Though I believe most would agree that a two-day fall break would be much more appreciated, you have got to hand it to the administration for scheduling reading weekend to coincide with one of the biggest sports weekends of the year (and you thought it was the midpoint of the semester).
The incredible sports lineup and the rainy weather of this past weekend meant I got little reading done but rather, took in a full day of college football, playoff baseball and NHL hockey Saturday and an early appetizer of NFL football Sunaday. Luckily for my GPA, I escaped to Clark Sunday afternoon and didn't give into the siren song of another full day on the couch.
Amidst the hysteria of Sports Weekend 2006, there were a couple of notable athletic losses. Friday night, the then-No. 3 men's soccer team lost to then-No. 15 Duke in Durham. Saturday, the football team dropped a game at East Carolina. These two losses got me thinking: U.Va athletic teams can't seem to win away from C'ville.
As a whole, Virginia's athletic program is doing incredibly well. Five of the seven varsity sports are nationally ranked and all of the sports have winning records except for one (I'll give you one guess which doesn't). The one negative trend that sticks out is the 'Hoos's futility on the road.
I did a little research (there's a first time for everything, right?) and found out that this year Virginia is an impressive 31-5 at home, a solid 4-0 in neutral settings, and a dismal 7-14-2 away from Charlottesville. That is quite a disparity between home and road records, and quite frankly, I am at a bit of a loss for what the explanation is.
Are the Virginia. athletic facilities really that much of an advantage to the teams?
Does the travel put that much of a mental strain on the players?
Should Virginia fans give themselves a huge pat on the back for being that much of a boost for the team?
Each program is guilty of contributing to the poor away record. The men's soccer team is 11-2, but both of its losses have come in big games on the road. Women's soccer is 1-2-2 away from home. I think we all know how the football team has fared this season.
Field hockey was riding high with a 7-1 record, including a huge win against North Carolina, then lost two straight at Boston College and at Boston University, respectively. The volleyball team began the year 7-2, then went down to Virginia Tech and got dominated by the Hokies. What was the remedy? Three straight home wins, including redemption against that same Tech squad.
One possible explanation for the road woes could be that teams scheduled too many weaker teams at home early in the season and then were not ready for the tests that followed away from home. But I am not sure that is the case. Men's soccer brought in three quality teams to start of the season in Davidson, nationally-ranked UC-Santa Barbara and UCLA. Volleyball took an alternate route, playing two tournaments away before the start of conference season.
I will admit that the ACC is a tough conference in any sport. I would not be surprised if the majority of schools receive good fan support and create daunting environments for visiting schools, regardless of the sport. Take U.Va. soccer, for example. A packed Klöckner Stadium is an intimidating place for opposing teams to play, and so far this year, it has seemed to give a distinct lift to the Hoos.
An interesting point about the fall season is that, aside from the home crowd, there isn't a distinct advantage to being the host team built into any of these fall sports. Baseball, for example, provides an obvious benefit in that the home team gets to bat last. Home teams, therefore, know exactly how many runs will be needed to win the game if it comes down to the last inning. Furthermore, in baseball there is not a standard configuration of outfield fences or foul territory, so the host benefits from being familiar with the intricacies of its home park.
While the home records of the Cavaliers' are undoubtedly impressive, it is an ominous trend to be repeatedly losing away from home. Championship teams are able to overcome the obstacles associated with playing on the road. Here's to more success on the road during the stretch runs of the respective seasons.