The Cavalier men's soccer team will host in-state rival Old Dominion University this afternoon in a key non-conference match.
Virginia has had a bumpy fall season this year, posting an 8-5 overall record and a 2-3 record in the ACC.
"We don't spend too much time looking back," Coach George Gelnovatch said. "That four-game losing streak was almost like a preseason for us, we didn't have a lot of bodies for one reason or another."
However, the team has demonstrated strong winning consistency for games at Klöckner Stadium, attested to by their impressive 7-0 undefeated home record.
"We're still at a point where winning is good," Gelnovatch said, but "we really need to win our share of the next five games."
The Cavaliers will enter tonight's match with energy and confidence from two crucial victories over Liberty on Wednesday, 5-2, and Duke on Sunday, 3-1.
The Blue Devils faltered as Virginia took the lead early in the game. The pivotal scoring by junior forward Alecko Eskandarian, senior forward Ryan Kelly and senior forward Rob Wright gave the Cavaliers the critical ACC win over 18th-ranked Duke.
"It's enormous to be ahead early," Kelly said.
Eskandarian was named ACC player of the week for the second time this season, after capturing his 18th goal of the season against the Blue Devils last weekend, and establishing himself as the country's leader in scoring.
"We still have a lot of work to do," Eskandarian said.
The Monarchs bring a 6-5, 3-1 CAA record to the game, after splitting a set last weekend, with a win over Delaware and a loss to Towson.
The Cavaliers have won 13 of the 19-game series with ODU.
Several of the weathered Cavalier players have come through in big ways this season and are expected to have a strong input in tonight's game.
"Getting solid play out of guys like Ryan Kelly and [sophomore midfielder] Zane Hill is really big for us," Gelnovatch said. "Ryan had ACL surgery last season so his first competitive soccer game was this September, so it's really big to have him playing solidly. It's also great to have [senior midfielder and defender] Kenny [Arena] back."
Virginia will have to be patient when in possession of the ball and maintain focus throughout the game, not to mention throughout the remainder of the season.
"I think that we're much improved. We're really coming out together more and we're much better on the board," Kelly said.
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