The Virginia men's soccer team begins conference play tonight against Duke in a clash of two of the ACC's youngest and most talented up-and-coming powers.
After dropping its first game to No. 17 West Virginia, the Cavaliers (3-1-0) have put up three strong showings, thumping in-state rival Richmond and capturing the Hilton Garden Hokie Invitational last weekend with victories against Cincinnati and Wisconsin.
"I think we were in full control both games," coach George Gelnovatch said.
Senior forward Brian Ownby returned from injury to contribute two goals in 45 minutes against Wisconsin, providing a strong presence at the post and receiving the tournament's MVP distinction. The team, meanwhile, regained its top 25 ranking in the latest NSCAA poll with 88 votes.
Gelnovatch sees the recent success as important progress for a young team which features 12 freshmen on the roster, many of whom will receive significant playing time.
"We're still in an evolving state," he said. "There's going to be more changes potentially in our formation, in our starters, and in the meanwhile you hope you get results and play OK. So far I'm satisfied."
One thing Virginia hopes to improve on is creating chances and getting out ahead early. This season, the team has scored eight goals during the second halves of games compared to four during the first.
"Both games that we played, we started slow in the first half," freshman forward Chris Somerville said. "I don't know if our legs were tired, but in the second half we really picked it up."
Tonight, Virginia faces a key match against Duke (1-3-0) as the Cavaliers look to build on their solid non-conference play and rectify last year's disappointing 2-4-2 ACC record.
Duke, on the other hand, hopes to bounce back from its tough start to the season. The Blue Devils hosted the highly competitive Duke/Nike Classic last weekend, losing both its matches in overtime to No. 6 UC Santa Barbara and Southern Methodist. The team's absence from the latest NSCAA poll does not reflect its aggressive play, however, as Duke has out-shot its opponents 19-15 and 22-16 respectively, but its inexperienced attacks have had trouble finding the back of the net. Like Virginia, Duke has a strong underclassmen presence, with nine freshmen and 10 sophomores contributing.\nThe last time the teams met, a hard-fought match ended in a 2-2 tie. Virginia held a 2-1 lead with two minutes left, but Duke answered with a tying goal in the final minutes.
"We should have won that game," Gelnovatch said. "If we find ourselves in that position ... again, I hope that we'll have it in our heads what happened last year and defend and play smart."
The match marks the first step on a long road to dominance in the ACC, a conference represented by the powerhouses No. 1 Boston College , No. 2 Maryland and No. 3 North Carolina, all undefeated thus far.
"I'm sure it's going to get tougher in the ACC games, more physical," Somerville said. "I just have to [adjust] to the physical aspects"
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