A walk-on who had to claw his way onto the starting squad, Ari Dimas has become an unlikely yet pivotal piece of the men's soccer team's starting 11.\nDimas, a sophomore midfielder, has scored only two goals on the year, yet both have been game-winners. He broke a 0-0 tie against Clemson in the 88th minute Sept. 25 and scored another game-winner on a penalty kick in the 81st minute to defeat Liberty Oct. 5. His first goal as a Cavalier came in the 2009 NCAA Tournament third-round match against Portland. He found the net in the 46th minute to give Virginia the 1-0 victory and moved his team one step closer to the national championship it would eventually capture.
The 5-foot-5, 134-pound sophomore midfielder, who is double majoring in philosophy and sociology, came to the University in 2008 intent on playing soccer. During his first semester, he did just that - with the women's varsity team's practice squad.
Now Dimas has become part of what coach George Gelnovatch described as "a handful of guys who make this team go."
Dimas was born in Naples, Italy and moved around the globe throughout his youth until his family settled in Chesapeake, just before he started high school. He graduated as the valedictorian of his class and was a standout player for Indian River High School. Except for a few Division III offers, though, Dimas was not recruited to play at the collegiate level.
"It came down to: Do I want to play more than I want a good education, or do I want to be a student first and then maybe have a chance to play?" Dimas said. "U.Va. offered the best chance."
During the 2009 spring semester, Dimas was closing in on that opportunity. He participated in a semester-long trial after training with the women's practice squad during the fall and immediately impressed Gelnovatch with his work ethic.
"He was among the top three or four in all of our [fitness] tests," Gelnovatch said. "He got our attention right away."
By the end of the spring, he had secured a spot on the team.
Throughout the following fall, he was limited to the role of a substitute until he broke into the starting lineup against N.C. State during the final game of the regular season. He started against Wake Forest during the semifinals of the ACC Tournament and never looked back, starting the remainder of the team's postseason matches.\n"He epitomized what we were about," Gelnovatch said, referring to his team's record-setting defense in 2009.
Indeed, it's difficult to keep the midfielder off the field because of his relentless work ethic and fearless attitude. This season, that style of play has made Dimas one of five players on the roster who have started all 14 matches. Playing full-time with the No. 11 Cavaliers has helped Dimas develop his game.
"He's able to pull off more soccer stuff," Gelnovatch said. "Most of his game was work-rate, tackling, big heart - that kind of stuff. He still has that stuff but he has now taken more of a role in playmaking."
Dimas prides himself on bringing energy to each match. Gelnovatch noted, however, the midfielder also provides crucial flexibility in attack and is an omnipresent pest for opposing attackers. It is not uncommon to see Dimas begin a counter-attack with a solid tackle, followed by prompt and accurate distribution of the ball to his teammates. Dimas also takes many of the team's corners and free kicks.
"He's great at whipping [crossed] balls in," redshirt junior midfielder Jimmy Simpson said. "He's basically a model to the team as what we need to be as individual players."
For now, "the little man," as Simpson amicably refers to Dimas, doesn't have specific long-term plans for his soccer or academic career. He does hope, though, that he can be a "spark plug" again for the Cavaliers as they prepare for another postseason run.
Read More
How Morgan Schwab has helped continue the prestige of Virginia women’s lacrosse
By Peter Kratz | 9 hours agoAs the Cavaliers approach the NCAA enactment , they will be relying on Schwab to make a run at a national title.
Connor Shellenberger and Cole Kastner selected in the PLL Draft
By Xander Tilock | YesterdayConnor Shellenberger and Cole Kastner will proudly represent the Cavaliers through continued excellence in the PLL.
No. 6 women’s tennis breezes through first two rounds of NCAA Tournament
By Grace Gould | YesterdayNo. 6 Virginia women’s tennis hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament over the weekend, competing against Long Island University and No. 41 Princeton.
