After Sunday's tough defeat at the hands of the Terrapins, the Virginia men's soccer team has regrouped with a new mindset. They are out for blood, and their next victim, Mount St. Mary's of Emmitsburg, Md., will do well enough just to get out of the way.
The Cavaliers (2-2, 0-1 ACC) will take on the woeful Mountaineers (1-3-1) at Klockner Stadium tonight at 7 p.m.
In the hard-fought Sunday game where the Cavs fell 1-0 to Maryland, 38 fouls were called, 25 of them on the Cavaliers. With the exception of the lone goal, George Gelnovatch's squad turned in a spectacular performance on both sides of the ball, outshooting the Terps, 12-11.
"We thought that we played Maryland well," midfielder Steve Totten said. "We're not trying to do anything special against Mount St. Mary's. All we want to do is score a few goals and get ready for our next ACC game."
The Mountaineers lost three straight to start the season winless before breaking through for their first victory Sunday against Felician, 5-1. But in going against a Cavalier team that has both more talent and more experience, Mount St. Mary's faces a situation similar to that of Appalachian State last week.
After a loss to Gonzaga in their second game, the Cavaliers entered their next contest against Appalachian State angry and prepared to prove they still had the talent and resolve of the team that advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals last year. In a slaughter reminiscent of the final scene of the "Blair Witch Project," the Cavs jumped on Appalachian State early and often -- to the tune of eight goals, the most for Virginia since 1994.
"We try to make a statement every game," said Marshall Leonard, a Cav defender who registered a solid performance against the Terps. "The loss against Maryland was in a big rivalry, and it means a lot to us, but we're going to go out at Mount St. Mary's and play Virginia soccer. If we do that, we are going to beat them."
With Mount St. Mary's being a significant underdog, Virginia will test some new strategies against the Mountaineers. Instead of their traditional formation of four defenders, four midfielders and two forwards, Gelnovatch will start off with a 3-5-2 formation, with Mike Feller moving from the back line to midfield.
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