.C. State and fourth-ranked North Carolina last weekend.

Sunday’s game marks the third-ever meeting of the two teams. In 2004, the Hurricanes fell 4-0 to the Cavaliers, and in 2005, it was Virginia’s 1-0 victory over Miami that moved the Cavaliers to 4-0 in the ACC for the first time in school history. This weekend will be the first time the Cavaliers will play in Miami’s Cobb Stadium, however.

“It will be a tough environment to play in down there,” Virginia coach Steve Swanson said. “But I think it is a great challenge for us at this time and we are all looking forward to it. We just have to go in there with the right mindset.”

A solid defensive line will prove key for the Cavaliers as they look to prove they can win outside Charlottesville. With both ACC victories hinging on only one-goal margins, the defense’s prevention of both go-ahead and tying goals was critical. Swanson predicts the team can expect a similar “dogfight” in every conference game but added that he was particularly encouraged by the team’s defensive efforts against Duke.

The leader of Virginia’s defense is undoubtedly senior goalkeeper Christina de Vries. Tallying 14 shutouts last season, de Vries tied the school record she had set as a sophomore. Entering her senior year, de Vries was already ranked among the top five in ACC history for career shutouts and has since added six more.

While credited to the goalie, shutouts are clearly team efforts. This season, with Virginia returning its entire back line, the defense looks more confident than ever on the field. Indeed, Virginia’s able bodies and skillful maneuvering on the defensive end have physically and mentally challenged opponents. As the back line continues to draw off-sides calls, they simultaneously contain and frustrate the opposing offense.

With the defense working diligently to prevent goals, Virginia’s offense, led by sophomore Jess Rostdet, has been scoring just enough. Averaging nearly a goal a game, Rostedt leads the team in scoring and of her five goals so far this season, three have been game winners. This week, she was recognized by three separate organizations. The conference named her ACC co-Player of the Week, while both Soccer America and Soccer Buzz magazines selected Rostedt for their National Team of the Week honors.

The Cavaliers (11-1, 4-1 ACC) head to College Park to play Maryland (7-4, 0-2 ACC) Saturday, the second match of a four-match road trip.

The team has won their last four matches, all of them against ACC opponents; they defeated North Carolina, N.C. State, Virginia Tech and Boston College. The Cavaliers’ triumph over Virginia Tech was particularly rewarding, as it avenged their loss to the Hokies earlier in the season.

Maryland, on the other hand, is coming off a three-match losing streak and will be facing Virginia Tech tonight before taking on the Cavaliers. The Terrapins haven’t lost three matches in a row since the 2000 season.

Part of the problem for Maryland has been its defense. The three players that have recorded the most digs for the Terrapins are all outside hitters — sophomore Jade Brown has 104 while sophomore Maggie Schmelzle and junior Beth Gillming each have 96. This even spread of digs suggests the team has no true “libero” (defensive specialist), requiring the players to share defensive duties. Despite this difficulty, the Terrapins have still managed to hold opponents to a respectable .211 attack percentage.

Virginia’s defense has been better overall, holding opponents to a .175 attack percentage, but has also shown some inconsistency. Senior libero Beth Shelton has struggled a bit of late, so Virginia coach Melissa Shelton has been utilizing junior Melissa Caldwell at libero recently. Caldwell has done well, recording 158 digs.

Offensively, the Cavaliers are hitting on all cylinders, even with star junior outside hitter Sarah Kirkwood out because of illness. A few Cavaliers currently rank in the top 10 in major statistical categories including senior setter Emily Kirkwood (assists and service aces per game) and junior middle Katie Oakes (blocks).

The Maryland offense cannot be taken lightly either. Brown is a particular threat. In addition to leading the team in digs, she also leads in kills (134). The Cavaliers must contain Brown if they are to be victorious Saturday.

“After this weekend’s matches with North Carolina and N.C. State, I feel good in pressure situations that we can pull it out,” Shelton said.

After their meeting with Maryland, the Cavaliers get a brief rest before taking on Duke and Wake Forest back-to-back next weekend to complete their road trip.

