At the start of September, the Virginia men's soccer team found itself in a state of disrepair. Many skeptics pointed to preseason losses against George Mason, Old Dominion and West Virginia as signs of impending doom for a team bottled up in a conference chock-full of nationally ranked squads.
Flash forward to December and the ACC champion Cavaliers could arguably be the most unbeatable team in college soccer. Riding an astounding 13-game winning streak - their longest since 2001 - and outscoring opponents 32-7, Virginia has all but silenced its critics heading into Friday night's NCAA quarterfinal match against Maryland.
"In the beginning of the year we were getting some unlucky breaks," senior midfielder Jordan Evans said. "And now we're hitting our stride and balls are bouncing our way. We're coming up big."
The Cavaliers' third-round 1-0 victory against Portland marked their 10th consecutive shutout. A cohesive defensive unit comprised of sophomores Greg Monaco, Shawn Barry, Hunter Jumper, junior Mike Volk and junior goalkeeper Diego Restrepo has continued to improve as the season has progressed, and Virginia's goals-against average of 0.30 stands as the best in the country. The Cavaliers' ability to stay compact in the back, while receiving help from players at every position, has perhaps been the biggest key to the team's defensive prowess.
The inspiring play of Restrepo has also contributed tremendously to a defense that has not given up more than one goal in a game so far this year. Restrepo has been tested more than ever in the postseason, but he has come up with numerous big saves that have him ranked No. 1 in the country in save percentage (0.892). His scoreless minutes streak of 1,017 minutes and 34 seconds has him closing in on Michigan State goalkeeper Avery Steinlage's NCAA record of 1,318:26 set last year.
Despite his defense's apparent impermeability, Virginia coach George Gelnovatch is careful not to assume that its recent success will last forever. He remains confident, though, that if his team does concede a goal, it will not fold.
"The thing is, we've been there," Gelnovatch said. "When we opened the season, we were down a goal at Washington, and we were down a goal at Virginia Tech, which is a really tough place to play. We're young, but I've still got enough older guys on the field that if we get scored on - and I hope we don't - we'll be fine."
To play quality soccer, players must gel together and have a good awareness of what everyone else is doing on the field. During the season, Virginia players and coaches have strengthened their collective bond, resulting in a style of soccer that has become increasingly unified.
"Every day in practice we hang out with each other on and off the field," freshman midfielder Ari Dimas said. "When we do drills in practice, we combine in tandems with the guys on the field and the guys on the bench. We're all close to each other, we all develop together, and it helps in the games."
The Cavaliers also have stepped up their goal scoring. After tallying only 13 goals through the first 11 matches, they have compiled 19 in their past 11, including six in the last two games. The rise of freshman forward Will Bates has certainly helped, as his team-leading 11 goals have come mostly in the second half of the season. He has proven to be an especially important aspect of the Cavaliers' front line in the postseason as well, scoring the game-winner against N.C. State in the ACC Championship and putting together a hat trick against Bucknell in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
One important aspect of the team's rejuvenated attack that often goes overlooked is its success in pushing forward its outside defensive backs to set up more scoring chances. Jumper's accurate long-ball and Barry's blazing speed moving down the flanks have been crucial in creating opportunities for attackers like Bates. Jumper's long pass to Bates in the ACC final set up the game-winning goal, and Barry's run down the right side of the field and subsequent cross to Dimas engineered the winner against Portland.
"Those two guys have been a big part of our goal scoring lately, in our attack," Gelnovatch said. "They have really been getting forward and helping us in the attacking third."
Whatever the secret to the Cavaliers' success, coaches and players are quick to point out that the team's improvement did not simply happen overnight.
"I think it starts with the entire coaching staff, down to all of our support staff, just believing and staying the course," Gelnovatch said. "It just kind of started to evolve. And when you win, and you build upon that, and you're shutting teams out, it's just contagious. You feel better, you're confident, good things start to happen."
Of the eight teams remaining in the tournament, only Virginia, North Carolina and Akron have yet to surrender a goal in it. The Cavaliers - making their first quarterfinal appearance since 2006 - will collide with the Terrapins at 7 p.m. tomorrow at Kl
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