Renewing an already deep-seated rivalry, the fifth-seeded Virginia men's soccer team will face fourth-seeded and defending ACC champion Maryland in a conference tournament quarterfinal match in Cary, N.C. today.
In the conference standings, both No. 6 Virginia (12-3-2, 4-3-1 ACC) and No. 5 Maryland (12-4-2, 4-2-2 ACC) trail the top three teams by only one win.
"ACC standings are pretty important, but the win is I think more important than the standings in terms of RPI and stuff like that," Virginia coach George Gelnovatch said. "I don't know if it matters to be seeded fifth, sixth or seventh."
Virginia concluded its regular season play Nov. 7 with a defeat against No. 20 N.C. State, allowing it to enter the postseason on an eight-game winning streak. After a frustrating early portion of the season, Virginia earned its national ranking with an impressive final month. Senior midfielder Neil Barlow, senior midfielder Ross LaBauex, sophomore midfielder Tony Tchani and freshman forward Will Bates earned second team All-ACC honors, while Bates was also named to the All-Freshmen Team.
"I think we just made it more of an accountability on our half," LaBauex said. "I think everyone responded well and the result is a run to the postseason."
Bates leads the Cavalier offense with seven goals, followed by Tchani who has five and Barlow with four goals and five assists. Virginia outshot opponents by a staggering 249-131 margin during the regular season. Four players have recorded more than 30 shots each thus far: Bates, Tchani, Barlow and senior midfielder Jonathan Villanueva.
Meanwhile, Maryland (12-4-2, 4-2-2 ACC) also has benefitted from an effective offense. The Terrapins are led by junior forward Jason Herrick, who has scored eight goals and one assist. In its last nine games, Maryland is 7-1-1 - its only loss coming at the hands of top-seeded No. 3 Wake Forest.
On the defensive side of the ball, Virginia has shut out five consecutive opponents, allowing only seven goals in 17 games. Junior goalkeeper Diego Restrepo is ranked third in the nation with a goals-against average of 0.40 and leads the ACC with nine shutouts.
Maryland goalkeeper Zac MacMath, though, also possesses impressive season statistics and could pose a tough challenge for the Cavalier offense to overcome. MacMath was named a first team All-ACC selection after allowing only 13 goals in 18 games, while recording 44 saves for a 0.79 goals-against average.
Maryland's last meeting with Virginia resulted in a scoreless tie in College Park on Oct. 31. Although the Terrapins outshot the Cavaliers 18-11, Virginia maintained its composure and did not surrender a goal.
Gelnovatch said he is confident, despite his team's health concerns: Clutch sophomore attackers Brian Ownby and Chris Agorsor have not played recently as a result of injuries.
"We're a little bit banged up on a couple guys," he said. "Hopefully we can get one or two of them back for the ACC Tournament."
The first round quarterfinal ACC matchup also will provide Virginia a chance to avenge its 0-1 loss to Maryland in the 2008 championship game. Virginia has an all-time record of 26-35-8 against Maryland, which won the three match-ups preceding the Oct. 31 tie.
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