This past weekend I did something that may have brought shame to my father and his family name. Before you start jumping to conclusions about underage drinking, college debauchery, and possible jail time, let me set straight the cause of my potential martyrdom: I attended two UVA men’s soccer games. This doesn’t sound too serious, but in my family it is understood that being associated with soccer is down there with multiple homicides and reckless endangerment. However, college is a time to rebel and I decided to give soccer a chance.
Virginia was ranked No. 3 in the Soccer America preseason poll and retained that position when the new rankings came out Monday, thanks to two 1-0 victories over Davidson and No. 21 UC- Santa Barbara. The men’s soccer schedule is packed with ranked opponents this fall, including four of the top-six teams. Also, four of the six ranked teams remaining on the schedule will visit Charlottesville, giving students a great chance to see the highest level of college soccer right in their own backyard.
Virginia is led by senior goalkeeper Ryan Burke, a four-year starter who was incredibly reliable in the two shutouts. Burke’s leadership on the field can be heard as well as seen, as he positions the defense in front of him. Burke was especially impressive in the UCSB game, in which it felt like the ball was in the Virginia defensive zone for almost the entire first half, not to mention the rush of corner kicks at the end of the game.
I’ve been really impressed with the Virginia defensive unit as well. Matt Poole seems to be everywhere on the field and usually controls the ball to set up offensive breaks. Bakary Soumare (one of the best names ever) takes advantage of his size and strength to force opponents off the ball. Matt Williams and Zola Short were both solid, visibly stepping up their games against a feisty UCSB squad.
An ankle injury may have limited Yannick Reyering’s fanciness with the ball, but he is still getting the job done, scoring the deciding penalty kick against Davidson and assisting on the game-winner against UCSB. Freshman Jonathan Villanueva is the fan favorite; he displayed flashy moves and great quickness as he weaved his way through the defense all weekend. It was his ability to beat defenders that led to the penalty kick for Reyering in the 22nd minute against Davidson. Sunday’s hero, Jeremy Barlow, has provided a spark off the bench in each of the first two games.
I knew that goals in soccer were rare (unless the women’s team is playing Syracuse and nets six. By the way, are they called the Orangewomen? That seems unnecessarily awkward) but I wasn’t expecting the celebration that followed Jeremy Barlow’s goal in the 47th minute on Sunday since there wasn’t such a commotion after Yannick Reyering’s penalty kick on Friday. I suppose the nature of a sudden goal through traffic to take the lead against an aggressive UCSB team just two minutes into the second half would cause an overall effect on both the team and the crowd comparable to a 60-yard-touchdown pass. As UVA starters and reserves were jumping up and down at the corner sideline, it became clear that the explosion of enthusiasm from the players after a goal really gets the crowd fired up as well.
The energy was not always positive though. Fireworks went off in the 42nd minute when the UCSB players and coaches went crazy over a foul call on a hard slide tackle on Reyering on the sideline. When all was said and done, UCSB defender Alfonso Motagalvan and head coach Tim Vom Steeg were ejected via red card. The UVA public address announcer did not miss a beat, giving the (paraphrased) warning, “The Atlantic Coast Conference promotes sportsmanship from its players, coaches, and spectators.” Needless to say it was a lot of fun to be on Virginia’s side.
Overall, soccer matches are mad chill to attend. It’s a great atmosphere for hardcore fans to get into the game, new observers to learn about it and more relaxed viewers to socialize, opening up niches for students of varying degrees of interest in the sport. During the games this weekend, my friends and I came up with a system of issuing yellow and red cards to annoying or out-of-line individuals in our daily lives, a more enjoyable alternative to confrontation enhanced by the dramatic flair with which one can pull the card from his or her pocket.
Anyways, attending these first two matches of the season has made me wish I had gone to some when I was a first and second-year. Your first chances to catch Virginia soccer fever are tomorrow against George Mason and Sunday against No. 6 UCLA. Both games are at 7 p.m. at Klöckner Stadium. I would definitely recommend that everyone check out the Hoos sooner rather than later. I plan to keep attending, at least, as long as Dad keeps paying tuition.Read More
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