The top-ranked Cavaliers took on the Towson Tigers in a midweek double-header in Charlottesville. They blanked their opposition in both games, with a 6-0 score on Tuesday and a 5-0 score on Wednesday. This was the team’s seventh shutout and the third back-to-back shutout of the season.

Virginia then took on Maryland in a weekend series at Davenport Field. In Friday’s game the team scored 10 runs in the fourth inning to win convincingly 14-1. Pitcher Danny Hultzen collected nine strike outs to become the first pitcher to pass 300 strikeouts in the school’s history.

On Saturday the two remaining games of the series were played, with game three being moved from Sunday due to forecasted inclement weather. In game 2, the Cavaliers came from behind with three runs in the eighth inning to beat out the Terrapins. The final game ended with a 4-2 victory for Virginia and completed their weekend sweep.

The week’s performance put the teams record at 24-2 (8-1 ACC) and has moved them to No. 1 in the national polls. Their next opponent is George Washington tonight at 5pm

Women’s Basketball

The team (19-16) continued their play in the in the third round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament on Thursday, facing Boston College at John Paul Jones Arena. Virginia won 53-48 with junior guard Ariana Moorer leading with 15 points.

In the quarterfinals on Saturday, despite sophomore guard China Crosby’s career high 25 points, Virginia lost to Charlotte 79-74. This moves outgoing head coach Debbie Ryan’s overall record at Virginia to 739-324.

Men’s Golf

After 36 holes of play, the 16th-ranked Cavaliers in 11^th place in The Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate in Awendaw, S.C. Ben Kohles was in 22^nd place at the end of play on Monday 28. The final round of the tournament resumes today.

Women’s Golf

Over the weekend the No. 7 women’s golf team finished fourth overall in the Bryan National Collegiate in Browns Summit, NC.

Freshman Portland Rosen was the Cavalier’s top performer with a career best finish of 6-over (222) to place her in third in the field. Calle Nieslon carded 228 over the four to also finished in the top 20.

Next up, Virginia finishes off their regular season at the Liz Murphy Classic in Athens Ga. the weekend of April 1^st.

Men’s Lacrosse

No. 2 Men’s Lacrosse (7-2) lost against No.11 Johns Hopkins 11-12 in the in Baltimore Md. on Saturday. The loss is the first time the Cavaliers have conceded the Doyle Smith Cup to the Blue Jays in the trophy’s six year existence. Junior attacker Steel Stanwick scored three goals and four assists for the ‘Hoos.

Virginia’s chance to bounce back will come against ACC rivals Maryland this Saturday at 12 p.m. as part of the weekend’s Scott Stadium double-header with the Cavalier football team.

Women’s Lacrosse

The No. 8 Cavalier (5-4, 0-3 ACC) team’s week started off with their Wednesday away game against James Madison being stopped in progress due to lightning. The match has been rescheduled for April 27 at 7 p.m.

On Saturday Virginia’s control of the momentum in the second half allowed them to overcome ACC opponents No. 3 Duke 11-8 in Charlottesville. Offensively, junior Josie Owen led with three goals and one assist, while the defensive standout was sophomore Kim Koralik with nine saves.

The team’s next fixture is away at Old Dominion this Wednesday night.

Rowing

Top-ranked Virginia kicked off its spring season over the weekend in Redwood Shores, Calif. with races against No. 3 California and No. 4 Stanford.

Saturday’s races against Stanford saw the Second Varsity Eight and the Varsity Four winning, while in Sunday’s races against Cal only the Second Varsity Eight took the victory.

Virginia travels to Columbus, Ohio to take on Ohio State and Michigan this Sunday.

Softball

On Thursday, the softball team found a much-needed 8-4 victory over Georgetown in Charlottesville. The victory snapped a six-game losing streak.

However, the victory was overshadowed by the rest of the week’s results. Saturday’s home double-header against Maryland ended with the Cavalier’s shutout twice 13-0 and 7-0. Sunday’s final game of the series was cancelled due to unplayable field conditions.

Virginia’s next set of games will be against North Carolina this Saturday and Sunday in Chapel Hill N.C.

