If you were to grab the box scores from the Virginia men’s soccer team’s last nine games, put them in a pile, shuffle them and pick one at random, it would not matter which you selected. Like any good magic trick, the result would not change.
Without fail, the Cavaliers would have notched a win or eked out a tie in each of those games, thanks in part to their high-scoring offense. Virginia ranks ninth in the country in goals per game, and in a seven-game stretch from Sept. 13 until Oct. 4, the squad scored 21 times. Heading into a marquee matchup against No. 2 Notre Dame Saturday in South Bend, Ind., the No. 23 Cavaliers’ ability to produce goals is not in question.
Talented goal-scorers such as junior midfielder Eric Bird and sophomore forward Darius Madison, however, have provided only part of the navigation. The Virginia defense, working below-decks, has been integral to the season-long voyage, allowing just 1.15 goals per game and holding opponents to one goal or fewer in seven of its last nine games.
Also without fail, in each of the games in that unbeaten streak, three names would be penciled in to anchor the defense: junior Kyler Sullivan, senior Kevin McBride and junior Matt Brown.
The three defenders do not accumulate the attention-grabbing stats — they have combined for just one goal and two assists all year — but their contributions to the team have been unmistakable if subtle.
“Those guys aren’t playmakers,” coach George Gelnovatch said of Brown and McBride. “They’re not fancy. They’re just kind of ‘steady Eddie’ guys, and I think that’s what those two have given us: a nice, calm, steady [presence].”
During the nine-game unbeaten streak, the Cavalier defense has produced memorable performances. In Virginia’s 3-3 draw against No. 12 Maryland Oct. 11, Virginia held the potent Terrapins — the second highest-scoring team in the NCAA — scoreless for the final 90 minutes of the double-overtime affair. Sullivan, McBride and Brown all played from the first whistle to the last, helping Virginia recover from early defensive lapses.
“On the field, we just really try and stay positive, you know, just try and keep everything going,” Sullivan said. “There’s not really negativity. I mean, once something goes wrong, we just get back at it, you know, try to build each other back up.”
Virginia has only used five juniors or seniors in the starting lineup this year: Sullivan, McBride, Brown, Bird and junior forward Ryan Zinkhan. Those few veteran presences have displayed an in-game savvy developed through multiple seasons of NCAA competition.
“Last year, they played in a bunch of games,” Gelnovatch said of Brown and McBride. “Kevin started a bunch of games. Brown started for most of the season last year, so they have some experience. So, I think that’s what they’ve brought to the table.”
Sullivan, McBride and Brown have each earned a spot in the starting lineup, but their paths to regular playing time differ substantially. McBride did not play much during his first two seasons at the University — he appeared in four games and started one — but he cracked Gelnovatch’s rotation as a junior last season, when he made six starts at center back. McBride, the lone senior to play for Virginia this season, has now started 10 consecutive games.
“‘Steady Eddie,’ we call him,” Gelnovatch said. “Nothing spectacular, but that’s not such a bad thing when you’re a center back … He’s a little bit better at everything than you think he is.”
Brown started 15 games for Virginia last season, but the Cavaliers’ infusion of young talent meant he was apparently destined for a reserve role. Brown saw his first action of the season — 27 minutes off the bench — in Virginia’s Sept. 13 loss against No. 15 Wake Forest. The next week, an injury to sophomore defender Zach Carroll opened up a starting spot for Brown. In Brown’s first start, Virginia shut out George Mason. In his second, Brown scored with less than 10 seconds to play to send Virginia to overtime against NC State.
“Matt Brown — I can say a lot of the same things about him that I said about [McBride], which is ‘steady Eddie’ guy,” Gelnovatch said. “You know, neither one of them are flashy guys, which again, as a center back, is a good quality.”
Sullivan, on the other hand, is one of only four Cavaliers to start each game for Virginia, after making 16 starts in 2012. The Stafford product began the year at center back but has since returned to his old position, right back, where he will likely make his 30th consecutive start overall when Virginia faces the Fighting Irish.
“[Sullivan’s] biggest attribute is his athleticism,” Gelnovatch said. “He’s probably the most athletic guy on our team. [He’s] very hard to get by one-on-one.”
Sullivan was sidelined by mononucleosis for the first four games of his sophomore campaign, but he has remained healthy this year. Reenergized, Sullivan has been one of Virginia’s most dependable options. He played every minute in double-overtime contests against the Terrapins and No. 24 Virginia Commonwealth.
“Having mono last year just kind of set me back for the whole year, just because I didn’t get to do much of preseason, and then, right when I came back, I was just full-tilt, and I didn’t really get a chance to get in shape,” Sullivan said. “… I’m in shape now and I feel a lot better. Right now, I’m not groggy or tired all the time. I’m feeling good.”
This year, Sullivan’s career took another positive turn when his younger brother, Sheldon, joined the team. The younger Sullivan has yet to play in any of Virginia’s games.
“It’s honestly awesome,” the elder Sullivan said. “I mean, I get to watch him grow and develop as a player and a person, so I really enjoy it.”
With Carroll finally close to returning from his hamstring injury, those box score lineups may finally change. Gelnovatch, though, would not commit to shaking up the magical consistency the Cavaliers appear to have established with Sullivan, McBride and Brown in the starting lineup.
“Good question,” Gelnovatch said when asked what he would do when Carroll returns. “I don’t know. We’ll have to see.”
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