The Virginia men's soccer team returns to Klöckner Stadium tomorrow against Wake Forest for their first home game in two weeks.
The Cavaliers' game against Wake will open the in-conference season for both teams and kickoff a two-week home stint.
Virginia (1-3) has yet to win at home this season, going 0-2 in Charlottesville, including a loss to Seton Hall and an overtime defeat to Saint Louis.
The Cavaliers' lone win on the season came last Friday against American University during the Maryland Soccer Classic. Virginia went 1-1 in the tournament losing Sunday to No. 3 UCLA 4-0.
The team's task gets no easier tomorrow when the No. 2 Demon Deacons visit. On the season, Wake has allowed only one goal en route to a perfect 3-0 record.
Unfortunately for the Cavs, offense has been their most pressing problem this season; they've scored only three goals in four games. This lack of offensive punch combined with Wake's defense does not bode well for Virginia's chances in tomorrow's match.
"Honestly, I think we need to keep doing what we're doing; the goals will come," sophomore Hunter Freeman said.
The Cavaliers are certainly creating chances for themselves, with nearly twice as many shots on goal than their opponents this season.
When the team has been able to score, the goals have come late in the game. This was the case against St. Louis when the Cavaliers trailed by two before scoring twice in the final 20 minutes to tie up the game and force overtime.
The two early scores were too much for Virginia to overcome, however, and the Cavaliers went on to lose the match. Falling behind early to the Billikens not only cost the Cavaliers a victory over a top five team, but also marked a developing trend on the season.
Virginia is undefeated when scoring first and has yet to come from behind to win. This is a pattern that is becoming apparent to the team.
"We need to focus more at the beginning of the game," Freeman said.
Virginia coach George Gelnovatch said he feels the team needs to make corrections before they can start to win.
"There's certainly some things we need to take care of," Gelnovatch said.
Despite the record, the team has shown signs of success against one of the toughest schedules in the nation.
This weekend's game will mark the third time this season the Cavaliers play against one of the top three teams in the country. The tough schedule, however, could pay dividends by the end of the season.
"[We] had the chances and now we have to find a way to learn from it, make improvements and keep going," Gelnovatch said.
The learning process will have to be a quick one if the Cavaliers hope to achieve their 23rd straight NCAA tournament birth. Three teams still remaining on the schedule are currently ranked in the top-five (Wake Forest, Maryland and North Carolina) and a fourth (Virginia Commonwealth) is ranked in the top-25.
"We just need to keep plugging away and hopefully [the wins] will come," Freeman said.
Following the Wake game, the Cavaliers remain at home against Mount Saint Mary's next Wednesday.
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