On the football field, the quarterback is arguably the most important player. He is responsible for distributing the ball to the playmakers of the offense. In soccer, there is no clear cut "quarterback" of the offense. On the Virginia soccer team, however, Jeremy Barlow is a quarterback figure. Barlow's job on the field is not necessarily to score but more to set up other players to score.
"I'm supposed to get wide and just get these balls into our forwards Yannick [Reyering] and [Adam] Cristman, who have been doing really well this season scoring goals," Barlow said.
Barlow has been performing his job very well so far this season. He currently leads the team with three assists and also has contributed one goal. In a 2-0 victory over N.C. State, Barlow jump started the offense in the 11th minute.
"It was a throw-in from Chris [Tierney], and Yannick flicked it on, and I just ran onto it, got in the box and crossed it across to Adam who put it in," Barlow said.
Virginia coach George Gelnovatch was not surprised at Barlow's production in the N.C. State game.
"I was expecting him to have a very good night because his past two games weren't great," he said.
Barlow's "quarterbacking" skills also are complimented by his blazing speed and extraordinary ability.
"Similar to Nico [Colaluca], Barlow occupies guys because, when he gets the ball, he is so dangerous with it," Gelnovatch said. "He'll run on people, and two guys will come out on him. Whenever he gets someone one-on-one, he's a threat."
Barlow's play, along with the contribution of other midfielders, has allowed the Cavaliers to have a more balanced and creative offensive attack.
"Last year we had players who liked to play the long ball forward to Cristman to play him through," Barlow said. "I think that this year, our midfield has more players who like to hold the ball and just play around to create things."
Success is nothing new to Barlow, who burst onto the scene with a surprising and excellent freshman season. Barlow scored seven goals and had one assist in the 2004 season. He also was named to the 2004 All-ACC freshman team and was named the MVP of the ACC Tournament, which Virginia won.
The Cavaliers continue their season at Old Dominion today. The game looks to be a tough non-conference road test. The Monarchs are not ranked in the latest Soccer America poll but were ranked No. 25 in last week's poll. They lost 2-1 to No. 2 North Carolina Sunday. The leadership of Jeremy Barlow should allow the Cavaliers to take control of the match and return to Charlottesville with a win.
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