In many sports, the ACC can be considered among the nation’s finest and most competitive athletic conferences. This is especially true of men’s soccer, which makes conference play a nightmare for ACC teams. For the Virginia men’s soccer team, things will only get tougher from here on out. Seven of Virginia’s next 10 games — including four road contests — will be against ACC opponents. Tonight, Virginia will travel to Blacksburg to play its first ACC road contest against Virginia Tech at 7 p.m.
The Cavaliers enter tonight’s game with an above .500 record at 4-3 (1-0 ACC) for the first time this season and are riding a two-game winning streak. Virginia has also recently found a comfortable offensive groove, scoring nine goals during the previous two games. Leading the way has been freshman midfielder Tony Tchani, who has scored four goals in his last two games and seven overall.
Defensively, junior goalkeeper Michael Giallombardo and the Cavaliers have recorded two straight shutouts in Giallombardo’s first two starts of the season. The wins, which included 5-0 and 4-0 routs against N.C. State and Central Connecticut State respectively, showcased strong defensive play and successful scoring attempts on Virginia’s part.
However, everything has not been positive for the Cavaliers. Breakout freshman forward Chris Agorsor had to be carted off the field and taken to the emergency room during Tuesday night’s victory against Central Connecticut State. The Daily Progress reported Wednesday night that Agorsor likely tore both his anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments in his left knee. Although such an injury would put Agorsor out for the season, his official status is unknown. Virginia coach George Gelnovatch stressed his hope for Agorsor’s recovery and remarked about his team’s resiliency after Agorsor went down Tuesday night.
“You know, our message is that we’re all going over to see him and we’re going to hope for a speedy recovery,” Gelnovatch said. “This is just a part of sports, and we’re going to keep going on.”
For the moment, it appears that freshman forward Brian Ownby will replace Agorsor as a starting forward. Ownby, another stellar freshman, has seen significant minutes this year and even recorded a goal Tuesday night after replacing Agorsor.
“Brian did very well, Gelnovatch said. “He came in after the injury, and we wanted to at least [give] him a half. He played a few games, got sick, and now, depending on how Chris is, he may be our starting forward.”
There is little doubt that Agorsor’s injury will limit Virginia. Agorsor has proven to be an electric player with remarkable quickness and scoring ability. Ownby, though, when asked about the impact of Agorsor’s injury, responded that the injury “doesn’t change the gameplan at all,” noting that the Cavaliers “have a lot of good players, who can play that position and do it well.”
Virginia Tech heads into tonight’s rivalry game riding a bit of a rough trend. The Hokies (2-4-1, 0-2 ACC) dropped a close game Sunday at Clemson 3-2 in double overtime and enter tonight’s game in search of their first conference victory. Freshman forward Emmanuel Akogyeram currently leads Virginia Tech in scoring with three goals and one assist.
Tonight’s game is one of great importance for both teams. For Virginia Tech, it offers an opportunity to record the team’s first conference victory and a chance to get its season back on track. Virginia, on the other hand, faces its first ACC road game and will be challenged to match the offensive production it has come up with in its last two contests. To make things more interesting, it is a rivalry game, which makes the outcome of tonight’s game that much less predictable.
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