Sometimes the scoreboard does not do justice to the true nature of a game. A 4-0 victory is impressive, but Virginia's margin of victory could have easily been twice what it was.
Last night, the Cavaliers absolutely manhandled a Longwood squad plagued by porous defense and a lack of any offensive firepower or initiative. The few times the Lancers got the ball to Virginia's side of the field, the Cavaliers' defense squelched any potential scoring opportunities and prevented Longwood from mustering even one shot on goal -- that is unheard of. Virginia goalkeeper Ryan Burke could have sat down and read Le Monde (he speaks excellent French) while sipping on a glass of sweet tea and it would not have affected the outcome of the game in any way.
Virginia coach George Gelnovatch stayed with the two-forward offensive setup that worked well in the second half of Saturday's game against Charlotte. For the second consecutive game, freshman Yannick Reyering and junior Adam Cristman both scored goals for Virginia.
For the first 15 minutes of play, it looked to me as if Virginia might once again struggle to take control of a game against a clearly inferior squad. Reyering ended that train of thought, however, when his shot from 18 yards out deflected off the hands of the Longwood goalie and came to rest in the back right side of the net. The freshman has now scored in both of Virginia's regular season games.
I have become a big fan of Reyering and hope that other Virginia fans follow suit. He does, however, seem like a player who could use a good nickname. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. My e-mail address can be found in Virginia's online directory.
Another player who deserves mention is midfielder Joe Vide. He creates many scoring opportunities for Virginia on offense and narrowly missed on several shots last night. He's also in my PLCP 311 class, so he garners praise from me for both his play-making ability and his ability to not fall asleep during discussions of corporatism in German politics.
Following the win over Charlotte, Cristman said to be on the lookout for a creative celebration when Ian Holder scored a goal. Holder did score in the 71st minute on a header off a cross pass from Drew Harrison, but an imaginative celebration did not materialize. I was disappointed, but I am going to give Ian a free pass because this game lacked the high level of intensity and competitiveness required for spontaneous ingenuity. But I do hope he has something good up his sleeve for when he scores on a worthy opponent.
Freshman defender Robby Rogers, who has been nursing a hamstring injury, saw his first action of the season last night. He looked a little tentative on the field, but that can be expected for a player coming back from an injury of that nature.
A nice benefit of such a game is that Gelnovatch's bench players got to notch some playing time. They continued to play inspired and fast-paced soccer up until the final whistle. Virginia scored its fourth goal of the night with 16 seconds left.
Virginia now enters a brutal portion of its schedule with a home date against N.C. State this Saturday followed by consecutive road games at Old Dominion and Boston College. Last night's game was a superb confidence-builder, but the real test stills lies ahead. There are many reasons for optimism, but we will know much more about this team's character and potential upon its return from Chestnut Hill.
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