For 27 consecutive seasons, the Virginia men’s soccer team has hosted an NCAA Tournament game. Tonight, Virginia will bump that number up to 28 when it hosts Connecticut in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Virginia (11-8-1, 4-4 ACC), the 10-seed, earned a first-round bye and was awarded a second-round home game against the winner of the first-round game between Connecticut and Fairfield. The Huskies (10-4-6, 6-3-2 Big East) punched their ticket to Charlottesville Friday night after defeating Fairfield 1-0. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at Klöckner Stadium.
“We worked really hard, especially in the ACC Tournament, and we put ourselves in a good position,” Virginia junior midfielder Ross LaBauex said. “We worked hard to get this home game, and to be able to play at home is great for our fans.”
Virginia will enter tonight’s game with no shortage of confidence as it attempts to advance to the Round of 16. The Cavaliers are coming off an impressive run in the ACC Tournament where they pulled out two important victories before falling short in the ACC Championship game to Maryland.
Virginia knocked off Duke, which defeated the Cavaliers earlier this season, as well as No. 1 Wake Forest, which was previously undefeated and also defeated the Cavaliers in the regular season. With two huge wins in three days Virginia advanced to the conference championship game, where it faced Maryland.
Virginia’s great run, however, ended when Maryland took down the Cavaliers 1-0 to earn the conference championship. Virginia’s play at the ACC Tournament did not go unnoticed by the NCAA Tournament selection committee, and the team was awarded the tournament’s 10th seed in recognition of its difficult schedule and strong play during the conference tournament. In fact, Virginia has the most losses of 16 teams that earned a first-round bye. The team was rewarded for its tough late-season play and difficult schedule, which featured seven NCAA Tournament teams.
“It’s definitely a good seed,” senior defender Matt Poole said. “Maybe our record isn’t as good as others, but I think we deserve it. The ACC is a really tough conference.”
Connecticut travels to Charlottesville with a bit of lingering doubt. The Huskies had an up-and-down season that featured big wins against programs such as Notre Dame, Louisville and Cincinnati but showcased surprising losses and ties to programs such as Providence, Georgetown, Yale and Pittsburgh. The Huskies also suffered a 1-0 first-round loss to DePaul — a team that did not receive a bid to the NCAA Tournament — during the Big East Tournament a few weeks ago.
Nevertheless, Connecticut has a strong program with a history of success. The Huskies won the Big East Championship in 2007 and also featured arguably the best player in college soccer. Then-junior forward O’Brian White won the Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy in 2007, which is considered to be the most prestigious individual award in college soccer. White had hoped to earn that honor a second time this year while leading Connecticut onto a national championship. That dream, however, appears to be fading as the Huskies have not lived up to the standard they set last season. White, who started in all of Connecticut’s first 14 games, has not played in the team’s last six games. Connecticut has not released an official statement regarding White’s status, but injury is suspected. Despite White’s absence, he still managed to earn Big East Offensive Player of the Year honors for the second consecutive season.
Whether White is ready to go or not, Connecticut seems likely to present a tough challenge for Virginia. Despite their inconsistent season, the Huskies have proven themselves capable of beating anyone on any day.
Virginia coach George Gelnovatch “has scouted them a little bit, and we know their weaknesses,” Poole said. “But we will just stick to our game plan and do what we do best.”
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