Swimming and Diving

The men’s team finished the NCAA Championships in Minneapolis in a program best eighth place with 200 points. This marks the third consecutive year that the team has finished in the top ten, another unprecedented program benchmark.

Senior Matt McLean took home the 500 freestyle championships on Thursday and was on the 800 freestyle relay team (with Peter Geissinger, David Karasek and Scot Robinson) that finished national runner-up. Overall, Virginia earned eight All-American performances and seven Honorable Mentions.

Men’s Tennis

The top-ranked tennis team (20-0, 5-0 ACC) took on and swept No. 29 Miami 7-0 in Coral Gables, Fla. on Friday.

On Sunday they repeated the same feat against No. 46 Florida State in Talahassee, Fla. The victory extends Virginia’s ACC-record win streak to 68 wins in conference play. Senior Michael Shabaz’s performance in the games earned him his third straight ACC Player of the Week Award.

The visit to Florida State ends the team’s 11-match road trip and now they can look forward to home advantage again when they face ACC rivals No. 10 Duke and No. 17 North Carolina on Friday and Sunday respectively.

Women’s Tennis

Inclement weather forced both of the No. 17 tennis team’s home games indoors over the weekend. Despite a thrilling comeback attempt, Virginia could not overcome No. 6 Miami on Saturday, as the Hurricanes won out 4-3.

Sunday saw the same gloomy weather, but brighter results as the team won 5-2 over No. 35 Florida State. The results put the team’s record at 14-4 for the season, 3-2 in ACC play.

Next up for the team it’s a difficult visit to No. 3 North Carolina on Saturday and No. 4 Duke on Sunday. Both games will start at midday.

Track and Field

Track and field opened its outdoor season on Friday at the Raleigh relays in North Carolina. On the first day Senior Greg Nelson won his section of the high jump, as four other ‘Hoos, junior Erin Wykoff, Sophomores Pearl Bickersteth and Emily Vannoy and Freshman Thomas Devita earned top-five finishes

The next day Andy Fahringer claimed the individual victory in the javelin.

The next events for the team are the Liberty invitational in Lynchburg and the Colonial Relays in Williamsburg this coming Friday and Saturday.

Information and Statistics provided by Virginiasports.com.

Baseball

It was an eventful and fruitful two weeks for the men’s baseball team, beginning on Tuesday 1^st March with a 9-0 victory over William and Mary in Charlottesville.

The next day they recorded their second straight shutout with a home win over Niagara 7-0.

The weekend saw two double header sweeps against Cornell and Rider home at Davenport Field. On Friday the Cavaliers bested both of their opposition, beating Cornell 12-1 and the Broncs 12-0. Saturday saw the same outcome, with Rider defeated 4-1 and Cornell falling 14-2. The Cavaliers pitching staff’s performance earned them InsidePitching.com’s National Pitching Staff of the Week.

On Tuesday 8^th Virginia faced Marshall at home and in a tight game edged out the victory 1-0.

Next up, the team travelled to Clemson, S.C. for the team’s first ACC games against No. 4 Clemson over three games through the weekend. They swept the Tigers, with the final scores at 5-0, 8-7 and 7-6. This puts there record for the season at 16-1, with a 10 game winning streak and five shutouts for the season.

Men’s Basketball

Tuesday 1^st March was senior night at the John Paul Jones Arena for the men’s Basketball team, with guard Mustapha Farrakhan and forward Will Sherrill honored prior to the game. In a game against ACC rivals NC State, Virginia came out on top 69-58, with freshman guard Joe Harris scoring the game high 19 points.

On Saturday 5^th the Virginia travelled to College Park, Md. to take on Maryland for the final game of the regular season. The Cavaliers won 74-60, led by junior guard Sammy Zeglinski’s career high 25 points.

The team finished the season with an overall record of 16-14, 7-9 in the ACC, earning them a tie for seventh in the ACC. Sherill and freshman forward Will Regen earned places on the 2011 All-ACC Academic Team.

