Led by Ryan Trout's four goals, the Virginia men's soccer team avenged Sunday's loss with an 8-1 thrashing of a helpless Appalachian State squad in front of 1,038 spectators at Klockner Stadium last night.
Trout, a third-year forward, tied the Cavalier record for goals in a single game by registering four goals on seven shots. Midfielder Steve Totten, and forwards Sheldon Barnes and first-year Ryan Gibbs also found the back of the net as part of the Virginia's blowout victory.
"I got a lot of good passes today," Trout said. "Sheldon had a good ball to me. It's good to get a win."
On an emotional high following their demoralizing loss to Gonzaga in last weekend's Coca-Cola Classic, the Cavaliers (2-1) dominated the match from the opening whistle.
The first half was played almost entirely on the Mountaineer side of the pitch, with Virginia's front line launching shot after shot against Appalachian State goalkeeper Will Floyd.
"We were making a statement," Cav coach George Gelnovatch said. "We're not out here to embarrass anybody. We just wanted to throw some things into that game that we were missing. Part of our theme for tonight was that regardless of the score, regardless of the opponent, step on the field and compete."
But until the 18th minute, Floyd was getting the better of the Cavs, allowing no goals on Virginia's first seven shots. Barnes started the Cavalier onslaught by sending a high cross from the right side of the goalie box past a Mountaineer defender to Totten, who headed the ball beyond Floyd's outstreched arms.
Once Totten landed the first blow, the flood gates opened against the Mountaineers (0-2). The Cavs added two more quick goals, scoring three goals on three successive shots.
First came Totten's header, then a curious free kick by Ryan Trout that seemed so effortless that the crowd was unsure if it even landed. In the 25th minute, Trout easily scored again after Barnes juked Floyd and sent a cross to the left side.
"Ryan is a talented dribbler and he strikes the ball very well," Gelnovatch said. "He's a dangerous guy. Against teams like this, he looks pretty good."
Trout scored twice more, in the 31st and 54th minutes. Then, with 30 minutes to go, Gelnovatch replaced Trout and six of his other Cavalier starters for a clean-up crew of reserves.
Among those entering the game were Gibbs, a high school All-American and the most highly touted recruit from Virginia's bumper crop of blue-chippers, and midfielder Kenny Arena, son of U.S. National Team coach Bruce Arena. The youngsters impressed, playing well against the Mountaineers' first unit.
"It's not an ACC opponent, but I did see some things that were better out there. We scored some goals, and we saw some young people out there in the second half," Gelnovatch said. "We found some guys that will help us in future games."
The Cavs dominated on both sides of the pitch, holding the Mountaineers to only five shots on goal while recording 24 of their own. Appalachian State's only goal came on an unassisted shot by midfielder Andy Simpson, who lofted a soft ball just to the left of keeper Kyle Singer's outstretched arms. Despite his one blemish, Singer, who played poorly against Gonzaga, was relaxed and ready to stop the opposing attack throughout the game.
Singer "got a finger on the goal that was scored, and it just got by," Trout said. "He did the things he had to. He played with a lot of confidence tonight and acted how a Division I keeper should."
Trout scored his fourth goal by completely catching the Mountaineer backline off guard. Dribbling outside the 18-yard box against two defenders, the Cavalier forward turned and launched a long blast towards Floyd. Even with ample time to react, the Mountaineer keeper watched the ball sail into the net.
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