The Virginia men's soccer team will step onto the grass of Klöckner Stadium tomorrow at 7 p.m. for something they haven't seen in four years -- the NCAA quarterfinals.
The last time the Cavaliers made it this far in the NCAA tournament, they fell to Creighton 3-0. This time around Virginia is looking for an opportunity they haven't had since 1997 -- to fly out to California and possibly bring back the College Cup.
Although the Cavaliers will play on their home turf -- something that has been an incredible advantage in the past -- it is complicated by the fact that their opponent, the Duke Blue Devils, have already faced them twice this year. Playing in North Carolina for the ACC tournament, Virginia beat the Devils by a comfortable two-goal margin.
However, when Duke visited Virginia earlier in the season, the Cavaliers won by one goal in a game that involved two Duke ejections -- one after a red card, and one after two yellows -- and a key error by the Devils' keeper Jason Trowbridge that allowed for Virginia's first goal. The tying goal was scored with little over a minute left, and the winning goal was made during overtime.
Now, playing a team they've played twice before could either work as an advantage or disadvantage for Virginia. Senior midfielder/defender Zane Hill said that on the one hand, "You can mentally prepare more for the game. ... We don't expect them to play any different than they have the last two times." On the other hand, though, Hill said it could end up not making much of a difference.
"They're all very solid as a whole," he said. "There's not really one [player] that stands out, which makes it more difficult because they really play well together."
Virginia's biggest advantage in playing Duke again should be in the Cavaliers' preparation for the game. Senior midfielder/defender John Hartman said the past games will serve as an advantage for the Cavaliers.
"To play them again, there are no surprises coming in, which is nice, because with New Mexico we didn't really know what to expect, and preparing for the game was a little bit different," Hartman said.
Some other factors that will probably play a large role in the outcome of the game are the size of the Duke roster, its players' height and the fact that the game is at home.
"With Duke, individually there's not one person that stands out," Hartman said."They're a big team; they have a lot of height so that's one of their biggest strengths. How we deal with that will probably determine our success on Saturday."
Playing the game at home is one factor that should definitely work to Virginia's advantage, though. Since its opening in 1992, Virginia's record at Klöckner has been an incredible 156-23-8, and this season alone the Cavaliers have held a comfortable 12-1-1 record at home.
Virginia's record at home, combined with its record against Duke, give the Cavaliers a strong chance of advancing to the semifinals. All this, plus the fact that it is Virginia's last home game, should prove to make this game one of the most exciting this season.
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