The 2004 season brought much success for the Virginia men's soccer program. Coach George Gelnovatch's squad won the ACC tournament for a second consecutive year and also advanced to the NCAA tournament for the 24th straight season. The campaign ended in heart-breaking fashion, with a 3-1 loss to Duke in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament.
"If you look at it as a progression, it means that we'll get to the Final Four this year," Gelnovatch said, laughing. "It's a difficult thing to win two ACC championships in a row. This team has had the taste of winning."
The Cavaliers hope to build upon the achievements of 2004 to launch them to an even higher plane of accomplishment in 2005. A talented group of returning starters will roam the field at Klöckner Stadium, and they will be joined by an assemblage of well-regarded recruits brought in by Gelnovatch and his staff.
Defending the net will be junior Ryan Burke. Burke played every minute of every game for Virginia last year and notched 64 saves, a 0.99 GAA, six shutouts and .727 saves percentage.
Virginia's defensive backfield will be entirely revamped as Hunter Freeman, Matt Oliver, John Hartman and Jeff Tuman all have moved on from the Cavaliers. Freeman was selected in the first round of the MLS draft, while the other three graduated. Returning defenders Chris Tierney, Zola Short, Matt Williams and Gifford Okatah-Boi should all see opportunities for increased playing time.
"We're trying to get ourselves organized defensively," Gelnovatch said. "We basically lost our back four but kept the rest of ou
r team intact from last year."
Midfield is an area where Virginia has extensive depth. An attacking midfield is an integral part of Gelnovatch's offensive strategy and, accordingly, he has exerted much effort to build a capable medley of midfielders. Starters Jeremy Barlow, Will Hall and Nico Colaluca are all returning for the 2005 season. Barlow and Colaluca both had stellar freshman campaigns in 2004. Also in the mix at midfield are Joe Vide, Matt Poole, Dane Murphy and Sean Hinkle.
"I think we're going to be better at midfield and the attack because we are returning everybody," Gelnovatch said.
At forward, the Cavaliers are led by junior Adam Cristman. Cristman led Virginia with nine goals last season. He is joined up front by Ian Holder, Matt Ayotte, David Rosenbaum and Drew Harrison. Of these four, Holder and Harrison have the most experience. Holder accumulated four goals, four assists and 12 points in 2004. Harrison has made seven starts over two seasons at Virginia.
"It's always going to be competitive with everyone fighting for time," Holder said. "That's what I think creates a winning environment with everyone working hard."
Virginia's recruiting class is headlined by Bakery Soumare, Antonio DiMaggio, Michael Giallombardo and Robert Rogers. Soumare and Rogers are defenders likely to compete for starting spots right off the bat. DiMaggio is a forward, and Giallombardo will give Virginia depth at the goalkeeper position. Others in the recruiting class are Milovan Milosevic, Yannick Reyering, Lee Sandwina, James Taranto, Brandon Lawrence and Joseph Colaluca.
The 2005 recruiting class was ranked ninth in the nation by College Soccer News. Virginia's class is one of five ACC recruiting classes ranked in the top 10. Maryland was ranked second overall nationally, closely followed by Duke in the third spot and North Carolina in the fifth spot. Wake Forest was ranked eighth overall.
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