To kick off its second two-game week in a row, the third-ranked Virginia men's soccer team will take on Mount St. Mary's tonight as the Cavaliers, currently 5-1-1, look for their sixth consecutive home victory this season.
"Mount St. Mary's is definitely coming here to play," sophomore Neil Barlow said. "They aren't going to roll over or anything, so it could be a hard-fought game."
The mid-week contest comes on the heels of Virginia's ACC opener this past Saturday at N.C. State. That game ended in a 2-2 draw between the Cavaliers and the Wolfpack.
Following the match, Virginia coach George Gelnovatch said the team's mid-week match against Campbell was a big factor in his players' performance. Tomorrow night's game means that once again the Cavaliers will only have three days of rest before taking on ACC foe Virginia Tech Friday.
"The difference this week is that Virginia Tech will be in the same boat," Gelnovatch said. "They played this past Saturday under the same conditions we did and play [tonight] as well. Also, we are going to try to do a better job of managing the cumulative minutes guys play."
Contributing to fatigue last Saturday was the scorching 95-degree heat. With Friday's contest scheduled for 7 p.m., however, the heat factor will be all but eliminated, and it is unlikely that Virginia will be as affected by the lack of rest this week. Junior forward Yannick Reyering, however, said fatigue is never a justification for a loss.
"I don't think that we can make any excuses for how we played Saturday," Reyering said. "Other teams play during the week and have the same hard schedule we do. When we play an ACC opponent, it does not matter how tired you are -- it's a question of your attitude and your priority. If you go into a game and you want to win, it does not matter how tired your legs are."
Forced to come from behind in their last two games, the Cavaliers will look to take the early lead tonight.
"We didn't come out as hard as we could have against N.C. State and conceded a goal first," Neil Barlow said. "If we had scored first I feel like we could have coasted from there but having to fight back the entire game made it difficult for us to get the win."
Taking an early lead on Mount St. Mary's will also allow Virginia to experiment with its lineup and make substitutions throughout the game. The Campbell game last Wednesday saw several Cavaliers make their first starting appearances, while many others gained invaluable experience on the field. Gelnovatch is hoping to have a similar game tonight.
The "lineup will reflect our desire to manage our guys' cumulative minutes," Gelnovatch said. "And when you get different guys different minutes because you are trying to rest people, you are simultaneously getting people ready to help you down the road because they have had those minutes. It all works out."
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. tonight at Klöckner stadium.
Read More
After another winning season, where does Virginia go from here?
By Emory Huffman , Ben McNiff , Victoria Blankenship and Cierra Lyles | 11 hours agoThe 2025 season saw Virginia softball repeat much of its 2024 season.
Virginia baseball’s breakup is painful, in more ways than one
By Xander Tilock | 2 days agoAfter 22 years, Brian O'Connor is leaving Virginia baseball.
New era, same fight: Virginia rowing finishes 10th at NCAAs
By Eleanor Lynch | 3 days agoThe Cavaliers made significant strides in 2025.
