While some of us were at Halloween parties and fancy dinners on our parents' tabs this weekend, others of us sat in the rain at Klöckner Stadium Friday and went to bars Saturday to watch Virginia's men's soccer and football games. It was a bad weekend for fans of both teams, and the losses by both led me to a little bit of reflection. Who would have thought that, after last fall when Virginia's men's soccer team went to the Final Four, the 2007 Cavaliers would be struggling to go .500 in the ACC? Conversely, after starting the season losing 23-3 at Wyoming, who would have thought that the Virginia football team would be 7-2 and 4-1 in conference games? Both teams were seemingly headed in different directions earlier this week, but both blew huge opportunities this weekend, jeopardizing national rankings as well as potential conference championships.
The soccer team dropped to 9-4-2 overall after blowing a lead Friday night against No. 23 Duke, giving up the game-tying goal with less than two minutes left in regulation and collapsing defensively in the second overtime, again allowing a goal with less than two minutes remaining. The Cavaliers -- previously ranked No. 10 but sure to fall after this loss -- now sit with an abysmal (by Virginia standards) 1-3-2 conference record. With three games remaining on the schedule, the Cavaliers really shot themselves in the foot by losing what should have been a key win against the Blue Devils.
Why, you ask? Well, the two remaining ACC games are on the road against good teams, and Virginia must win both to even finish with a .500 conference record. Saturday night, Virginia hits the road to play Maryland, where it hasn't won since 2001. Six days later, the season finale will be currently-No. 1 Wake Forest, in a game that will be televised nationally on Fox Soccer Channel. The previously undefeated Demon Deacons fell to 12-1-2 after Boston College won this weekend 1-0, but even with the loss, Wake remains one of the best teams in the country.
Had they won the game against Duke, I would be singing a different tune about the Cavaliers' season, as they would have been 2-2-2 in the ACC with two conference games left. Instead, Virginia hits the road next week carrying a 1-2-1 record away from Charlottesville this year, including a 0-1-1 record in road ACC games.
While the soccer team's ship is slowly sinking, the football team may be preparing to follow suit, as evidenced by this weekend's loss to N.C. State.
Everything was going well for Virginia since the week-one loss to Wyoming. The Cavaliers rattled off seven wins in a row, an impressive feat even if five of those victories came by a margin of five or fewer points. They even got themselves up to No. 15 in the BCS Rankings, an achievement that seemed impossible after watching the first game of the season. Fans finally stopped calling for Al Groh's head, and all was well in Charlottesville heading into week nine against a 2-5 North Carolina State team.
The game ... well, you know what happened. I won't make you relive those moments where you wanted to punch the wall (or the Wolfpack fan next to you, if you made the trip). Nor will I mention the name Bowens from here on out. I just don't know what happened. The win was never really out of reach, as N.C. State's biggest lead was only 10 points. But when Jameel Sewell left the game injured with less than eight minutes remaining and Virginia down five, that sinking feeling in my stomach that I hadn't felt since the Wyoming game started creeping back. After backup quarterback Peter Lalich went 2-8 passing, and got sacked three times on Virginia's final drive, it was all over.
During my 24-hour period of sulking, I asked myself, how could we lose to N.C. State? This game shouldn't have even been close. (The Wolfpack's only previous wins came against 1-AA Wofford and East Carolina.) And, like the men's soccer schedule, the Virginia football schedule only gets harder from here. Next week, the Cavaliers take on No. 24 Wake Forest, a team that has won six straight after dropping its first two to Boston College and Nebraska. Then, the Cavaliers play in a harsh environment at Miami, in the Hurricanes' last game in the Orange Bowl before the team moves its home field to Dolphin Stadium. The season finale comes against No. 11 Virginia Tech. Enough said.
So, both teams hurt themselves this weekend. The soccer team could have climbed the ACC standings, but instead found itself falling to seventh out of nine. The football team still leads the ACC Coastal Division, but could have distanced itself from second-place Virginia Tech after the Hokies' loss to Boston College last Thursday. Rather, they lost what should have been a "gimme" game. I know the soccer team is still nationally ranked, and the football team has been overall impressive in winning more games than people thought would happen. But after this weekend, it seems like all the Cavaliers footballers need to turn it around -- and quickly -- if they want to make something of their 2007 seasons.
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