California is known for its sunshine, movie stars and ... competitive soccer. The Virginia women's soccer team will get a firsthand taste of West Coast soccer as it travels to California to take on take on two nationally recognized programs in this weekend's Santa Clara adidas Classic. Virginia will play No. 10 Stanford Friday and No. 3 Santa Clara Sunday. The Cavaliers will head to California sporting a No. 8 ranking and a 2-0 record. Virginia coach Steve Swanson has experience coaching in California and knows what the Cavaliers will be up against.
"It's the competition and the fact that we're playing away from home" that will make it difficult, Swanson said. "I coached out there for four years, and it's a really good environment that affects your team in more ways than just on the field."
The Cavaliers got off to a great start to the season this past weekend: In two games at Klöckner Stadium, Virginia defeated Delaware 4-0 and also defeated No. 15 West Virginia 3-0. Several Cavaliers turned in stellar performances during Virginia's first two games. Junior defender Nikki Krzysik was named ACC Player of the Week as she recorded one goal and two assists during the weekend. Senior forward Shannon Foley excelled in her return from a 2006 season-ending injury. Foley scored two goals and added one assist in leading Virginia against the Mountaineers. Foley, along with junior forward Jess Rostedt, have combined to form a dangerous offense thus far. Furthermore, redshirt freshman goalkeeper Chantel Jones recorded two straight shutouts in her first two games as a starter.
Virginia will be hard-pressed to succeed this weekend given the caliber of teams it will be facing, not to mention the long trip. Stanford is sporting a 2-0 record and recently won the Terrier Classic in Boston with wins against Boston University and Connecticut. Santa Clara defeated San Jose State at home in its opener 3-2. The Santa Clara adidas Classic also features No. 2 Notre Dame, which will face Santa Clara Friday.
"It will be a tremendous challenge for us," Swanson said. "The teams that we face out there are going to be very strong. But I see it as a great opportunity for us. We're going out there with some momentum, and it's a chance for us to represent our conference and our school."
For Virginia to come back with two victories, it must be able to counter two teams with different strengths. Stanford boasts a strong defense, which allowed it to come away from Boston with two strong wins and two shutouts. Santa Clara, meanwhile, was able to score three goals against a well-regarded San Jose State program in its opener. The Cavaliers are looking forward to testing their mettle against some of the nation's top teams.
"We really don't go out to the West Coast [often], and it will be good [for us] to play West Coast soccer," Krzysik said. "It will be a good test for us to see how we match up against them."
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