After a rocky fall season that saw Virginia finish with a 3-4-1 record in ACC-only play, the Cavaliers are set to regroup for the eight-game spring season with sights set on the NCAA Tournament.
Despite a number of ups and downs, Virginia finished the fall season strong with an upset victory over Wake Forest to advance to the semifinal before falling to eventual ACC champion Clemson by a score of 1-2. With its win in the fall, Clemson will automatically advance to the spring conference championship match versus the winner of the divisional champion match.
Each ACC school is scheduled to play five matches within its division, either Atlantic or Coastal, and one cross-division game. At stake is an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The winners of both divisions will play each other April 13, and the winner of that game will face Clemson April 17 for a chance to earn the ACC’s automatic qualifier for the NCAA Tournament.
This year’s NCAA Tournament will look different from a typical year, with the tournament field reduced from 48 to 36 teams. 24 teams will advance to the tournament through automatic conference qualifiers, and the other 12 teams will be selected to compete at the tournament as at-large bids.
During the spring, Virginia will play five regular season ACC matches. The Cavaliers will face five Coastal division opponents, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Duke, North Carolina and Pitt, and one Atlantic division opponent, Louisville, as their cross-division match in conference play.
Virginia is set to open the season with a non-conference match against George Mason March 2 in Charlottesville. Virginia faced Virginia Tech in an exhibition match Feb. 23, with the Hokies topping the Cavaliers 1-0. The Cavaliers will play one other non-conference match against Central Arkansas. The match to be played March 23 between the Cavaliers and the Bears will mark the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
The roster for Virginia is different from the team that competed in the fall. Four Cavaliers were selected in the MLS SuperDraft in January, and only one is returning for the spring season, senior forward Irakoze Donasiyano. Donasiyano, selected with the 20th pick in the draft by Nashville SC, will return for the spring season but in a different role. Donasiyano, who has spent his career at Virginia as an offensive attacker, will transition to right fullback this spring.
“Nashville wants to look at him in that spot, and we actually need that,” Coach George Gelnovatch said. “So I’m going to make him our right fullback, for his sake and our sake.”
The remaining three Cavaliers will be moving on to the MLS starting this spring. Junior midfielder Bret Halsey, drafted seventh overall, is not eligible to return to the team after signing a Generation Adidas contract which made him eligible to be drafted as an underclassman. Both senior goalkeeper Colin Shutler and senior forward Nathaniel Crofts will also be leaving to pursue their MLS careers.
Despite losing some talented players, Virginia also added some new names to the roster. Freshman goalkeeper Scott Williams from Cincinnati, Ohio graduated early from high school to join the Cavaliers for the spring season. Sophomore defender William Citron transferred to Virginia in January from Cornell and is eligible to play immediately.
Returning players will also have to step up this spring to lead Virginia. Sophomore defender Andreas Ueland, a team captain, will continue to anchor the defensive line for the Cavaliers after starting all eight games in the fall season. Behind Ueland will be redshirt freshman Alex Rando, who will take over for Shutler in goal. Rando started three games for Virginia in the fall, posting a 0.96 goals against average, and is poised to lead the Cavaliers’ defense in the spring season.
On offense, Virginia will need production from sophomore forwards Axel Gunnarsson and Phillip Horton. Gunnarson tallied two goals, including one in the ACC Tournament Semifinal, and Horton scored one goal and three points in the fall. Look also for junior forward Cabrel Happi Kamseu to make an impact. Kamseu was critical in the Cavaliers’ win in the ACC Tournament Quarterfinal against Wake Forest, scoring both goals.
The Cavaliers opened the season March 2 with a 3-0 win against George Mason in Charlottesville — kickoff was at 1 p.m. at Klockner Stadium and attendance limited to families of student-athletes and coaching staff.
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