At the ACC tournament in Greensboro, N.C. the eighth-seeded Cavaliers took on the ninth-seeded Hurricanes. Miami overcame a 10 point deficit in the final 42 seconds to force the game into overtime, which they came out of on top of 69- 62. This brings a close to the team’s season as they decided not to pursue post-season options after not receiving an invite to the NIT.

Women’s Basketball

Thursday 3^rd saw the women’s basketball team (16-15, 5-9 ACC) crashed out of the ACC tournament in Greensboro N.C. in the first round. They lost 68-74 to ninth-seeded Wake Forest.

On Saturday 12^th, it was announced by Virginia Director of Athletics Craig Littlepage that Head Coach Debbie Ryan has decided to step down at the end of the 2010-11 season. After the UVA Women’s Basketball team’s National Invitational Tournament run comes to a close, it will also bring a close to Ryan’s 36 years of coaching the women’s basketball program, 34 of them as the head coach.  The team hosts Morgan State at JPJ on Thursday.

Men’s Golf

On Monday March 7^th, the No.17 team competed in the Cleveland Palmetto Intercollegiate in Aiken, SC. They completed the first day in third behind No.3 Alabama and Liberty. On Tuesday, Virginia finished the final round in second place overall behind Alabama. Freshman Ben Rusch led the team in scoring, finishing ninth place overall.

Sunday 13^th finished the first two rounds of the General Hackler tournament in first place overall at the TPC of Myrtle Beach. Amory Davis, along with Rusch and Ben Kohls are all currently in the top-ten at second and tied eighth respectively.

Women’s Golf

Saturday March 28^th saw the No.7 women’s golf team participate in their first tournament of the spring season at the Sugar Bowl Intercollegiate in New Orleans, LA. They moved into sixth after the first two rounds on Saturday and finished in fifth after the final two rounds on Sunday.  Senior Joy Kim led the team with an 18^th place finish, with sophomore Britanny Altomare and freshman Portland Rosen tied for 22^nd.

On Friday 11^th the team competed in the LSU Golf Classic in Baton Rouge, LA. They finished Friday’s round in fifth and then tied for the lead with top-ranked Alabama, #17 Wake Forest and No.26 Arkansas on Saturday’s second round.  On Sunday, the team finished the final rounds in second overall behind Arkansas. Altomare and sophomore NIicole Agnello led the Cavaliers, both tying for 11^th.

Men’s Lacrosse

No.2 UVa (6-1) ran riot against in-state rivals VMI on Monday 28 February. Steele Stanwick and Chris Bocklet were the team’s top scorers with seven points each in the 22-6 victory in Charlottesville. Stanwick earned ACC offensive player of the week for his performance.

On Friday March 4^th Virginia suffered its first defeat of the season to No.1 loss to Syracuse Orange 10-12 in Syracuse, N.Y.

The team was able to bounce back the following Tuesday to beat Vermont 14-6 back home in Charlottesville. Shamel Bratton managed to rack up five goals and an assist in the game.

Then on Saturday Virginia kept the ball rolling by beating No.14 Cornell 11-9 at the Konica Minolta Face off Classic in Baltimore, Md.

Women’s Lacrosse

The No.7 women’s lacrosse team faced the daunting task of top-ranked Maryland on Friday 4^th at Klockner Stadium, losing 6-18.

On a rainy Sunday 6^th, the team defeated Penn State10-5 in their second home-game of the weekend. Before the game a pregame ceremony was held to honor and remember Yeardley Love.

The following Saturday the Cavaliers lost to the Tar Heels 7-8 in Chapel Hill, NC. Despite the defeat, redshirt junior Ainsley Baker was able to extend her consecutive game scoring streak to 13 games. This Wednesday the team faces No.19 William and Mary.

Softball

Virginia (14-8) travelled to Lake Buena Vista, Fla. on Friday March 4^th to compete in the 2011 Citrus Classic. The first day saw mixed results, with a defeat to No.17 Louisiana-Lafayette 9-1 and then a surprise win against No. 13 Oregon 3-2. Freshman Erica Cipolloni threw all seven innings of the Oregon game, allowing two runs on eight hits.

