The No. 3 Virginia men's soccer team rolls into Germantown, Md. today to try to take home their third ACC championship in four years.
Last year, the Cavaliers had an early exit as they were bumped out by the Clemson Tigers in a 4-1 rout, their worst loss of the season.
Virginia hopes history does not repeat itself as it takes on the Clemson again in the first round of the ACC Tournament.
This year's effort will not be any easier, as the ACC has once again proven to be the toughest conference in the country. Six of the nine teams are in the top 25.
The Cavaliers were 30 minutes away from earning the number-one seed after junior midfielder Nico Colaluca's shot gave Virginia the lead over Wake Forest Friday, but their heartbreaking loss knocked them down to third seed, causing them to face off against a Tigers team coming off a big victory against No. 1 seeded Duke. Clemson had previously struggled, winning just three of eight matches before the Duke victory.
In the regular season matchup between these two teams, the Cavaliers dealt the Tigers their first loss of the season, 1-0, in front of crowd of over 7,400 people. Freshman midfielder Jonathan Villanueva scored the first goal of his career off a terrific feed from sophomore forward Yannick Reyering.
"I thought we took it to them," senior goalie Ryan Burke said. "I'm looking forward to the game. I thought the first half was one of our better halves of the year."
Clemson was less than pleased after the game. The Tigers appeared to have scored a goal in the opening minutes, but the referee claimed it never crossed the line. The play was very close, but regardless of the decision, what matters is that Clemson will have revenge on their mind when they take the pitch today over what they felt was a tainted loss.
Virginia knows all about frustrating losses. The Cavaliers appeared to have created another miracle when Nico Colaluca went to save the ball and set up Ross Labeaux for the equalizer against Wake Forest, only for Colaluca to be called out of bounds.
Virginia knows that with Wake Forest at the No. 2 seed, taking care of business could lead to an exciting rematch in the semifinals.
"We have the ACC Tournament coming up, so that would be a great time to play them again," Colaluca said. "They're a good team, but I think we could have pulled a win off [Friday], and I think we'll pull a win off if we play them again."
The Tigers have a dynamic duo on the offensive side of the ball. Senior forwards Dane Richards and Frederico Moojen have a combined 20 goals and 10 assists on the year and look to add to that total this week. Their experience and talent make them a dangerous combination in the postseason.
Virginia has two experienced stars of its own. Burke and senior forward Adam Cristman have carried the load for the Cavaliers lately. Burke registered a season-high seven saves against the Demon Deacons, and Cristman has scored four of the last five goals for Virginia.
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