After a disappointing road trip, the Virginia men's soccer team has returned to its winning ways, defeating Marshall 3-0 last night at Kl ckner Stadium and recording its second straight shutout victory.
In their eighth non-division game, the Cavaliers exhibited a newfound confidence that resulted in 25 shots on goal and the kind of strong teamwork the Cavaliers had been lacking.
Freshman midfielder Joe Vide scored off a corner kick 12 minutes into the first half. It was his first goal as a Cavalier.
"I had a good feeling about tonight, and everybody was rooting for me," Vide said. "This was the best game I've had."
In the past two games, the freshman Cavaliers have been able to prove how talented they are. Rookies Phillip Long and Paul Johnson had a goal and an assist, respectively in Saturday's defeat of N.C. State.
"With the way this season has been going, it's been hard for the freshmen to get any type of rhythm or confidence," Virginia Coach George Gelnovatch said of his newest players. "They have not been able to show what they're capable of doing."
The newcomers have seen a huge increase in playing time during this homestand thanks to the new attitude of the team, which ended the previous four-game losing streak, the program's worst run since 1980.
"We've had to crawl, fight, kick and scratch ourselves out of the hole we dug ourselves," Gelnovatch said. "Our mentality is to just be humble and match the other team's assertiveness and aggressiveness."
The Cavaliers regained their forward momentum after Saturday's 4-0 victory over the Wolfpack.
"We're just passing better, playing better," junior forward Alecko Eskandarian said. "It's a whole attitude change."
As always, Eskandarian himself was an integral part of Virginia's win, scoring two of the three goals, raising his season total to 12.
Eskandarian scored in the 30th minute off a quick header by junior midfielder Ryan Kelly followed by a cross from junior midfielder Jacob LeBlanc. The keeper came out to counter LeBlanc's move, but the ball rolled past his fingertips and Eskandarian knocked it into the empty goal, making the score 2-0 in favor of Virginia.
Marshall recognized the threat of Eskandarian, and tried to defend him with 6-foot-5 midfielder Dennis Ahebwa.
"I'm not intimidated," Eskandarian said.
Eskandarian scored again in the 25th minute of the second half off a penalty kick. It was the fifth time he'd scored two goals in a single game this season.
"Its an honor for me to be in the top 10," Eskandarian said of his new status as the No. 8 all-time leading scorer in Virginia history. "I can remember every one."
The Cavaliers play Hartwick Friday as the last game of this homestand, then travel to Clemson on Sunday, for their fourth ACC game.
"We have a very confident team right now," Vide said. "We just have to make sure we don't get too confident. "We have to get back out there and keep the momentum going."
Gelnovatch likens this season to the economy. "We had a bit of a recession, a slow start, but all signals are for a good rebound," he said.
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