The second day saw the team come out on top over Illinois State 3-0 and Long Island 9-4. The next day saw them in the finale of the Classic against top-ranked Alabama, where the Crimson tide won out 4-0.

On Tuesday March 8^th the softball team fell to Longwood 8-10 in their home opener in Charlottesville due to superb throwing from Longwood’s Briana Wells.

Saturday was the kick of the UVa Spring Break Invitational, where on the first day the team defeated both Princeton and Syracuse 9-1 and 2-1 respectivley.

Swimming and Diving

The weekend of Friday March 12^th saw the diving team competing in the 2011 NCAA Zone ‘A’ Diving Championships in Annapolis, Md. School records were set by Junior Briggy Imbriglia and Freshman Alex Leinroth, both in the platform event. Imbriglia and Leinroth finished third and sixth overall respectively. Team-wise, the Men tied for third and the women finished in ninth overall.

Looking forward, men’s swimmers qualified 10 and women swimmers 11 for the NCAA Championships. The women’s championships will be on March 17-19 in Austin, Texas. while the men’s will be on March 24-26 in Minneapolis, Minn.

Men’s Tennis

The top-ranked men’s tennis team kicked off their outdoor season on Wednesday March 9^th, defeating LSU 5-2 in Baton Rouge, La. The game had to be postponed from Tuesday to Wednesday due to rain in the area.

On Saturday March 12^th the team beat No.28 Baylor 6-1 in Waco, Texas. This puts the team’s record for the season at 16-0 ahead of two more raod games against #29 Oklahoma and #3 Texas this Friday and Sunday respectively.

Women’s Tennis

The No.8 women’s tennis’ non-conference schedule came to a close when they defeat in-state rivals No.47 William and Mary 6-1 in Williamsburg on Saturday March 5^th.

The next day, they took another in-state rival when they commenced their ACC schedule against Virginia Tech in Charlottesville. Inclement weather  moved the match indoors, where the Cavaliers blanked the Hokies 7-0 to bring their record to 12-2 overall for the season.

Track and Field

On Friday 11^th track and field competed in the NCAA Indoor Championships in College Station, Texas. Over the entire weekend, the distance medley relay team of Morgane Gay, Ayla Smith, Lyndsay Harper and Stephanie Garcia took third place in their event and earned All-America honors on Friday. Senior Marcus Robinson Finished 11^th in the triple jump to earn Second Team All- American honors as well.

Baseball

The #13 Cavaliers finished off the Auburn Tournament on Sunday 20^th February by defeating Arkansas State 8-2. The victory finished off a clean sweep over the weekend, after beating UAB and #23 Auburn the previous two days.

The team followed this up by beating VMI 4-3 on Wednesday in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Next, the baseball team began their three-game series at home against East Carolina by seeing them off 10-1 on Friday, then 4-3 on Saturday. On Sunday they lost their final game of the series 3-4.

Men’s Basketball

The Cavaliers saw mixed results this week. On Wednesday they defeated Georgia Tech 62-56 in Atlanta. Senior guard Mustapha Farrakhan scored a game high 17 points.

Virginia then lost in Charlottesville to Boston College 63-44.

Last night they won their last home game, beating NC State 69-58, bringing their season record to 15-14 (6-9 in the ACC). The final game of the season is this Saturday at arch-rival Maryland.

Women’s Basketball

On Sunday, the women’s basketball team lost at to Boston College 73-50 at the John Paul Jones Arena. Junior guard Ariana Moorer led the Cavaliers scoring 11 points and five rebounds.

The team then faced #9 Duke on Thursday’s senior night game. Prior to the game, captains Jayna Hartig and Paulisha Kellum were honored. The Cavaliers lost 71-49 to the Blue Devils, with Moorer again topping the team’s scoring with 14 points and six rebounds.

Sunday was the conclusion to the regular season for the team. In a hard fought overtime game, Virginia came out on top 73-71 against in-state rivals Virginia Tech. Sophomore point guard China Crosby led UVa’s scoring with 15 points, her final three sealing the victory. The team finished the regular season with a 16-14 record, 5-9 in ACC play. They have been seeded eighth for the ACC Tournament, which will see them first facing ninth seed Wake Forest on Thursday March 3^rd in Greensboro, N.C.

