Ten months may have passed since the Virginia men's soccer squad last faced the Duke Blue Devils, but many of the team's veteran players remember last year's NCAA quarterfinal match as though it was yesterday.
Despite handing the Blue Devils two losses earlier in the season, the Cavalier defense could not suppress an explosive Duke attack that netted two first-half goals and held on for a 3-0 victory in front of nearly 4,200 shocked fans at Klöckner Stadium. The surprising result advanced the Blue Devils on to the College Cup and marked the premature end of a promising campaign for the 2004 Cavaliers.
While this Sunday's long-awaited rematch may not carry the same postseason implications as the teams' last meeting, there are still a striking number of similarities. As was the case last December, a No. 4 Virginia squad is playing host to a lower-ranked Blue Devil team -- Duke was No. 17 heading into last year's NCAA quarterfinals and is currently occupying the No. 10 spot, despite rising as high as No. 2 one month ago. What's more, ten of the 11 Duke starters from the previous meeting will be suiting up on Sunday night -- including all three of the Blue Devil goal scorers.
While Sunday's rematch will undoubtedly carry additional significance for the Cavaliers, the team is determined not to get carried away with their desire to settle the score.
"They ended our season last year," Virginia coach George Gelnovatch said, "But that emotion lasts for about 15 to 20 minutes, then you have to stick to the game plan, compete and exploit weaknesses. I think we'll be ready."
The Cavaliers (9-1-2) enter Sunday's match as the only ACC squad to remain undefeated in conference play. After picking up an important road win in overtime against Clemson this past weekend, the team knocked off the Saint Francis Terriers and extended their home unbeaten streak, last broken by Duke, to seven games.
Allowing just three goals in its first seven home games, the Cavalier defense has been outstanding throughout the season's opening month. Perhaps the biggest reason for this early success is junior goalkeeper Ryan Burke, who has nabbed 31 saves so far this season. Likewise, a stingy Virginia defense, anchored by junior Lee Sandwina and sophomores Chris Tierney, Matt Poole and Zola Short, has allowed just nine scores on the year.
The Cavalier offense is led by senior Adam Cristman, sophomore Jeremy Barlow and freshman Yannick Reyering. The team has managed 180 shots and 25 goals through its first 12 matches. Reyering leads the squad in scoring with nine tallies, while Barlow boasts a team-high seven assists.
On the other side of the ball, the Blue Devils (8-2-1) have had less success in the early going. Despite earning a No. 4 ranking in many preseason polls, Duke suffered early-season losses at the hands of a No. 7 St. Johns squad in mid-September and the No. 11 Maryland Terrapins just last week. The squad comes to Charlottesville on the heels of a 2-0 victory at home against Western Illinois Tuesday night.
The Duke offense has notched 28 goals in 2005 with junior midfielder Chris Loftus and sophomore forward Spencer Wadsworth leading the squad with eight goals and seven assists, respectively.
In addition to the 2004 NCAA quarterfinals, the two teams have enjoyed a heated rivalry over the last six decades. Virginia has a slight edge with a 35-32-7 series record since 1946.
"Everybody is looking forward to it," Reyering said. "We expect a hard fight and we are prepared for it"
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