“We have a little more time off but because of the traveling it’s going to be just as hard,” coach Shelton said.

The traveling will no doubt make the coming week tough for the Cavaliers. However, if they maintain their current level of play, they should be able to handle the competition.

“I have faith in the girls,” coach Shelton said. “I think they’re mature enough to handle it and do well.”

After a narrow defeat at the hands of ACC foe North Carolina last Saturday, the Virginia men’s soccer team would have liked to bounce back with a decisive win against the American Eagles. What they got instead was a frighteningly close 2-1 victory in double overtime Wednesday, against the sub-.500 team from the Patriot League. Even more nerve-wracking for Virginia fans was that the Eagles, like four of the Cavaliers opponents before them, scored first and forced the Cavaliers to play catch-up.

Virginia will face a challenge in tomorrow night’s game coming against No. 2 Clemson. The undefeated Clemson squad (8-0-1) has scored first in seven of their nine games, with the others resulting in a 4-3 win over South Carolina and a 0-0 draw with N. C. State. In these nine games, their potent offense has recorded 27 goals, compared to Virginia’s 17, in 10 contests.

Virginia coach George Gelnovatch knows these stats and what to expect from the Tigers. The problem lies in formulating a game plan to stop them.

“They’re athletic all over the field,” Gelnovatch said. “They have a kid in Dean Richards who is one of the fastest guys in the country, if not the fastest. They went to the Final Four last year, and return much of their team. They have a lot of strengths and I’m still working on them.”

On top of the pressure to make a statement against their relentless and undefeated conference rival, the Cavaliers also have to deal with the memory of last year’s ACC Tournament, in which they were bounced in the first round after a 4-1 loss to none other than Clemson.

“I think it’s the biggest game of the year,” sophomore forward Yannick Reyering said. “I still get mad when I think about the ACC tournament from last year and I can’t wait to step on that field Saturday and beat Clemson.”

In spite of last year’s result, Virginia has reason to believe that they still have the edge in this game. They are undefeated at home this season, and the offense has shown signs of improvement, such as creating more space and taking 25 shots against American. Gelnovatch has also been impressed with the performance of goalkeeper Ryan Burke.

“I’ve seen most teams in conference; I think he is the best goalie in conference,” Gelnovatch said. “I’ve seen the better teams on the west coast, and in my book, I’d take him over anyone right now. He’s making those one or two big plays to keep us in the game.”

Virginia will be relying on Cristman and Reyering to maintain their current level of play, as a game with this level of importance is sure to be a close match. Cristman has scored in consecutive games, after having the lone goal against North Carolina and then tying the game against American. His reemergence should spark the rest of the offense, especially with Reyering scoring almost every game. Reyering already has nine career game-winning goals, and is only a sophomore. He leads the team with six goals this season.

“Not only are they [Clemson] a top ranked team, but we have a little juice, a little interest left over from last game to really take it to them,” Cristman said. “We continue to get better and the end of this season is going to be tough, so we go just one game at a time. … Clemson is next.”

The Cavaliers look to climb back up the rankings after falling hard following the loss to North Carolina, as well as build on their 8-0-0 home record this season.

After losing 24-7 to a solid Georgia Tech team last Thursday, the Cavaliers head down to Durham, N.C. tomorrow to play a win less Duke football team in what would normally be seen as an easy victory. However, this time, the normally stronger Cavaliers are struggling just like their Blue Devil counterparts, who are coming off a bye-week.

While Virginia does have the edge in wins with a record of 1-3, Virginia coach Al Groh sees Duke as an equal match-up this time around.

“There are a lot of similarities between the two teams,” Groh said. “I think it’s a pretty even match-up and given that Duke has had a lot more time to rest and prepare, as well as the fact that they’re at home is probably an advantage for them.”

Despite the fact that both teams are struggling, both teams are solid in run defense. However, their pass defenses have been sub-par.

“Both teams have done relatively well on defense against the run,” Groh said. “Both teams have probably given up more long passes than they would like to have given up, which has negated some of the good work against the run that both teams have been able to do.”