Men’s Lacrosse

Top-ranked Virginia (3-0) continued their winning start to the season by defeating Mount St. Mary’s at 22-6 Klockner Stadium on Tuesday. Team-captain Steele Stanwick scored a career high eight points in the game.

The Cavaliers then took on the #5 Stony Brook Seawolves in LaValle Stadium, N.Y. In overtime Stanwick, who netted five goals in the game, scored the winner to see the game end 11-10.

Women’s Lacrosse

# 12 Virginia defeated in-state rivals Richmond 23-13 on Wednesday in Richmond.

Winning by at least 10 goals for the second-straight game, the team upset #9 Syracuse 21-11 in the Carrier Dome, N.Y. the teams record for the season so far is 2-1 and next up is their first game in Charlottesville against ACC rivals Maryland this Friday.

Softball

The softball team finished the East Carolina Pirate Classic with a 3-2 record after falling to Hofstra 1-2 in Greenville North Carolina last Sunday.

Next, the team went into the Cathedral City Classic in Palm Springs, Calif. On Thursday they defeated Bringham Young 9-3, then Utah 4-2. Friday saw them losing to Fresno State 1-4. On Saturday they managed to comeback to upset #11 Hawai’i 6-4.

In the final game of the Classic the Cavaliers faced top-ranked Arizona, losing 9-3 to finish the tournament with a 3-2 record. The week’s games took the teams overall record to 9-3 for the season.

Swimming and Diving

Both the men’s and women’s swimmers came away with their fourth Straight ACC Championship in Atlanta, Ga. Last week.

For the women, sophomore Lauren Perdue earned the most outstanding swimmer credit for the second consecutive year. Senior Matt Mclean earned his third Swimmer of the Meet title as the men took home eight championship titles in all.

Men’s Tennis

The #1 Virginia men’s tennis team (14-0) won its fourth consecutive National Team Indoors title in Seattle, Wash. this week, becoming the first program to achieve this feat.  Sunday saw them beat out Ohio State 4-1 to advance to the semi finals on Monday, where they shutout #3 Tennessee 4-0. Freshman Cavalier Alex Domijan earned the Most Outstanding Player of tournament as well as ACC player of the week for his performance.

Next up, the team starts their indoor season at Louisiana State University on March 9.

Women’s Tennis

Women’s tennis finished off their National Team Indoor Championship campaign with a 4-0 win over #20 Northwestern in Charlottesville on Sunday 20^th. They finished the event 2-1, only losing to #6 Duke. Team members Lindsey Hardnebuergh and the doubles team of Maria Fuccillo and Rashmi Teltumbde were named in the All-Tournament Team.

On Friday the team commenced the Blue Gray Tennis Classic in Montgomery, Ala. They went into the tournament having with a program-high national ranking of nine. Their first two rounds saw them shutout #48 Depaul 4-0 and then defeat #43 Ohio State in the semifinals. Saturday’s final was against #19 Notre Dame and the Fighting Irish came out on top 4-0 to claim the championship.

Track and Field

Track and field kicked off ACC Indoor Championships on Thursday in Blacksburg, Va. On Friday junior Ryan Collins won an unprecedented third straight ACC title in the 5000m and the women’ distance medley relay team, comprising of Vanessa Fabrizio, Morgane Gay, Stephanie Garcia and Lyndsay Harper claimed the programs second straight DMR title (breaking the programs time record).

On Saturday, Marcus Robinson and Anthony Kostelac claimed their first ever individual titles in the men’s triple jump and men’s 800m respectively. Adams Abdulrazaaq, Kevin Anding, Brett Johnson and Garcia also earned All-ACC performances

Overall, the men’s team finished the tournament fourth and the women’s team finished tied for sixth with Duke.

