The Virginia women's soccer team has dedicated much of this season to trying to repeat history. At the beginning of the season, the team hoped to match last year's record and capture its second consecutive ACC Tournament title. But today, as they enter the NCAA Tournament where they have been eliminated in the second round for the past two years, the Cavaliers hope to change history, not repeat it.
In many ways, the historical trends going into the NCAA Tournament are good for Virginia. Marking their 18th appearance overall, this is the 12th year in a row the Cavaliers have reached the Tournament and the third consecutive year they are hosting a first-round game. But being upset three years in a row is one historical trend the Cavaliers would like to break.
There are several things working in Virginia's favor, most notably the composition of this year's team, which is quite different from teams in the past two years. With an entire new back line, several fresh forwards (including ACC Freshman of the Year Jess Rostedt) and depth the team has not has in some time, the Cavaliers are looking strong going into the Tournament.
Another key difference this year is the team's health. At this time last year, Virginia could only go one or two deep off the bench. This year, however, only forward Kristen Weiss remains on the injured list, with midfielders Kelly Hammond and Shannon Foley re-entering play shortly before the ACC Tournament.
The biggest factor in how Virginia will fare in the Tournament is how well the freshmen have matured over the course of the year. The freshmen's progress over the year has been remarkable, but even going into the ACC Tournament, there was still concern about some of the new players not being used to the pressure or not knowing how to deal with the tournament setting. Even though Virginia lost, making it as far as the ACC Championship should pretty much put those fears to rest for many Cavalier fans.
"I think that we have a lot of experience," Virginia coach Steve Swanson said. "We've done enough to really put us in position for a good run at the NCAAs."
At this point in the season, the freshmen have seen everything. They've lost in the last 11 seconds of a game, felt what it's like to lose to a team that could have been beaten, seen what it takes to battle it out until the bitter end and figured out how it feels to play in a high-stakes game.
"It's hard losing," senior Noelle Keselica said at the end of the ACC Tournament. "But hopefully we'll learn something from this game and take it going into the [NCAA] Tournament."
And here they are, boasting a 15-5-1 record overall, fresh from the ACC Championships and ready to host an NCAA Tournament weekend for the third year in a row. Cavalier fans can only hope that this year, things will be different.
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