Statistically, the Blue Devils rank sixth in the ACC in rush defense, giving up 88 yards per game on the ground. Virginia ranks ninth, giving up 129.8 yards a game. As for pass defense, the Cavaliers have the edge over the Blue Devils. Virginia ranks fifth, at 174.5 yards per game, and Duke ranks 11th, at 223.7 yards per game.

The offensive woes of the Cavaliers have been well-documented. They haven’t scored above 13 points so far this season and rank dead last in the conference for total offense. Duke actually ranks just above the Cavaliers in that category but has had an even harder time than the Cavaliers when it comes to producing points, getting shut out twice this season, once by Virginia Tech and once by I-AA Richmond at home.

For the Cavaliers, this game is a must-win in the midst of a season that features no future opponent as weak as the Blue Devils. This sense of urgency is felt throughout the team.

“You have to play every game like it’s the Super Bowl when you’re 1-3,” junior defensive end Chris Long said.

A win Saturday could also boost the confidences of some of the players.

“When you’re 1-3, you want to win as bad as ever,” Long said. “This is a game that is necessary to win because a lot of guys would benefit not just from a win but also from a sound performance in execution and doing the things that we know we can do.”

The players still don’t consider this a rebuilding year and believe that it is up to them to turn the season around.

“As a player, you never accept a rebuilding year,” Long said. “Most teams have the tools to compete for their conference championship. It’s really just about execution. It’s on us at this point. In the end, if this is to be turned around, it’s a players’ thing to do. The players have to take it upon themselves to make the plays.”

The quarterback controversy earlier this season seems to have now fizzled out. Redshirt freshman Jameel Sewell will once again get the start under center after starting against Georgia Tech and starting in the second half against Western Michigan. After a shaky first half against the Yellow Jackets, Sewell wasn’t benched by the coaching staff and he performed better in the second half, engineering a touchdown drive in the fourth quarter to avoid the shutout.

“I just feel that my confidence level has gone up knowing that I was able to somewhat bounce back from a bad first half of play against Georgia Tech,” Sewell said.

Virginia takes the field at noon tomorrow in Durham and the game will be televised on Lincoln-Raycom television.

The Cavaliers will not get any chance to recover from a tough weekend when they play the top-ranked Maryland Terrapins tonight. After a strong performance against the 18th-ranked Richmond Spiders on Wednesday, the Cavaliers will carry some momentum into the game against Maryland tonight.

“They’re learning that the game goes for 70 minutes and you have to stay on your path and stick to your game plan for the entire time,” Virginia coach Michele Madison said.

The Cavaliers will have to play extremely well for all 70 minutes tonight if they hope to pull the upset and defeat Maryland. On Saturday, Maryland defeated second-ranked Wake Forest to solidify their hold on the number one spot. The Terrapins have been ranked first the whole year and are riding a 19-game winning streak dating back to last year. The win against Wake Forest improved the Terrapins to 10-0 on the year, and 2-0 in the ACC. A win against Maryland would be huge for Virginia in terms of confidence and positioning in the standings of the ACC.

Maryland is “just at the top of their game,” Madison said. “They pass the ball well and they stretch the field out. They’re playing at a level we are aspiring to be at.”

A win against Maryland would be a step in the right direction toward making Virginia an elite program every year.

In the game against Richmond, one of Virginia’s strengths was turned against them. The Cavaliers had been dominant in short corners so far this year, but against the Spiders, Virginia only got four short corners and gave up eight. However, Virginia did convert one of their short corners for a goal. Maryland, though, has done an incredible job so far this season with short corners. Maryland has attempted 83 short corners so far this season and held opponents to only 23. Against Maryland, Virginia will have to apply lots of pressure to be competitive. If the Cavaliers can put pressure on the Maryland defense and get awarded enough short corners, it could go a long way toward a victory.

