The Virginia men's soccer squad enters the ACC Tournament today with the seventh seed and its season in question. The Cavaliers face the second-seeded Maryland Terrapins in the opening round of the ACC Tournament in Winston-Salem, with a berth in the NCAA Tournament likely at stake.
The ACC Tournament brings to a close a roller coaster season for the Cavs (9-7-1, 1-4-1 ACC). With the exception of one three-game winning streak, the team has been unable to win consistently. Cav Coach George Gelnovatch has blamed "mental lapses" for most of the problems his Virginia team has endured this year: This is the Cavs' worst ACC record since 1975 and worst overall since 1980.
"To say the least this was a frustrating season," Gelnovatch said. "There were some games, particularly in the ACC, that we clearly should have won."
Playing the role of the underdog is not a position Gelnovatch is accustomed to as a player or coach. As an NCAA first-team All-American in 1986, he led Virginia in goals scored. That same year the Cavs were ACC Champions with a Conference record of 6-0 and an overall record of 17-2-2.
But this year, Virginia's offense has failed to ignite, except against a severely unskilled Appalachian State team. In the regular season the Cavaliers tallied only 34 goals, the lowest total since 1980. Last year Chris Albright alone poured in 20 goals and the team totaled 50 goals, including those scored in the ACC and NCAA tourneys.
The defense, anchored by Chad Prince and Marshall Leonard, was able to hold opponents to only 22 goals for the season. In 1998 the Cavalier defense was scored on a total of 18 times with three goals coming in the NCAA quarterfinal loss against Stanford.
The departure of first-team All-American Matt Chulis and Albright last year left the Cavs struggling for a new identity and scoring presence. First-year forward Ryan Gibbs and fellow forward Sheldon Barnes stepped up and pocketed seven goals apiece with Ryan Trout and Steve Totten each contributing six during regular season play.
The Cavaliers sported a young roster this season, with only one fourth year and three starting first years. This means that next season the team should feel more comfortable with each other's playing styles.
"I think off the start, noticing that we didn't have many upperclassmen starting or much experience, we knew we were going to have to do a lot of soul-searching early," redshirt first-year Kyle Singer said.
While there is hope that this season's learning experience will translate into a solid squad for next year, growing pains seemed to override the Cavaliers' talents this season.
The Cavs' tumultuous year hit an upswing, however, when the team won a pair of crucial games at the end of the regular season.
Against No. 7 Cal State-Fullerton in the UCLA Pacific Soccer Classic, goals by Sheldon Barnes and Curtis Bush lead the Cavaliers to a 2-1 victory. Virginia then lost to UCLA, but ended the season with a 1-0 win over Ohio State Friday.
Virginia's showing in the ACC Tournament will be the deciding factor in the team's chances for a NCAA Tournament berth.
"If we didn't win this game, we would have possibly had to win the whole ACC Tournament to get into the NCAAs," mid Kyle Martino said after Friday's victory against Ohio State. "This takes a lot of pressure off us."
Keeper David Comfort might step into a starting role tomorrow as goalkeeper for the Cavs. Comfort's chance in goal came after Singer was unable to play due to illness.
Maryland (14-4, 4-2 ACC) will be Virginia's first hurdle in the ACC Tournament. After two strong wins against Loyola and Wisconsin, the Terrapins have their eyes on the ACC Tournament title. Maryland has relied on the scoring duo of Taylor Twellman and Jason Cropley for almost half of all goals scored this season. To win, Virginia needs to keep the ball away from the feet of these two Terps.
Since the single-elimination ACC tourney began in 1987, the Cavaliers have accumulated a record of 18-5-3, with a winning percentage of .788. Since the 1991 tourney, the Cavaliers have been the undisputed top team in the Conference with a record of 16-2-1, and six Tournament titles. Virginia lost to Maryland 2-0 in the 1996 finals and to Duke 3-1 in overtime in the 1998 semifinals.
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