Last year, Virginia met William & Mary in the second round of the NCAA tournament here in Charlottesville. In that game, the Cavaliers fell to William & Mary in penalty kicks, ending their season at a very respectable 15-8.
I was at that game, sitting in the freezing cold at Klöckner Stadium, and I remember one quote from coach George Gelnovatch that summed up Virginia's 2003 season.
"We're going to be young next year, real young," Gelnovatch said.
That thought echoed through my head throughout the summer and at the very beginning of this season. I was curious as to how young the team would be, knowing that Virginia would lose Alecko Eskandarian to the MLS and lose several other players to graduation.
It was at the first game that I went to this season that I realized how drastically this team had changed from a year ago.
I sat in the stands looking at so many unfamiliar faces on the pitch that I had to keep the roster in front of me in order to figure out who was who.
I started to figure out how many people the Cavaliers had lost since that game against William & Mary. Of the 11 players that started that game, only four returned this season. Players like Jonathan Cole in the back and Eskandarian in the front guided Virginia last year to the NCAA tournament. Almost the entire midfield from that game also disappeared, as Kenny Arena graduated, Jacob Leblanc left early for the MLS and Ryan Kelly transferred.
The main point I'm trying to make is that George Gelnovatch should be applauded for his coaching this season. Given the roster he had, the losses he suffered from last year and the injuries he had to deal with, Gelnovatch did something impressive by turning a young team into a competitive and solid soccer squad by the end of the season.
There has been a lot of talk about the team this season, finishing with a 11-10-2 record, which to many seems strange because the team finished only one game above .500, but no one really realized how young the Cavaliers would be until the start of this year.
In the season opening game against Seton Hall, Gelnovatch started three freshmen: Adam Cristman, Will Hall and Ryan Best. By the end of the season, Gelnovatch had four freshmen starting and one transfer.
The one freshman, Cristman, and one transfer, Mike Littlefield, were the two leading goal scorers for Virginia by the end of the season.
I wouldn't have wanted to be the guy that's called upon to fill the big shoes Eskandarian left, but these two players are slowly coming into their own.
Throughout the course of the season, the Cavaliers had ups and downs but, as with anything, it takes time for players to develop, especially in soccer. Gelnovatch had to put some of the younger players right into the line of fire, like Ryan Burke after Best injured his calf. But Gelnovatch had them respond with great success, as with Burke who made the winning save to clinch the ACC tournament championship for the Cavaliers this season, earning himself the tournament MVP.
I have to admit that I did not always agree with some of Gelnovatch's decisions on the field but my hat's off to him for coaching a team to the ACC tournament title and to the third round of the NCAA tournament is no easy task.
A lot of people think that the future is bright for Virginia soccer. I don't. I think the future is scary. After seeing so many great players in one recruiting class, maybe this is the first step in Virginia's return atop the collegiate rankings. Only time will tell.
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