The Virginia defense will have their hands full against Maryland tonight. Maryland has a balanced attack, with four players who have at least 13 points on the season. The Terrapins are led by junior Janneke van Leeuwen. Van Leeuwen has seven goals and seven assists through 10 games this year. Van Leeuwen leads Maryland with three game-winning goals.

Virginia will need another strong game from its core of seniors to hatch an upset. After her three-goal game against Richmond, O’Bannon joins seniors Biffy Cornelison and Mia Link as a top attacker on the team. The Cavaliers will need a strong attack unless goalie Kat Blair steps up after a poor game against Richmond. Blair had only one save and three goals allowed against Richmond. Against a top-ranked team like Maryland, everyone will have to be on top of their game if Virginia wants to defend their home turf with a win tonight.

An unpublished poem written by Robert Frost was recently discovered in the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library by English graduate student Robert Stilling.

Stilling stumbled upon the poem, written by Frost in 1918, while looking for summer research projects.

After discussing possible topics with English Prof. Stephen Cushman, Stilling was advised to delve into a new collection of Frost’s works at the Special Collections Library.

While looking at the collection, Stilling said he came across a manuscript containing what appeared to be a piece by Frost never before published.

“It’s hard to know what you’re looking at,” Stilling said of first coming upon the manuscript.

After extensive time and research, the poem was authenticated as a Frost original.

“It was pretty clear,” Stilling said. “It’s his [Frost's] handwriting and he signed it himself.”

The poem appears to contain a tribute to Edward Thomas, a friend of Frost who was a casualty of World War I.

According to Christian Dupont, director of the Special Collections Library, the library was unaware of the poem existing within the manuscript.

Dupont added that the poem is now on display in the Harrison Small Library.

The poem will also be published in the October issue of the Virginia Quarterly Review.

Ted Genoways, editor of the Virginia Quarterly Review, said the poem will be accompanied by two essays. The first will be a “philosophical and expansive” view of Frost’s works by Glyn Maxwell, poetry editor of The New Republic and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

The other article will be one by Stilling discussing the poem itself and his interpretations of the piece.

In addition to the exhibit, a reading of the two essays in the Virginia Quarterly Review will be conducted Oct. 20 at the Mary and David Harrison Institute for American History.

Within his article and presentation, Stilling plans to address that the content of the poem is not directly about Edward Thomas.

“I’ll be talking a little bit about Frost’s relationships with other poets,” Stilling said.

According to Dupont, the poem has become available to the public through a new exhibit revealed yesterday. There will be another exhibit of Frost’s works starting Oct. 19.

–Whitney Gruenloh contributed to this article.

The 19th annual Virginia Film Festival, which will run Oct. 26 to 29, announced its theme and guest lineup Wednesday. Filmmakers Robert Duvall and Liev Schreiber are among those scheduled to participate this year.

The theme for the festival is “Revelations: Finding God at the Movies,” said Richard Herskowitz, director of the Virginia Film Festival.

“We made a deliberate effort this year to really feature films that come from a diversity of religious faiths,” Herskowitz said. “We are really trying to show a wide range of religious practices and how they’ve been depicted in film.”

Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism and Hinduism are some of the religions that the festival is featuring, Herskowitz said.

The Festival will be housed predominantly in Newcomb Theater this year, as opposed to years past. Organizers hope the move, which largely occurred because of construction concerns at Culbreth, will increase student participation, Herskowitz said.

According to Herskowitz, the structure of the film festival reflects its purpose: dialogue.

“It’s a festival that really emphasizes discussion,” he said. “So, most films are followed by conversations with filmmakers and critics.”

Duvall, who will be receiving the Virginia Film Award, and Schreiber, of the “Scream” trilogy and “The Omen,” will be among the filmmakers involved in the dialogue aspect of the festival, Herskowitz said.

Duvall “is going to be here showing his classic film ‘The Apostle,’” he said. Schreiber “is showing the first film he’s written and directed … ‘Everything is Illuminated,’ with the star Elijah Wood.”

Not only will participation occur through dialogue at the Virginia Film Festival, but also through “high-impact” experiences, as shown through the Festival’s sponsorship of the Volvo Adrenaline Film Project, said project coordinator Han West, a fourth-year College student.

