The Virginia men's soccer team (4-0-0) has taken care of business at home so far this season, but if they wish to get off to their best start in five years, they will have to do more than that. In order to continue their winning streak, the team will have to defeat the N.C. State Wolfpack in their own den (2-2-0) Saturday.
Fortunately, the Cavaliers have won their last three ACC openers, including a 2-0 decision against the Wolfpack last year. After defeating two top-twenty teams earlier in the season, Virginia has the experience to get their conference season off to the right start.
"It will be a tough game on the road," sophomore forward Yannick Reyering said. "We have to forget about [UCLA]. It will be our first road game, but we have a lot of confidence right now."
Virginia's key to success is no secret; it is their suffocating defense. The Cavaliers have yet to surrender a goal all season, and a large part of this is senior captain and goalie Ryan Burke.
Burke's excellence on the pitch is only equaled by his talent outside of Klöckner Stadium. This year, Burke is one of a very select group of students to live on the Lawn. It is an honor that very few students receive, but one that all can respect. Despite his accomplishments, Burke's humility still shines through.
"All I can do is study hard and hope for the best," Burke said. "I've been fortunate to have a lot of opportunities here both academically and athletically. I just try to make the most of them however I can."
At a University which stresses uncompromised excellence in and out of the classroom, Burke personifies the student-athlete.
On the pitch, Burke has already rewritten Virginia record books. He has already started and played in more games than any Virginia goalie. His 23 career shutouts is also only four shy of tying the all-time mark set by Jeff Causey.
"I told [Burke], we're going to have more shots than the other team," Virginia coach George Gelnovatch said. "All I ask from a Virginia goalkeeper is to make one or two big saves to keep us in the game. He does all the little things right and allows us to win it down the stretch."
Still, Burke is only one piece of a very effective defensive scheme. Matt Poole, Zola Short and Bakary Soumare are just some of the many athletes the Cavaliers have used to prevent great shots from the opposition, allowing win every game played so far this season.
The Wolfpack are coming into this weekend after a dramatic comeback against the American Eagles last weekend in the Duke/Adidas Classic. Trailing by a goal, freshman midfielder Alan Sanchez found the back of the net twice in a fifteen minute span to give N.C. State the improbable 3-2 victory. The accomplishment earned him a spot on the all-tournament team with his teammate, junior forward El Hadj Cisse.
With an astounding seven of the top ten teams in the Soccer America poll being members of the ACC, conference wins will be hard to come by. Virginia must therefore continue to play their stellar defense if they wish to once again reign supreme in the ACC.
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