The No. 8 Virginia men's soccer team will look to steal a conference victory tonight against No. 20 Boston College in Newton, Mass.. The Cavaliers are coming off a 2-1 comeback overtime win against Virginia Tech at home. Boston College, meanwhile, has won or tied three straight games, including a 1-1 tie against conference-leader North Carolina, a team that dealt the Cavaliers a 1-0 defeat three weeks ago.
Tonight's matchup presents Virginia (9-2-2, 2-2-1 ACC) with an opportunity to start its own winning streak as it nears the end of regular play. The Cavaliers, who defeated Boston College (7-2-4, 1-1-3 ACC) 2-0 at home last season, have not played to expectations thus far, but they believe their best soccer lies ahead of them.
"Are we playing as well as we want to? No," junior defender Greg Monaco said. "We definitely need to start clicking a little bit better ... We still have four regular season games to get on the same page. It was around the same time last year when we started clicking on all cylinders."
Last year's national championship-winning team hit its stride during a late-season break in the schedule. This year's schedule may offer a similar window of opportunity - the Cavaliers will play only one game this week and one next week against Maryland. The additional time between games allows the team to spend more time training rather than simply recovering from the previous game.
"It's sort of understandable that we're hitting a wall a little bit," coach George Gelnovatch said. "That's why we've planned for the next two weeks that we don't have a midweek game ... We can actually have a full-roster practice instead of just guys that haven't played [in the previous game]."
The Cavaliers have not only used this week to put in extra work on the pitch but also to regain their health. Sophomore midfielder Ari Dimas and junior forward Brian Ownby played against James Madison and Virginia Tech through illnesses, but both players are back to full strength. Sophomore forward Will Bates, who is tied with Ownby for the team lead in goals with six, is still day-to-day because of an injury he sustained playing against the Dukes.
"We need to get Will Bates healthy," Gelnovatch said flatly.
Virginia's injury bug may only be compounded by playing on Boston College's turf surface. Virginia has not played on turf all season. To prepare for the faster surface, the Cavaliers practiced on a turf field.
"[The turf] usually gets damp and moist, so it gets really slick," Gelnovatch said.
The surface has given Boston College a distinct advantage, as the Eagles have compiled a 5-0-2 home record this season. Scoring will be no easy feat for the Cavaliers, either, who face a defense that has allowed just 12 goals in 13 games. Sophomore goalkeeper Justin Luthy boasts a 0.88 goals against average.
Virginia's own stingy defense, anchored by senior goalkeeper Diego Restrepo, has limited opponents to seven goals all season, but its offense has been inconsistent. The Cavaliers were shut out during both of its losses as well as during the draw against James Madison.
Regardless of how Virginia has played up to this point, the team knows better than anyone else what it takes to peak at the right time. Winning a game at Boston College is a tall order, but the Cavaliers just might be up to the task.
"[Boston College] is a tough place to play," Monaco said. "It's definitely going to be a battle for sure"
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