Looking back on the 2008 Virginia men’s soccer season, one can come away with only one clear conclusion: It was like no other season in recent memory. Not only did Virginia start more freshmen players, but one true freshman and one redshirt sophomore — both of whom were injured for most of the season — led the team in scoring. The Cavaliers, who finished the season with a 11-9-1 (4-4 ACC) record were defeated 2-0 by Connecticut last Tuesday, ending the young team’s season.
Despite its youth, Virginia managed to achieve more than it probably could have hoped for. The Cavaliers reached the NCAA Tournament for the 29th straight year — the longest active streak in the NCAA — and played well enough to earn a first-round bye and the tournament’s 10th overall seed. Virginia also pulled off an amazing run in the ACC Tournament, in which the Cavaliers knocked off heavyweights Duke and then-No. 1 and undefeated Wake Forest to reach the conference championship game.
Junior goalkeeper Michael Giallombardo said he has few regrets about the Cavaliers’ campaign.
“I think it was a good season,” Giallombardo said. “Any time you can put as many freshmen on the field as we did and play as well as we did is great.”
The 2008 squad was undoubtedly one of the youngest teams coach George Gelnovatch has put together compared to the past few seasons. Virginia played seven freshmen during the course of the season, six of whom started a majority of the games in which they played. Midfielder Tony Tchani and forward Chris Agorsor led the stellar group of freshmen and provided steady offensive ability before both suffered season-ending injuries. Freshman defenders Shawn Barry, Hunter Jumper and Howard Turk also combined to form a strong defensive nucleus around which Virginia should be able to build during the next three years.
“Playing all those freshmen, losing guys to injury and getting to the ACC Championship was [a] great experience for our young team,” Giallombardo said.
With all these experiences behind them, the Cavaliers figure to have an excellent team for 2009. Virginia will lose only two seniors this season: defender Matt Poole and forward Nino Dimaggio. The loss of Poole, however, will certainly be felt because the senior defender proved to be a crucial leadership figure. The return of Tchani and Agorsor, who are both expected to make full recoveries by the time the season begins, should strongly bolster a team that had difficulty finding the back of the net at times this year.
“We will have a good team next year,” Tchani said. “I am looking forward to getting back on track.”
If there is one criticism of Virginia’s season, it is that the Cavaliers were often unable to consistently score. Virginia was shut out five times this season and managed to score only 39 goals, compared to 44 goals scored in 2007. While five goals may not seem like a significant difference, that margin could have turned more than one of Virginia’s close losses into victory.
Despite the adversity presented by its offensive troubles and injuries, Virginia managed to put together a very successful season. Where things go from here, however, is up to the team.
“We will get the winter off, we’ll have a tough spring and from there we’ll head right into preseason,” Giallombardo said.
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