Imagine having to start the season by replacing one of the best players in the country. Now, imagine having to do that in addition to replacing several other team leaders and experienced starters. If you can fathom having to do that, you might have some idea of what Virginia men’s soccer coach George Gelnovatch is attempting to do this year. The 2008 Virginia men’s soccer team has its work cut out for it, as the Cavaliers will have to replace several standout players throughout the lineup.
Perhaps the most difficult task will be to break in a whole new starting defense, as the starting back four from 2007 have all departed. To add to Virginia’s list of difficulties, the Cavaliers lost national Player of the Year candidate Yannick Reyering, who finished his final year of athletic eligibility in 2007. Reyering, a forward, was an exceptional athlete with proven goal-scoring ability. Reyering led the Cavaliers with 13 goals in 2007 and was selected to the first All-ACC team.
“We lost a lot of seniors and starters,” junior goalkeeper Michael Giallombardo said. “The biggest challenges we will face this year are replacing those guys and implementing the new guys into our system.”
Fortunately for Virginia, Gelnovatch has plenty of talented players waiting for the opportunity to step up this year and fill the voids left by the departed veterans. Leading that group will be Giallombardo, senior midfielder Matt Poole, junior forward Ross LaBauex, junior forward Matt Mitchell and junior forward-midfielder Neil Barlow. LaBauex is Virginia’s leading returning goal scorer, having netted seven goals and four assists in 2007. Barlow, Mitchell and junior midfielder Jonathan Villanueva will also help carry the load offensively.
On the other side of the ball, Virginia will break in four new starters on defense. Junior defender Robby Rogers returns in 2008 after sitting out all of 2007 and will look to lead a group of talented — though inexperienced — defenders. Sophomore Mike Volk, a transfer from Rutgers, will also add some depth and experience to the unit.
In goal Virginia is blessed with two experienced goalkeepers. Giallombardo started 15 games last season and was ranked in the top five in the ACC in saves per game and shutouts. Sophomore goalkeeper Dan Louisignau also started six games, including two post-season games. There has been an on-going competition for the starting job throughout camp, and a starter has yet to be named. Giallombardo has an edge in experience, but Louisignau, at 6-foot-3, is an imposing figure in the cage. It is still too early to tell who will start in goal once the season starts, but Giallombardo played all 90 minutes in the Cavaliers’ exhibition win against West Virginia last weekend.
Despite having a wealth of young players, Virginia has a keen sense of optimism regarding the season, and its goals are simple.
“We want to have a better year than last year,” Poole said. “We’re pretty young, but this is the best team I’ve been a part of.”
The Cavaliers have had to endure a rigorous pre-season that began not long after the conclusion of the spring season. Gelnovatch has put his players to the test by instituting new tests to evaluate his players’ speed and endurance. If Virginia is to go a long way this year, all the hard work the team has done in the preseason will have a lot to do with it.
“This is our toughest preseason we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Giallombardo said. “We’ve implemented running tests and two-a-days. We got here early and we’ve really hit the floor running.”
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