Wrestling

The Virginia Wrestling team finished off its regular season on with a road win against Old Dominion 25-11 in Norfolk, Va. Sunday’s match took the Cavaliers winning streak to a school-record 19 matches. The Cavaliers finished the regular season 19-7 and will next host the 2011 ACC Wrestling Championships this Saturday at J.P.J. Arena.

The #10 Virginia men’s soccer team saw out a convincing 4-1 victory for its last home game of the regular season against Campbell in Charlottesville on Tuesday night, extending their unbeaten streak against non-conference opponents to 21 games.

Before kickoff was the Senior night ceremony, honoring T.J. Cyrus, Greg Monaco, Diego Restrepo, Jimmy Simpson and Mike Volk.

Once the game got underway, the Cavaliers were quick to get off the mark in the 17^th minute. Freshman midfielder Brian Span took a chance from over 30 yards out, curling the ball into the top-right corner of the goal past Campbell goalkeeper Ethan Hall.

In the 21^st minute junior forward Brian Ownby made a bombarding run into the box to make a low cross for sophomore forward Will Bates to tap into goal.

Bates was again on the score-sheet in the 35^th minute, making him the team’s top scorer with eight goals this season. The goal came from a cross from junior midfielder Jimmy Simpson which was flicked on at the near post by sophomore midfielder Sean Hiller for Bates to put away from the back post. Simpson and Hiller both were credited with the assist.

Virginia’s final goal came almost immediately in the beginning of the second half. Freshman forward Bryan claimed his first career goal, shooting in a cross from Bates from eight yards in front of goal.

The rest of the game saw very little thrilling action from either side. Campbell was able to capitalize on the monotony to score a consolation goal in the 80^th minute. Campbell midfielder Justin Franz scored with an assist from Eduardo Rodriguez to scrap the Cavalier Senior goalkeeper Diego Restrepo’s hopes for a clean sheet.

Despite conceding, Restrepo remained confident after the game, saying “it’s unfortunate, I wanted a shutout tonight but… this year is not about numbers, it’s about winning.”

Next up, Virginia finishes off its regular season with an ACC clash against NC State in Raleigh this Saturday night at 7p.m. the match will be streamed live at VirginiaSports.com for free. Virginia head coach George Gelnovatch pointed out the importance of this game with the ACC and NCAA tournaments soon after, stating that “we have a lot to play for, so we’re going to go down there and play hard.”

Nick Kariuki also writes about the Champion’s League, which you can read here.

Photo Courtesy of Ellington Arnold, Wahoo Wire

In a thrilling game, the #3 Virginia men’s soccer team defeated in-state rivals Virginia Tech 2-1 in their second consecutive overtime in Charlottesville last Saturday night.

The Team came into to the match looking to shake off the doubt cast from an underwhelming performance against #25 James Madison that ended in a goalless draw.

The starting lineup, while mostly at full strength, had to do without top-scorer Will Bates, who was still nursing a thigh injury that kept him on the bench the entire game. Brian Span was moved up to forward from his usual midfield position to replace Bates.

First blood was drawn by the Virginia Tech in the21st minute when Hokie midfielder Evan Slusser’s header from a Jose Velazquez was saved by Virginia’s senior goalkeeper Diego Restrepo. However, his save parried the ball towards the oncoming Mikey Minutillo, whose header found the back of the net for his fifth goal of the season.

Throughout the rest of the first half, the Cavaliers looked the hungrier to score, only falling short in the final third of the field. The Hokies, on the other hand, seemed content with their lead and began soaking up the offensive pressure and putting in a counter attack wherever they could.

In the 43^rd minute Virginia’s junior forward Brian Ownby put the 4,040 strong crowd in attendance on their feet with a fantastic run from halfway line, cutting inside on two Virginia Tech defenders to place a low left shot just inches wide of the open bottom corner.

The second half saw Virginia maintaining the pressure and producing several good goal scoring chances. The best early chances were a goal turned in by defender and team-captain Greg Monaco that was ruled offside in the 48^th minute and  sophomore midfielder Ari Dimas’ shot from outside the box that managed to shave the top of the crossbar in the 51^st minute.

