Residing in last place in the ACC and falling out of the top 25 for the first time since 1993, a young but talented Virginia women's soccer team repeatedly has underachieved this season and is now desperate to put together a series of wins. Virginia's (8-5-2, 1-3 ACC) daunting task begins tomorrow when the team faces off against No. 14 Wake Forest (12-3-1, 2-1-1) in Winston-Salem at 7 p.m.
Senior forward Alyssa Benitez marks one exception to this inconsistent play -- her performance has been the complete antithesis of all that has troubled the struggling Cavalier squad.
Despite coming off the bench in 12 of Virginia's 15 games, Benitez has emerged as the Cavaliers' leading scorer this year, with eight goals and two assists. She had a total of only nine goals in her first three seasons at Virginia.
"I'm not as technically skilled as some of the other players," she said. "So I really just try to work hard and compete."
Talent is something Virginia certainly does not lack
- they entered the season ranked No. 6 nationally. It is the grit and toughness that seasoned veteran Benitez brings to the table that has eluded many of her teammates.
In particular, her on-field presence has impressed her coaches and allowed her to put more balls into the back of the net.
"As a forward, you want someone like her," Virginia coach Steve Swanson said. "She sees things around her very well."
Benitez's breakthrough season comes at a time when Virginia needs it the most. Two of the team's top forwards have missed play because of injury this season. Last year's leading scorer, sophomore Lindsay Gusick, has missed five games this season because of an ailing ankle, and freshman scoring standout Kristin Weiss is out for the rest of the year with a knee injury.
Stepping up to the task, Benitez has easily filled the void. She scored twice in an 8-1 win over Temple and tallied another pair in a 7-3 victory against James Madison. She also recorded the winning goal this Wednesday against Duke in Virginia's first conference win of the season.
As one of only a handful of seniors on this youthful squad, she hopes her hard work and solid performance can inspire the team's younger players to live up to their potential.
"Hopefully, I am a leader both on and off the field," she said. "I just try to maintain a good work ethic and to stay as positive as I can to try and help set a standard for the younger players."
Possibly Benitez's most important quality is her hunger for victory. According to Virginia Asst. Coach Suzanne Eastman, Benitez "loves to win," and winning has become a necessity for a Virginia team that is a measly 1-3 in ACC play. The Cavaliers must win out for the rest of the season to finish over .500 in the conference.
"We've got a big game on Saturday and hopefully we can get another win," Swanson said. "We've got some momentum now, and we've got to try and ride it as long as we can."
A surefire recipe for victory is what the Cavaliers need, and they can find it in Benitez. Her style of play may not be as pretty as her teammates, but she manages to execute when it counts, something Virginia must do soon if the team has any hopes of a successful postseason.
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