Following their dramatic win over Clemson, the Cavaliers (10-1-0, 3-1-1 ACC) will look for another victory tonight when they take on Liberty (4-4).
Saturday's game was a pivotal one for the Cavaliers. In the two games prior to Saturday, Virginia suffered defeat against North Carolina and barely escaped past American with a double overtime victory. The Cavaliers hope to ride the momentum from Clemson into their game tonight.
Gelnovatch said the "game was going to decide whether we start going down or we start going up from here," freshman midfielder Jonathan Villanueva said. "I think with the win and the way we played we're going to start going up."
Villanueva was instrumental in the Clemson win, scoring the game's only goal with his weaker foot -- his right -- in the 76th minute.
"Now everybody knows how good [Villanueva] is at dribbling at people, and that he has a right foot." Reyering said.
Another key for Virginia has been Reyering, who showed off another skill in his repertoire in Saturday's game. Rather then relying on a long ball played over the top of Clemson's defense, Reyering was able receive a ball in the midfield, shield the ball from physical Clemson defenders, and lay the ball off. Reyering's ability to adapt to the defense will present an enormous challenge to Liberty's back line.
"I think I need to get a little better at getting the ball more in the midfield, and then going back in the box," Reyering said. "It worked out well."
Another player who has been key for the Cavaliers this season is senior forward Adam Cristman. Although he is not targeted up top as often as Reyering, Cristman is a legitimate threat.
Cristman "is just a guy that stays the course," Gelnovatch said. "He only has two goals but he's worked hard enough to have seven."
Liberty presents a significantly less daunting opponent than Clemson. The Flames have lost two out of their last three matches, including an 8-1 trouncing by Winthrop. Liberty's defense is particularly suspect, with a goals-against average of 2.33.
However, the Cavaliers cannot afford to be casual as they take the field tonight. No. 8 North Carolina, the only team to defeat the Cavaliers this season, barely squeaked by Liberty with a 1-0 win.
Senior forward Darryl Roberts is Liberty's most dangerous player. He leads the team in points (10), and recently became Liberty's all-time leader in points (90), despite being injured all last season. A key factor in the Cavaliers' win over Clemson was the defensive job they did on forward Dane Richards; the Virginia defense will have to have a similar performance in order to contain Roberts.
The team will also have to compete once again without midfielder Jeremy Barlow, who is suspended indefinitely. Barlow is fourth on the team in points (6), and has been an important part of Virginia's success this season.
With all these concerns, the team must maintain the intensity they had against Clemson as they take the field against Liberty.
"You need to keep the level up," junior defender Zola Short said. "That's what we're going to focus on doing the next couple of days."
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