The Virginia men's soccer team begins its quest for a sixth national championship Wednesday night at 7 in Klöckner Stadium. The Cavaliers (15-6) will battle in-state foe William & Mary (14-7-1) for a berth in the third round of the NCAA Championship.
No. 9 Virginia suffered a 1-0 defeat earlier this season at the hands of No. 25 William & Mary, in a game where the Tribe scored early and then weathered a second-half Cavalier offensive onslaught. This loss capped a four-game September losing streak, and the Cavaliers have lost only two games since.
"We went through a stretch" of losing, Virginia coach George Gelnovatch said. "Things like that make or break you -- fortunately, they made us."
William & Mary and Maryland are the only two teams to shut out Virginia's high-scoring offense this season. Last Sunday, the Terrapins overpowered the Cavaliers 3-0 to win the ACC Championship and end Virginia's nine-game winning streak.
Gelnovatch cancelled several practices to allow his team time to regroup after the tough loss. The Cavaliers "can't train again realistically until Thursday," he said immediately following the game.
Virginia played well in its first two games of the tournament, managing to upset then-No. 1 Wake Forest in the semi-finals without taking a single shot on goal. Many players, however, focused on the team's unsatisfactory performance against Maryland.
"I had seven shots, and I should have put some of those away," junior forward and team-leading scorer Alecko Eskandarian said. "It hurts when the other team scores."
Eskandarian broke the Virginia single-season school record with his 23rd and 24th goals of the season against Duke in the first round of last week's ACC Championship.
Eskandarian is "definitely the best player in the country," senior forward Gibbs said. "Definitely the best player I've ever played with."
As a No. 6 seed in this year's NCAA tournament, Virginia enjoyed a bye in the first round and has had a week and a half of rest since its last game. William & Mary did not have this luxury, and had to beat Duke 2-1 in the first round in order to advance.
The Tribe is led by senior forward Ralph Bean, who notched his 11th goal of the season in Friday's game against Duke. William & Mary now has won five of its last six games, with its one loss coming against VCU in the CAA Championship.
The winner of tomorrow night's match will advance to the third round to face either Penn State or North Carolina Sunday.
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