The Virginia men's soccer team is confident heading into tonight's preseason finale against American University. The Cavaliers have retained most of their offensive firepower from a unit that ranked third in the ACC in both goals and assists per game in 2004. Also, minding the net will be junior Ryan Burke, who has emerged as one of the premier goalies in the nation.
"We want to win the ACC and the NCAA [Tournaments]," junior forward Ian Holder said. "If we don't do that then our season was a flop."
There is, however, one question of concern hanging over the Virginia program. The defense lost all four of its starters from 2004, three to graduation and one to the MLS draft. The Cavaliers' defense will rely exclusively upon former role players and players new to the Virginia program.
"We brought in some very talented first-year defending players and a transfer," coach George Gelnovatch said. "But it is going to take some time to get them organized. As for my expectations for the defense, I don't know. That'd be a better question to ask a month from now."
Virginia's top returning defender is Chris Tierney, who recorded three goals and three assists as a midfielder during his 2004 freshman campaign. In a move designed to bolster Virginia's rebuilding defense, he is slated to start at the left back position. During the off-season, Tierney has practiced hard to learn the intricacies of his new spot on the field.
"It's going to be a big adjustment for me," Tierney said. "But with me being left-footed, I think it will be a natural position for me. It will work out well with the kids we have back there."
One noticeable difference in the backfield will be size. Virginia's new starting defenders are significantly smaller than last year's. This size difference has led to changes in Virginia's defensive strategy.
"We're four guys who are skilled and can pass the ball around really well," Tierney said. "We're not as big and imposing as last year's defense, but I think we're technically better, so we'll be fine. Since we're smaller, we have to be dropping deeper and giving players more room."
The other defensive starters are expected to be sophomore Matt Poole, sophomore Zola Short and junior transfer Lee Sandwina.
"There's not really one guy who is going to stand out amongst us," Tierney said. "There's not an established leader, so all four of us are working off of each other. I think me and Matt Poole have taken over just to start because we are two guys who have been in there a little bit."
Tonight, the Cavaliers will look to build upon the momentum from Saturday's 2-1 scrimmage victory over VCU. In that game, Virginia overcame a 1-0 halftime deficit with goals by two freshmen players from abroad -- forward Yannick Reyering and midfielder Milovan Milosevic. Sophomore midfielder Dane Murphy notched an assist on Reyering's goal.
Following tonight's game, Virginia will have nine days to prepare for its season opener against UC-Riverside Sept. 2. The game will be the first of two that the Cavaliers are scheduled to appear in at the Adidas Classic hosted by UC-Santa Barbara. Virginia will face off against the host school on Sept. 4.
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