Eager to come back from a four-game stretch featuring just one win, the Virginia men's soccer team travels to Clemson, S.C. tonight to tackle the ACC rival Tigers at historic Riggs Field.
After last week's disappointing loss against then-No. 4 North Carolina and earlier home losses to Liberty and Charlotte, the Cavaliers (5-4, 1-1-0 ACC) hope to get back on track. Clemson (3-4, 1-2-0 ACC) will try to continue a recent streak of relatively good play as it rebounded from three consecutive losses with back-to-back wins in double overtime.
Virginia still can take away several positives from its 3-0 defeat against North Carolina last Friday. The Cavaliers appeared to be the more aggressive team and controlled the possession, especially during the second half. Virginia created numerous scoring opportunities but ultimately had nothing to show for them.
"Things just aren't going our way right now," redshirt junior defender Sean Hiller said. "We just have to keep chugging along. [We] keep working hard in practice and hoping things will change. One game could change the whole entire season."
Missed opportunities plagued the team against the Tar Heels but also gave Virginia's players added motivation to bounce back and work harder. If the Cavaliers can continue the level of play they exemplified against North Carolina, conference success should follow.
"We got pretty frustrated," senior midfielder Felipe Libreros said. "That's why we didn't get the chance to finish it, but I think the attitude towards the second half was very positive. We came out to win the game."
After a hectic start to the season, things finally seem to have calmed down for the Cavaliers. They faced three top-25 teams during the past three weeks, a tough stretch which may have taken its toll on the team. The squad has relished its recent seven-day stretch between games, the longest such break this season.
"The biggest thing [this week] is rest," coach George Gelnovatch said. "It's been a hard stretch for us. The next two weeks we have no midweek game ... We'll get some guys back healthy and try to get a couple of conference wins."
Clemson hosts the Cavaliers on the heels of two straight miraculous victories. Both wins came off the foot of freshman forward Brynjar Benediktsson, who scored the game-winning goal during both games with less than 30 seconds left in the second overtime.
Although Clemson can claim a momentum advantage entering tonight's game, Virginia still dominates the Tigers statistically. Offensively, the Cavaliers lead Clemson in goals, assists and shots per game. Virginia also leads the Tigers in goals against average, though the fact that both teams rank at the bottom of the ACC in the defensive category suggests the game could turn into a high-scoring shootout. That type of game suits junior forward Will Bates, who is still looking to reach double digit goals after the Tar Heels kept him off the score sheet during the 3-0 shutout.
Virginia took last year's match at Clemson, 1-0, on a goal by junior midfielder Ari Dimas, but two years ago the Tigers came out on top when the game was played at Kl
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