It was not until the 75^th minute that the Cavaliers equalized. Sophomore defender Sean Hiller played in a deep cross from the left side for Ownby to make a looping header over the Hokie goalkeeper James Daly into the goal. The goal was Ownby’s sixth of the season, putting him level with Bates as the team’s top-scorer.

Ownby nearly finished the game off three minutes later with a skillful between the legs back heel attempt from a cross. The outstretched grasp of Daly just barely prevented what would have been a fantastic goal.

Without a deciding goal in regulation, the game went into the second consecutive golden-goal overtime at Klockner stadium (Virginia’s third of the season). Unlike the games against Duke and James Madison though, this time it did not end in a draw. Monaco was presented with another chance to in the box when sophomore forward Akheel Rodney headed a lofted cross back across the goal. The red-shirt junior defender seized the opportunity, placing his shot in the left side of the goal for his first goal of the season and the Virginia win.

Next up Virginia has another ACC challenge away at Boston College this Friday at 7 p.m.

Photo Courtesy of Ellington Arnold, Wahoo Wire

Nick Kariuki also writes about the Champion’s League, which you can read here.

Coming off their ten-goal demolition of Alabama, the Cavaliers started tentatively against the Dukes, whose record for the season going into the game was a respectable 7-2-1. The first ten minutes saw tentative action from both teams with neither of them finding a controlling rhythm.

Virginias first scare came in the 14^th minute, when a JMU corner taken by forward Patrick Innes was punched by senior goalkeeper Restrepo bounced off of the heal of a defender and had to be saved off the line by sophomore defender Sean Hiller.

In the 20^th minute junior forward Brian Ownby managed to latch onto a through ball and was one-on-one with JMUs goalkeeper Ken Manahan. His attempt to round the keeper however took him too close to the right edge of the goal and his final shot was easily covered by the retreating Manahan. This would go on to be Virginia’s best chance of the game.

For the rest of the second half Virginia seemed to play on the back foot and allowed JMU to control possession and have all the chances. JMU came close to taking full advantage of this opportunity, with another ball having to be cleared off the line from freshman forward Brian Span in the 25^th minute and junior defender Greg Monaco having to clear a goal-bound ball that had rebounded past an advancing Restrepo in the 32nd minute.

The Cavaliers were dealt another blow in the 28^th minute when team top-scorer Will Bates seemed to pick up an injury and had to be substituted by sophomore forward Ahkeel Rodney.

The second half saw the Dukes continue to assert physical and attacking dominance over the defending National Champions. JMUs best attempts of the second half were in the 79^th minute where Virginias failure to properly clear away a corner gave successive shooting opportunities to Jonathan Smithgall, Paul Wyatt and Innes. The first two shots were block and the third was saved by Restrepo.

The frustrations of both teams seemed to boil over when a minute later a clattering foul by JMU’s Torey Biero resulted in a small scuffle between the two teams at the center of the field. Biero and teammate Jason Gannon were both shown yellow cards after the situation was brought under control by the keeper.

Regular time ended with no score for either team so it was on to sudden death overtime. The tension was evident as both teams played with extra force in their step and extra bite in their challenges visible. JMU continued to be the team with all the attack momentum, recording four shot over the extra time periods.

In the end Virginia can count themselves fortunate to have come away with the draw. Over the 110 minutes of the game they were outshot 22 to nine and had only four corners compared to JMU’s 11. Restrepo certainly earned his clean sheet this game, having to make eight saves in the game. Head George Gelnovatch took Restrepo’s performance as the positive of the night, stating that “Diego did outstanding … they [JMU] did a very good job of disrupting us, destroying a lot of plays, being very direct and not letting us get into our rhythm.”

Virginia will look to improve on Tuesdays performance immediately in their next game, another in-state rivalry against ACC rivals Virginia Tech. Tech season has been rocky thus far, with a 4-7-1 record and having to come back from 2-1 to defeat Alabama A&M 4-2, the team Virginia managed to defeat 10-0. However you can expect the form to go out the window in this showdown between bitter foes. The game will be this Friday at 7p.m. at Klockner Stadium.

