Before he enrolled in the University, Virginia senior midfielder Steve Totten found out a broken jaw can come in handy once in a while. The quiet Allentown, N.J., native suffered a bone-breaking blow to the jaw in the fall of his senior year of high school, which made for interesting conversation - or lack thereof - during his men's soccer recruiting visit to the University.
"I went up for a header, and the goalie came out to punch the ball and punched my jaw instead," Totten said. "I guess it's not the ideal situation for my last year of high school, but on [recruiting] visits, it was kind of convenient. All I could do was sit there -- I didn't have to make any small talk with the coaches."
Craig Reynolds, the Virginia men's soccer assistant coach, remembers sitting at a table with Virginia coach George Gelnovatch at the Outback Steakhouse and enjoying a nice, thick cut of prime rib, while Totten sipped milkshake after milkshake through the slight opening in his wired-shut jaw.
We "just asked [Totten] yes or no questions," Reynolds said. "We knew he was kind of quiet, but I don't think we realized the broken jaw really had that little of an effect."
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But the No. 2 Cavaliers (9-0-1) discovered quickly that Totten's easy and self-effacing demeanor belies his fierce competitive spirit.
"I never try to do anything I can't do when I'm out on the field," Totten said. "I'm not the most athletic kid. I'm actually fairly slow. That means my feet are also a little slow, so I just try to work hard on defense, help organize the team. When the ball comes to me, I move it as quickly as I can so the other team can't get set and so that I can get it to someone who can do something special. I do whatever I can as simply as possible. I try not to do anything flashy with the ball."
"He makes up for his unflashiness by being very in tune with what's going on in the game," Reynolds said. "He's always alert to where he needs to be and where his teammates need to be. You get a lot for your money with Steve. He's a really smart player, and he does it for 90 minutes, not 60 or 45. He stays mentally tough for the whole game. Players like him are hard to find."
Although his coaches and teammates think highly of him, Totten does not have a glorified opinion of himself. In fact, he is often the object of his self-deprecating sense of humor.
"I'm really slow - that's my biggest weakness," Totten said. "If you ask anybody on the team, they're probably also going to say my speed and my quickness, if they're not the same thing. I try and do whatever I can to get away with it. If our team ran a race, I might be able to beat, on a good day, two people. But, fortunately for me, soccer is a game you can find ways to get around some of your weaknesses."
Totten still cannot figure out how he was named one of Virginia's co-captains as a sophomore, but he has held the position ever since.
"I can't really explain how it happened," Totten said. "I'm guessing it was all the first and second years who voted for me because I don't think any of the older guys want some younger kid telling them what to do. My poise and organization are probably my biggest assets on the field. I personally try to keep track of what everyone on our team is doing, making sure we're all shifting and moving together, and pretty much playing as a team and not as individuals."
"Steve's not a vocal captain," Reynolds said. "I know this sounds clich
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