In its fourth consecutive win, the Virginia men’s soccer team thoroughly controlled possession throughout Saturday night’s 1-0 victory against Duke.
The Blue Devils, however, only needed one goal to send the match into overtime. Every player knew this — especially senior goalkeeper Calle Brown.
In the 82nd minute, Duke freshman midfielder Bryson Asher ripped an 18-yard shot toward the bottom right corner of the goal — but Brown was there for the diving save.
“I saw it all the way,” Brown said.
Not even 30 seconds later, off the ensuing corner kick, Brown was tested again — this time with a high shot to the right-upper 90. But Brown — all 6-foot-5-inches of him — was able to get his left hand out in time, deflecting the ball over the net.
Those two plays were crucial in securing the win for the No. 10 Cavaliers (8-3-1, 3-1-1 ACC), who had not scored since a goal in the 13th minute by senior midfielder Eric Bird, who earned ACC player of the week for his efforts against the Blue Devils and George Mason earlier in the week. Brown — who recorded three saves on the night — was as critical as any Cavalier in the victory.
“I think he’s been steadily getting better,” coach George Gelnovatch said. “The Duke game this past weekend was the best game I’ve seen him play for Virginia.”
Now, after six days of rest, Virginia is preparing for its next conference test, travelling to face Clemson (6-6, 3-2 ACC) Friday night. Though the Cavaliers have not defeated the Tigers since 2011 — they suffered 2-0 defeats in both 2012 and 2013 — Virginia players said they plan on breaking the trend this year. Brown is likely to play a crucial role in this.
A fifth-year senior, Brown was redshirted in 2010 and did not receive any playing time in 2011 as the third-string goalkeeper. He did not travel for away games as he did in 2010, and said he felt as if his role was diminishing with every practice. As the 2011 season ended and 2012 approached, Brown decided to step away from the team.
“My mentality towards soccer wasn’t a very good one,” Brown said. “I just decided I needed to step away for a while and think about stuff.”
Brown’s season away from soccer, however, might have been the most beneficial to his current level of play.
Continuing to live with players on the team and spending the majority of his time outside class with his current teammates, Brown said he increasingly realized the importance of soccer in his life as the year progressed. After the 2012 season concluded, he decided to recommit himself to the team.
“Coming back on the team was one of the more important decisions of my life, and it’s proved to be a good one,” Brown said.
Brown began the 2013 season on the bench as the second-string goalkeeper behind then-sophomore Jeff Gal. But Brown took the starting-nod after a late-season loss against North Carolina to start the final eight games of the season, seven of which were in the ACC or NCAA tournaments.
Still, a role in the starting lineup was far from guaranteed to begin 2014. After enrolling in January, freshman goalkeeper Jeff Caldwell — the class of 2014’s No. 1 goalkeeper by College Soccer News — earned the starting gig in the Cavaliers’ first game against Old Dominion, giving Brown an extra chip on his shoulder.
“It’s my last year, so I just kept telling myself I can’t let this thing slip away,” Brown said. “I knew that I was good enough and able to perform well.”
Brown received his chance when Caldwell left for the first two weeks of September to train with the U.S. Under-20 men’s national team in Argentina. Brown seized his opportunity, recording a career-high nine saves his first start of the season — a 1-0 double overtime loss against Tulsa — and has not looked back. After four years of waiting, Brown has no plans to relinquish his job — especially after recording three consecutive shutouts.
“He’s our guy right now,” Gelnovatch said.
Now, as the Cavaliers prepare for Clemson, Brown and his defense will be needed more than ever. Despite a mediocre record, the Tigers are fielding one of their better squads in team history.
Clemson — led by then-senior forward Thomas McNamara — made the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2006 last season. Despite losing McNamara and his offensive prowess to graduation, the Tigers have still managed to average nearly two goals per game.
Four of Clemson’s six losses have been against top-15 teams — No. 2 Syracuse, No. 4 Charlotte, No. 7 UC Irvine and No. 15 North Carolina — earning them a spot at 31 in the latest RPI.
“I think they’re a better team than last year,” Gelnovatch said. “Their record may not show it, but their strength of schedule is outstanding.”
But with a week of preparation, Gelnovatch has been able to hold meaningful training sessions for his starters, rather than simply letting them recover for midweek games. Improved rest and training paired with a more than confident goalkeeper have the Cavaliers hoping to extend their win streak to five games.
“They’re going to play us well,” Brown said. “Hopefully we can match that energy and score one early.”
Opening kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday at Riggs Field in Clemson, South Carolina.
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