WINSTON-SALEM, NC--The mighty Cavaliers are back.
Despite finishing their worst regular season in nearly two decades and finishing last in the ACC, Virginia dominated No. 6 Maryland 2-0 yesterday in the first round of the Conference tournament.
The Cavaliers, winners of nine ACC titles and four national championships, entered yesterday's tournament match confident they were closer to the dominant Cavs of old than their No.7 seed suggested. They were right.
That No. 7 seed now is forgotten after Virginia scored two goals in the game's first 20 minutes, then shut down the Terrapins on both sides of the pitch en route to their convincing shutout victory at Spry Stadium on the campus of Wake Forest University.
By besting Maryland (14-5, 4-3 ACC), the Cavaliers (11-7-1, 2-4-1) advanced to play the winner of last night's Wake Forest-N.C. State game, the results of which were not available at press time.
The second round game will be held today at 5:30 p.m. in Winston-Salem.
The Cavaliers lit up the scoreboard even before the largely pro-Virginia crowd had found their seats. In the fourth minute, Ryan Trout, returning after a one-game suspension, dribbled by a Terrapin defender to the right side of the goal box. The third-year midfielder looped a shot into the right side of the net to stun Maryland keeper Christian Lewis. Third-year forward Sheldon Barnes received the assist on the goal.
"I got the ball from Sheldon and tried to keep on my right side, away from the defender," Trout said. "The keeper was moving out a bit, so I put it by him."
Barnes, after finding Trout for the first goal, continued to frustrate the Terrapin defense with his blazing speed. Only 14 minutes after Trout's goal, Barnes found the back of the net on a long header assisted by Steve Totten and Drew O'Donnell. Culminating a series of deft passing and quick touches, Totten drew the ball to Barnes, who booted it in from 30 feet out.
"Totten found me on a cross and it seemed like the keeper was going the other way," Barnes said. "I was just trying to get a head on it."
The win, in addition to keeping the Cavs alive in the race for the ACC title, solidifies their chances at earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The Cavaliers hope that the selection committee will consider that three of their 11 wins, including last night's victory over Maryland, came against top 25 opponents.
"I'll be very surprised if this didn't get us in," Virginia Coach George Gelnovatch said. "I think our team has improved as the season has gone on, and there's no limit to where we can go."
After going up 2-0, Virginia continued to put pressure on the Terps by dictating a defensive and physical game. Referee Michael Kennedy whistled the Cavaliers for 33 fouls, a season high. Maryland, in comparison, only registered nine infractions.
"It seemed more like a boxing match out there than a soccer game," Maryland Coach Sasho Cirovski said. "Virginia was on a mission to make the NCAA Tournament, and they were willing to do whatever was necessary. They were the hunters and we were the hunted."
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