The Virginia men's soccer team looks to nab a confidence-building victory tonight against visiting Howard as the start of postseason play looms large in the not-so-distant future.
The clash against the Bison (2-8-2, 0-1 ASC), who suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of the Cavaliers during the 2009 season, marks the first time Virginia (8-5-0, 3-2-0 ACC) will take the field following a disappointing matchup against Wake Forest Friday.
Coming off of arguably their biggest win of the year - a 2-1 victory against a previously unbeaten Maryland team - and a 2-0 win against non-conference foe Navy, the Cavaliers traveled to Winston-Salem last Friday with hopes of downing the Demon Deacons. With the possibility of rising to first place in the ACC standings on the line, Virginia proved unable to complete a second-half comeback, eventually falling against the Demon Deacons, 4-3.
Tonight, Virginia will get the opportunity to regroup against a Howard squad that has not seen much go right this year. Offensively, the Cavaliers, who are bolstered by the strong play of junior forward Will Bates and his 13 goals, hope to expose a Bison defense that has allowed 27 scores already this season.
In addition, the Virginia attack will likely turn to freshman forward Ryan Zinkhan, who has served as an unexpected contributor in recent weeks, to put pressure on the porous Howard back line. Zinkhan, who has scored in three of Virginia's last four matches, credited his recent success to the time he spent playing defense at the beginning of the season.
"It gave me a better idea of what the defense likes and doesn't like," Zinkhan said. "[I]t made me a better forward."
Like the offense, the Cavalier defense has also benefited from a sudden surge in playing time from a freshman - defender Kyler Sullivan. Sullivan, who has seen significantly more playing time since Virginia's 2-0 win against Clemson Sept. 30, admitted that he is still in the process of "shaking off nerves," but his increased role in the lineup has allowed him to gain more confidence.
"The more I play, [the more] I get comfortable and more relaxed off the ball," Sullivan said.
The play of these two newcomers becomes increasingly important as coach George Gelnovatch noted that junior midfielder Ari Dimas and freshman forward Chris Somerville will again be unavailable for tonight's match because of injuries.
Gelnovatch hopes that Dimas and Somerville will be back training this week, but is unsure when the two will be ready for games.
Despite the two standouts' injuries and the Bison's bleak record entering the contest, Gelnovatch stressed that the team is preparing for the match with strong intensity - and a desire not to see another loss like September's upset against Liberty.
"[The Bison] don't have a very good record, but in our sport you've got to show up ready to play," he said.
Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at Klockner Stadium.
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