“Ten teams of three are chosen from around the state and have to create a film within 72 hours,” West said.

The time frame does not provide the only challenge. There are also rules that the participants must adhere to in making their films, West said.

These rules include applying an assigned genre and incorporating certain dialogue and props, he said.

The project culminates in the viewing and judging of the films in Newcomb Theater.

Tickets for the Virginia Film Festival go on sale today on the Web site and the festival will open at Newcomb with a premiere of “Tenacious D: In the Pick of Destiny.”

The Capital Campaign will be officially launched at 10 a.m. this morning when the Board of Visitors will announce the amount raised from the initial private phase of the campaign. The sum is expected to exceed $1 billion.

Robert D. Sweeney, senior vice president for development and public affairs, said this weekend represents “an important moment to celebrate the University’s vision and strategic plans for the future. [This campaign has been] eight years long, and this is a milepost to celebrate. It lets us capture this moment and share it with those who care about the University.”

University spokesperson Carol Wood said the goal of this weekend is to focus on the achievements of the University, what its future needs are and why campaign contributions are important and necessary.

No money is expected to be directly raised this weekend, but the festivities should provide momentum going into the public phase of the campaign, Sweeney said.

The event will also “take the University to the next level of being mentioned not as a great public university, but as a great university mentioned in the same breath as the Ivies,” Sweeney added.

Events this weekend will include symposiums detailing the importance of the campaign, the South Lawn groundbreaking and the much-anticipated fireworks display on the Lawn which is expected to attract over 10,000 people, including 1,000 alumni and friends of the University, Wood said.

There are 53 different events taking place this weekend involving many of the University’s organizations. The “Reflections on Leadership and Positive Symposium” will feature distinguished speakers from the University, as well as a Harvard professor.

Erin Hall, development officer for the College of Arts & Sciences, said the tents recently set up in front of Old Cabell Hall will be the site of the College alumni dinner.

Sweeney said it is the University’s goal to become the “first privately funded university that supports a public mandate.” This weekend’s festivities are an example of the University’s ability to attract these types of private donations. Wood said “99 percent of [the cost of] the festivities are privately financed” by the Campaign Executive Committee, which has already donated $110 million to the campaign.

The 3 p.m. ceremonial groundbreaking of the South Lawn will be a weekend highlight that demonstrates “the College has raised enough money that they can say that they are going forward with construction; this is a milepost to celebrate and share with those who will provide the catalyst for our future,” Sweeney said.

Several real estate owners and one concerned parent of a University student have donated over $6,000 as a reward for anyone who has information leading to the arrest of gunmen who shot a University student Sept. 10.

According to Charlottesville Police detective Jim Mooney, police officers responded to a call regarding a robbery and shooting in the 1000 block of Wertland Street at 3:30 a.m. that Saturday morning. The student was then admitted to the hospital.

The suspects are described as two black males, according to a release issued by Charlottesville Police. One suspect is in his late teens or early 20s while the second appeared to be older, possibly over 30 years old. The older suspect was wearing a dark bandana or other type of covering over his face. Both were wearing dark clothing.

Contributors of the reward fund are Woodward Properties Management Services, Wade Apartments, CBS Rentals, Real Properties, Blue Ridge Apartment Council, Charlottesville Apartments and a parent of a University student, Mooney said.

Anyone with information should contact the Jefferson Area Crime stoppers at 977-4000, Mooney added.

“What’s terrible about this [situation] is you preach all the safety and tell people to comply,” Mooney said. “He complied and he got shot and we’re not sure why. It’s very concerning to everybody involved.”

Charlottesville Apartments President John Crafaik said the Wertland area is not dangerous and he wants students to feel safe there.

According to Crafaik, Charlottesville Apartments donated $1,000 to the reward fund.

“It was such a senseless act by those two individuals,” Crafaik said of the shooting. “We think there are probably a couple of people out there with pretty big secrets. We want to motivate somebody who probably knows something to point us in the right direction.”