Last November, the Virginia men's soccer team concluded a difficult season in embarrassing fashion, losing at home to an unranked Old Dominion. The game ended the Cavaliers' 2010 season in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and thwarted hopes of defending its 2009 national title.
More than nine months later, the No. 22 Cavaliers will finally have their first shot at redemption, as they kick off their season this evening against West Virginia.
The 2011 season begins with high hopes for Virginia, which brings back eight of 11 starters, including First-Team All-ACC forward Brian Ownby - one of five seniors on the team.
The Mountaineers, who are ranked in some preseason polls, will provide an immediate measuring stick for the Cavaliers to gauge their progress.
No matter how the Cavaliers perform, though, coach George Gelnovatch expects the team to change throughout the season as young players are mixed into the lineup.
"More so than in previous years, this team will evolve," he said.
The Mountaineers, meanwhile, seek to validate their preseason accolades after finishing 11-8-2 last year. The Mountaineers advanced one round further than the Cavaliers in the 2010 NCAA Tournament, but then fell to eventual champion Akron 3-2, finishing their season on an equally sour note. The Cavaliers have not played West Virginia since suffering a 1-0 loss against the Mountaineers which eliminated them from the 2007 national tournament.
West Virginia will turn to preseason Second-Team All-American Ray Gaddis, a junior defender, to hold down a Virginia attack which could be lethal with the return of Ownby, junior Will Bates and sophomore Brian Span, their top three goal scorers last year. The Cavaliers' trio combined for 20 goals and 10 assists as the team outscored opponents 36-16 overall, but Gaddis enters his senior campaign with 55 starts to his credit and played every minute of the season as a junior.
"We know they're going to be a good squad," Ownby said. "Hopefully we can get a win and that will jump-start our season from there."
Offensively, West Virginia's most potent threats are senior forward Franck Tayou and junior midfielder Shadow Sebele. The pair combined for 14 goals and 12 assists during 2010, helping the Mountaineers outscore opponents 34-24 for the season. The Cavaliers' backline, however, believes it has an answer to the Mountaineer's attack, as freshman goalkeeper Spencer LaCivita makes his collegiate debut.
During its 2009 title run, Virginia scored 37 goals and allowed just eight against, but last year, the team scored one goal fewer and allowed twice as many goals against. This season, the Cavaliers hope that with a new keeper and a renewed commitment to suffocating defense, they can return to their 2009 form.
"As a defense and as a team we go into every game expecting a shutout," redshirt senior defender Greg Monaco said. "You set a goal of no more than 15 goals given up on the season. If you're not giving up goals you're going to put a lot of W's on the board"
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