Only one men’s soccer team in the country opened its season with more than five straight home games. Virginia made it seven. Even as Oregon State and Florida Gulf Coast and UCLA came trekking across the country to Charlottesville, Virginia never budged from its facilities.
The cushy period is over.
Virginia’s ACC schedule starts in earnest Saturday when it visits Wake Forest and then No. 1 Stanford. The question is whether the Cavaliers, who are 3-3-1 after starting the season ranked No. 11, are ready. Three beat writers discuss.
Virginia’s wobbly start included losses to UCLA, High Point and FGCU. Has your idea of the team’s ceiling shifted since preseason?
Michael Liebermann, Senior Associate: Ultimately, no. Virginia has dealt with a rash of funky obstacles — some of them self-imposed — that are responsible for the losses more than any underlying weakness.
There is a sense within the team that they’re building. That even though they started off with three losses in four — couldn’t see out the last five minutes of a game, for crying out loud — they then beat Boston College, drew a very strong Oregon State and handled business against Liberty.
But it is getting more difficult to rationalize some of these results. Virginia again looked disoriented in moments against Liberty, and it has looked suspect defensively. Gun to head — Virginia is going to be soaring by the NCAA Tournament.
Mofe Akande, Staff Writer: Not quite. Despite the uncharacteristic losses to kick off the season, Virginia was rather sharp. Grasping for stability after early injuries from third-year forward Arnold Matshazi and second-year forward Sami Oulouheu resulted in some early inconsistencies and new faces needing to step up earlier than expected. The depleted attack caused some instabilities reflected in a record that is surely no testament to who this team really is.
As the Cavaliers start to mold into form after solid performances against ranked Oregon State and a methodical dismantling of Boston College, it is only up from here as to what they can accomplish after early adversity. ACC play will be the final determinant factor of that.
Noah Cinel, Staff Writer: What’s shifted for me is less the ceiling and more the floor.
I don’t think abandoning the preseason optimism is warranted just yet. The losses to UCLA and FGCU are bad, yes, but at the very least, the loss to High Point felt fluky. Like we saw against Oregon State, this squad is entirely capable of dominating ranked teams, even though that game resulted in a tie.
While I didn’t expect this team to look this disjointed against mid-major opponents, the pieces are undeniably still there. It’s just a matter of whether or not they can put it all together. I think if they win a couple games back to back and really hit their stride, the ceiling we talked about during preseason is absolutely still attainable.
What’s one storyline that people aren’t talking about?
ML: The creakiness in the back line. Virginia has conceded a handful of inexplicable goals and chances this season.
Look just at its game against Liberty. The Flames scored early — in transition, a specific concern — and then pulled one back in the second half, while also forcing fourth-year goalie Caleb Tunks into two massive saves.
The struggles are tough to explain. Defenders fifth-year Sebastian Pop and second-year Zach Ehrenpreis started 19 and 18 games last season on a team that played stout defense, and Virginia’s wing backs in its 3-5-2 also returned. After four games, Coach George Gelnovatch even switched goalkeepers.
MA: New signees in the attack maturing early. After early injuries in the offense within the first three matches of the new campaign, first-year forwards Prince Abanfo and Chase Duke had no choice but to lace up and deliver for the squad. In their first starts, Abanfo scored a goal and Duke assisted on one, showing how talented the attack is throughout. Even in a supporting role off the bench, Abanfo was able to immediately affect the match against Liberty, solidifying a 3-2 victory.
With the grueling ACC schedule that is to come, the productivity throughout the bench will be a vital asset for a Virginia bunch hoping to top the conference once again.
NC: Fourth-year midfielder Brendan Lambe’s resurgence and propulsion into stardom deserves much more attention than it has garnered. The midfielder and captain is leading the team in combined goals and assists, a stat which is incredibly impressive for more of a box-to-box midfielder, especially one who missed 11 games due to injury last year.
This kind of production from the middle of the park can be a stabilizing thread for the team as a whole, even when other parts, namely the defense, is struggling. If Lambe continues at this level of play, he could end up being one of the stories of the season. This kind of renaissance in the midfield, and his resilience as a whole, is something the team can really rally behind as they look to go on a run.
What’s the most interesting challenge facing Virginia in ACC play?
ML: I’m interested to see how the team copes with its first road trip. This will be a brutal back-to-back, at Wake Forest and then in California at No. 1 Stanford.
Gelnovatch said that knowing this two-game stretch was coming was part of the reason why Virginia decided not to leave home in the non-conference schedule. That, and wanting more time at home to fit together the parts of a new team. But I wonder if the first road trip might tell us anything new about the team.
MA: The travel waiting for Virginia in the leadup to the ACC Tournament. A crucial factor for teams can be their rest right before the conference tournament. Virginia’s first-round bye helped propel the team to the ACC final last year.
If the Cavaliers take care of business, finishing off two of the last three matches away — at Duke and at Syracuse — won’t be a hurdle. But if not, closing with Pittsburgh at home may be their only real chance at rest before facing a good amount of mileage in the ACC Tournament, and potentially in the NCAA Tournament.
NC: Depth. Virginia has tossed around a handful of combinations so far. But soon enough we’ll find out whether Gelnovatch trusts his bench to play high-level ACC minutes.
With the trips to Wake Forest and Stanford ahead, the schedule doesn’t get any kinder, and with injuries and suspensions already proving to be an issue, the Cavaliers will need every man ready. If injuries continue to pile up or if fatigue creeps in, it could come heavily into play.
Michael Liebermann is a senior associate on the sports desk and formerly served as a sports editor for the 136th term of The Cavalier Daily. He is a fourth-year College student, majoring in English in the literary prose concentration. Michael is from Westfield, N.J., and enjoys writing about men’s soccer, basketball and lacrosse. Outside of The Cavalier Daily, Michael is involved in Men’s Club Soccer and the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity.
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