The No. 11 Virginia men's soccer team is looking to end the season in strong fashion tonight as they battle against the Owls of Temple in Klöckner Stadium at 7.
Virginia will honor seven of its seniors tonight as they play their final regular season game at home.
A win tonight will give the Cavaliers an overall record of 13-5 and cap off a perfect home record of 12 victories.
Temple (6-12-1, 3-7-1 A-10) just recently tied Xavier last Sunday and will be looking to step up their play against Virginia by ending their perfection at Klöckner.
In a rain-soaked game, the Cavaliers found the back of the net twice and handed Pittsburgh their ninth loss on Tuesday night. It was not the best display of skill for Virginia but the team attributes that to the weather.
"I like nice sunny, 80-degree, dry conditions," senior forward Ryan Gibbs remarked.
Gibbs is still recovering from an injury earlier this season and should be ready to go for tonight's match and the upcoming ACC tournament, where they will face Duke in the first round.
Coach George Gelnovatch expressed his concern with Gibbs's injury and knew that Tuesday's weather was not beneficial to him.
"Gibbs is still not at 100 percent, but this kind of weather doesn't help a guy like him," Gelnovatch said.
The Cavaliers have been winning consistently since their last two losses, one to William & Mary and an overtime loss to Clemson. These setbacks have been a constant reminder of the bitter taste of defeat for the Cavaliers, which has only motivated them to succeed over the past several weeks.
"The William & Mary game was rock bottom for us," junior midfielder Ryan Kelly said.
"It's something we need to remember and keep with us," Gibbs added.
The season has been full of ups and downs for Virginia, who went on a four-game skid earlier this season, which is indeed uncharacteristic of a team who just one year ago finished the regular season 16-0-1.
The Cavaliers finally have regained their winning mentality through a productive offense that is complemented by a physical and tenacious defense.
Senior defender Jonathan Cole will look to anchor the defense against Temple tonight while fellow senior midfielder Kenny Arena will try to control the middle third of the field.
"We're getting better and better at the right time," Kelly said.
Virginia is now focused and determined to go into the ACC tournament and take the competition by storm. Most of the players share the same view toward the next few weeks; they want to win both the ACC and NCAA championship and prove to everyone that they do belong in the high ranks of college soccer.
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