Young and inexperienced. That’s the stigma surrounding the Virginia men’s soccer team as it enters the 2012-13 season, and it is a difficult one to dispute.
That’s because, of the 27 players on the Cavaliers’ roster, only two are seniors. By comparison, 18 players are in their first or second year of eligibility. Even for veteran head coach George Gelnovatch, now in his 17th year with the team, the squad presents an unprecedented deluge of youth to manage.
In the team’s season opening loss to Georgetown last Friday, a 2-1 overtime heartbreaker,
Gelnovatch filled out a lineup card with a combined nine freshmen and sophomores on it for the first time in his long and illustrious career.
“I’ve had five freshmen in the lineup before, but never any combination of nine different underclassmen,” Gelnovatch said. “It’s no surprise to anyone. We are very young and we’re missing a ton of experience.”
Youth and skill are by no means mutually exclusive attributes, however. The Blue and Orange are still bursting at the seams with talent and athleticism. They boast the No. 2 recruiting class in the country. With five of those freshmen — defender Zach Carroll, midfielders Scott Thomsen and Brian James and forwards Darius Madison and Marcus Salandy-Defour — already ostensibly in the rotation, the group has made a strong early impression.
“I am very impressed with the overall talent of the young guys,” Gelnovatch said. “They’re one of the top recruiting classes in the country because they’re good. They’re very good. Make no mistake about that.”
After winning preseason games against Liberty and No. 15 St. Johns — both within the safe home confines of Klöckner Stadium — and conceding no goals in either, coach Gelnovatch believes his team was lulled into “a false sense of security.” The Cavaliers’ inexperience was exposed early and often when they went on the road for the first time to face Georgetown.
After an untimely turnover just outside their own box ended with a Hoya goal barely 20 seconds into the match, the Cavaliers rallied back with Carroll scoring his first career goal in the 70th minute to equalize.
But six minutes into the extra period, an ill-fated defensive clear wound up in the back of Virginia’s net for a game-ending own goal.
Though their miscues highlighted just how unseasoned this Cavaliers’ team is, they also provided precious on-the-job learning experiences for a team so desperately in need of any and all they can get.
“I think getting scored on was a big thing to get out of the way,” Gelnovatch said. “And then, responding, tying the game back up was huge for us. If we’re in that position again, we know we can respond. Nobody’s going to hit the panic button. Those are all invaluable experiences.”
The next opportunity for the Cavaliers to grow will be simpler: seeing senior All-ACC forward Will
Bates fully healthy and back on the pitch again. Bates led the team in scoring last year with 14 goals in only 15 games before tearing the ACL and meniscus in his right knee. He missed the team’s first game with a bone bruise in the same knee and is questionable for this weekend’s home opener. For Bates, it is now a case of being smart while working around his limitations.
“It’s just a matter of managing the pain,” Bates said. “Once you have a major surgery, it’s difficult to come back and feel the exact same. You’re always going to have a bit of pain and soreness.”
Though Gelnovatch will be cautious with Bates, his eventual return to full strength will insert a key offensive cog into the lineup and will provide an additional on-field leader to help fellow senior midfielder Ari Dimas guide the young squad.
“I’m really amped to get back out on the field,” Bates said. “We got a great group of guys that are working hard every day. We have lots of young boys that will keep us older guys fresh, while we can keep them intact and in form. It should be a good system there, with the two working well off each other.”
And although each of Virginia’s next six games will come at home, by no means should their schedule be taken lightly. The Cavaliers, who will be looking to earn their 31st straight trip to the NCAA Tournament this season, will match up against several other teams also harboring high expectations for 2012, including California and UCLA this weekend. The taxing schedule is a challenge that the team fully accepts.
“When you play, you want to play the best teams and see where you stand,” Bates said. “So, it’s nice to have a little home stretch with a bunch of good teams, a lot of NCAA Tournament teams.
When every night’s a challenge it keeps you fresh, it keeps you going and it keeps you working.”
As long as this team continues to work, improve and learn from it’s mistakes, Gelnovatch knows everything else will fall into place for a highly successful campaign.
“The bottom line, the common denominator, is that we all feel that we’re a good team no matter how young we are,” Gelnovatch said. “How quickly we can evolve through games with these new experiences, and get better from them, will determine our future.”
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