After posting 3-0 and 2-0 victories over Marshall and Long Island last weekend, the 11th ranked Virginia men's soccer team will face a stiff road challenge this weekend when it plays the University of Cincinnati Bearcats (0-1-0) today and then battles the 8th ranked Saint Louis Billikens (2-0-0) on Sunday at the 2004 Saint Louis Nike Classic.
The Cavaliers (2-0) will seek revenge for a 3-2 overtime loss to the Billikens last year in the 2003 Virginia Soccer Classic. In that game, the Cavaliers rallied from a 2-0 halftime deficit to force the game into overtime only to lose on a goal by Saint Louis' David Peplinski. Virginia leads the all-time series against Saint Louis 3-1-2.
These two games will be Virginia's last chance to tune up before the team plays its first ACC match next week against the No. 4 Demon Deacons of Wake Forest. This weekend should also provide insight into how far this year's Virginia team is capable of going. Last year the team started off slowly in the season opening tournaments, and head coach George Gelnovatch's squad wants to prove that this year will be different.
"We jumped on both Marshall and Long Island early in the game and came out high pressure on them, so we don't want to change our approach," senior defenseman Matt Oliver said. "We just want to do the same thing."
If Virginia can score early against Saint Louis, there is a good chance that the Cavaliers will be able to avenge last year's loss to the Billikens on their home turf.
Sophomore Adam Cristman, the Cavaliers' leading scorer last season, netted three goals in last weekend's contests. He is well on his way to matching his 2003 season total of eight goals.
"Two more wins would be a very, very good start," Cristman said about this weekend's tournament. "As for me personally, I would like to get a couple of more goals and keep working towards being a good target and going after balls and being a dangerous forward."
Cristman was one of three Cavaliers to be named to the 2004 Virginia Soccer Classic All Tournament Team for their performance last weekend. Junior defenseman Hunter Freeman and sophomore goalkeeper Ryan Burke also were selected for the honor.
While Saint Louis appears to be the bigger challenge this weekend, the Cincinnati Bearcats cannot be overlooked. The Bearcats, who play in Conference USA, posted a 10-4-6 record last year, losing on penalty kicks in the first round of the NCAA tournament to the University of Kentucky.
The Billikens reached the Final Four of the NCAA tournament last year. They lost to the University of Maryland in the quarterfinal game, 4-2. The Billikens finished the 2003 season with a 14-4-3 record.
The Cavaliers would love to knock off such a high profile opponent. In the words of Matt Oliver: "This will be a very big game."
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