In the wake of a dominating 4-0 victory over the Temple Owls on Tuesday, the Virginia men's soccer team is approaching Saturday's match at No. 20 VCU (6-3-2) with cautious optimism.
"I don't think it's going to be a problem getting emotionally ready" for the game, Virginia coach George Gelnovatch said. "VCU is an in-region rival, and this is an in-region game that's important for both teams."
Tuesday's win over the Owls was a boost to the Cavaliers (8-0-1) on several levels. Most importantly, the victory gave experience and confidence to Virginia's reserves while providing the rest of the team a well-deserved break. The final quarter of the game also served as a warm-up for offensive stars Sheldon Barnes and Alecko Eskandarian, who are coming back from injuries.
Firing on all cylinders, the Cavaliers now look to extend their five-game shutout victory streak (the longest since 1988) against a VCU squad struggling to find its scoring touch.
In last week's Clemson/Nike Soccer Classic, the Rams were defeated, 2-0, by No. 17 Clemson, and, 3-0, by No. 4 Furman. In both games, the Rams had several opportunities to come from behind, but imprecise finishing and a little bad luck prevented them from finding an equalizer.
VCU is "a very good team, a team that's traditionally in the playoffs," Gelnovatch said. "It's at their place, on the road, they just came off of losing two games, and they've had all week to prepare for us. I think it's going to be a tough game."
On Saturday, VCU's offense will be tested as it faces a solid Virginia defense anchored by junior goalkeeper David Comfort, senior co-captain Marshall Leonard, junior defender Jonathan Cole and sophomore Matt Oliver. The Cavalier defense has dominated play during its shutout streak, allowing only 11 total shots in its last three games.
On the other side of the ball, the return of Eskandarian and Barnes will supplement a formidable attack orchestrated by juniors Kyle Martino and Ryan Gibbs.
Cole said the Cavaliers will be ready for the showdown Saturday against a team itching for an upset.
"You see it in their face, in their warm-ups," Cole said. "It's all about being professional. When you're a higher-ranked team [like Virginia] you have to be mentally harder, mentally stronger and come out and match their intensity"
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