If the No. 10 Virginia men's soccer team thought it could cruise its through its four-game homestand, which continues tonight against Charlotte, Liberty provided a reality check for the streaking Cavaliers.
Virginia (4-2-0, 1-0-0 ACC) entered Tuesday's game against the Flames on a four-game winning streak, including its first win at No. 25 Duke in nearly a decade. After a scoreless first half, however, Liberty took control midway through the second half, tallying two goals in three minute en route to a 2-0 upset.
"I want a little humbleness," Virginia coach George Gelnovatch said after the loss. "When you lose like [we did against Liberty], the first thing it is is a smack in the face."
Virginia hopes the loss to Liberty will serve as a wake up call, as it looks to right the ship against Charlotte (4-1-0, 0-0-0 A-10) before a crucial stretch of three straight conference games.
"We need to regroup and get our legs under us," Gelnovatch said. "Charlotte did not play a midweek game and we did, so we need to get rested and ready go."
To rebound against Charlotte, the Cavaliers are focusing not only on getting rested but getting healthy. Redshirt senior defender Greg Monaco has been out with an injury since the team's season-opening loss to West Virginia, but is expected to make his return Friday.
Monaco "just brings such a presence with him," senior defender Hunter Jumper said. "He really directs and organizes us. But with [Monaco] not there, other players like myself needed to step up better."
Without Monaco, the Virginia defense looked out of sync at times against Liberty, allowing 16 shots including eight shots on goal. Freshman goalkeeper Spencer LaCivita set a career high with six saves but gave up multiple goals for just the second time this season, allowing a cheap second score on a costly turnover.
"It was miscommunication," LaCivita said of Liberty's demoralizing goal. "It was a missed pass back from our centerback, and I didn't have enough time to get the ball on the pass back. The attacker touched it around me, and found a wide open player running into the box."
Monaco and the Cavalier defense will look to quickly shift their focus from Liberty's speedy playmakers to Charlotte's more balanced attack, which has seen five players combine for the team's nine goals. Led by coach Jeremy Gunn, the 49ers finished first in the Atlantic 10 (13-5-0, 8-1-0) during 2010, but suffered an upset loss against Xavier during the A-10 conference tournament.
"Charlotte's a very good team, Gelnovatch said. "They just missed the playoffs last year and I feel like they're a team on a mission. It's going to be a very tough game."
With 10 returning starters, Charlotte will be looking to make a statement this season. And while Monaco's return may help Virginia's defense weather that attack, it was the Cavalier's offense which was most noticeably absent during Tuesday's disappointing loss. Virginia managed 12 shots, but did not test Liberty freshman goalkeeper Josh Pacella, as the team failed to put a shot on goal.
The Cavaliers have outscored their opponents 13-6 overall on the season, and showed just how potent their offense could be during a seven-goal outburst against Richmond in the home opener. After scoring just one goal during their past two games, however, the Cavaliers are eager to break their recent funk and become a more consistent scoring threat.
"We need to stick to our game plan, which is pass the ball keeping the ball around the back and then picking our times to go forward," LaCivita said. "The final ball wasn't always there, but I think if we get more crisp on the attack, good things will happen"
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