Happy Holidays!
We may have lost touch throughout the course of the semester, but winter is upon us and it’s time again for the Virginia athletic department’s annual Christmas letter. We’ve had a terrific couple of seasons so far this year — mixed with a few disappointments (some things never change). Let us take the next few lines to bring you up to speed on all that’s been happening within our own tight-knit family.
Field Hockey: We are so proud of how well coach Michele Madison and the team did this year. Led by just four seniors and two juniors, our Cavaliers fought into mid-November. They made it to the ACC semifinals, received a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year and proceeded to down James Madison in the first round before being beat by one goal by Wake Forest in the quarterfinals. As one of our more successful programs, we are counting on them to make an even bigger run next fall.
Men’s Soccer: Coach George Gelnovatch and his squad didn’t do too badly either. Though they finished with an unassuming 11-9-1 record, the Cavaliers qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the 29th straight year after making it to the ACC Championship before falling to Maryland by one goal. Along the way, the Cavaliers notched quality wins against Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Duke and a thrilling postseason double-overtime victory against top-ranked Wake Forest. With just two seniors on the team, next year looks promising, too. Assuming nobody decides to switch sports and kick for the football team (though it could probably use the help right now), we should see a significant portion of our roster return for the 2009 season.
Women’s Soccer: To be honest, this team could probably take down the men’s squad. After their season-ending loss to Duke in the NCAA Tournament Round of 16, our Cavaliers finished with a 15-5-3 record on the season — a record as good as any other fall sports team. What’s most impressive about this squad? Despite playing more than twice as many games, it still managed to finish the year with two fewer defeats than our football team (including games in the ACC and NCAA tournaments). But in all seriousness, these athletes had quite a run. They finished the regular season with 12 wins and went on to the ACC Tournament, where they similarly downed Wake Forest in a double overtime thriller. Despite being bounced in the conference championship by Virginia Tech in penalty kicks, they showed up ready to play in the NCAA Tournament, as they beat Army and West Virginia in the first two rounds. Whether it was the motivation from coach Steve Swanson or the leadership of a solid senior class, the Cavalier women’s soccer team proved this year that it is one of our most resilient teams.
Volleyball: We finished with a winning overall record, nine ACC wins and beat Virginia Tech on senior night in one of the tightest matches of the year. Take notes, Al Groh.
Men’s Basketball: Whew. I thought for a second we were going to lose to Radford. Too bad that two-point thriller was followed with a loss to Liberty (UNC, here we come!). Though we’re now 3-3, we’ve shown flashes of great potential. Just last week we almost beat Syracuse ... in the Carrier Dome. Unfortunately, we followed that loss with a terrible showing against the Golden Gophers of Minnesota. Though it’s not clear which team will show up from week to week, coach Dave Leitao has a lot of skill to work with. Sammy Zeglinski has stepped up at point guard, freshman Sylven Landesberg leads the team in scoring, and Mike Scott has pulled down 62 rebounds in six games.
Women’s Basketball: We’ve only played seven games so far and we’ve already beaten Tennessee. At Tennessee. Let’s leave it at that for now.
Football: Though we know Christmas letters are meant to be positive, this team has given us more of a headache than kids on a school bus. From the Peter Lalich saga to four straight losses to end the season, there are not a whole lot of positive things to talk about. But we do have something no other team does ... the Hoocat offense! Take a good look at this year’s roster. There’s a good chance that much of that list will not return because of a) the NFL Draft, b) academic ineligibility, c) stealing beer from a bar or d) marijuana. At least nobody will shoot himself in the leg!
Until next time, stay warm and keep your signs at home!
Happy Holidays,
The Athletic Department
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