Despite the Bulldogs 0-8 record going into the game, the Cavaliers starting lineup showed only one change from the full strength team that saw out the tough 2-1 victory against Liberty last Tuesday. Junior defender Mike Volk was replaced by senior defender T.J. Cyrus.

One way traffic was the story from the get-go, with Virginia largely controlling the flow of the game. Junior forward Brian Ownby started off the scoring in the 9^th minute, tapping in a cross from sophomore forward Will Bates to put Virginia ahead.

In the 1^7th minute Ownby doubled his account for the day and brought his season total to five goals after connecting onto another cross from Bates, Bates’ third assist of the season. Sophomore defender Sean Murnane was also credited with the assist.

After a period of several good chances for Virginia but no change in the score, Bates received a pass from junior midfielder Felipe Libreros and broke through the defensive line to drill his shot past the Alabama A&M keeper in the 40^th minute.

The 44^th minute saw two goals in quick succession to close out the half. The first was a calmly slotted shot under the keeper by Libreros, assisted by a through ball from freshman forward Brian Span. Moments later a Murnane cross set up a Will Bates goal from twelve yards out. Virginia finished the first half outshooting Alabama A&M 16 to one.

The second half saw six changes to Virginia’s starting eleven, allowing some of the reserve players to gain some competitive action.

The changed team did not disappoint or show signs of taking their foot off the pedal, with sophomore forward Ahkeel Rodney scoring in the 47^th minute, assisted by freshman midfielder Bryan Lima. The goal was both Rodney’s first goal and Lima’s first assist of the season.

Rodney turned from scorer to provider in the 54th minute with a pass to Span enabling him to strike past the changed Alabama A&M goalkeeper.

The 64th minute saw Rodney again in the action, taking a pass outside the box from redshirt-freshman midfielder Marcus Douglas to volley on the turn for a spectacular goal.

The Cavaliers continued to dominate over their deflated opposition. Scoring in the 7^3rd (junior midfielder Jimmy Simpson scoring his fourth of the season) and the 90^th minute (an own-goal.)

After the game, Head coach George Gelnovatch reflected that the game was a “good confidence builder for some of the goal scorers” and highlighted that “it’s not easy to score ten goals in a division one college soccer game.”

Next up Virginia faces #25 James Madison, a far more physical and potent threat. Ownby assessed that the Virginia will have to “match their physicality and tempo.” The game will be at Klockner on Tuesday on October 12^th at 7pm.

The #4 Virginia Men’s soccer team saw out a hard fought 2-1 victory against Liberty last night at Klockner Stadium.

The Cavaliers laid on the pressure early in the game and were rewarded with a goal in the 5^th minute. A cross into the box from a corner taken by sophomore midfielder Ari Dimas was back-heeled in the goal by junior forward Brian Ownby for his third goal of the season and Dimas’ third assist.

Virginia largely controlled the flow of the game for the rest of the first half, outshooting Liberty by nine to three. A headed attempt by junior defender Mike Volk, which bounced in front of goal and over the crossbar in the 18^th minute, was the closest the team came to doubling their lead.

In the second half, Liberty were given a lifeline in the 56^th minute when Alex Verville capitalized on a deflected through pass from Darren Amoo to break away from Virginia’s back line, take the ball around senior goalkeeper Diego Resrepo, and then net the ball neatly passed the backtracking defenders.

The rest of the game saw a more even match up, with Virginia visibly frustrated at having given away their lead.

The match seemed headed for a draw when in the 80^th minute substitute midfielder T.J. Cyrus had his shot deflected off the hands of Liberty Defender Greg White. The referee blew for a penalty, and Dimas stepped up to calmly slot the ball passed the wrong-diving keeper for his second of the season.

The last ten minutes were fiercely fought. Liberty came the close to equalizing with five minutes left when a mishit Virginia header went straight to Liberty defender Chris Osborne to head towards the bottom right corner of the goal. With a low dive and an outstretched palm, Restrepo was able to push the ball safely wide for a corner.

The win provided a boost in spirit for the team, after a tough loss against #3 North Carolina on the weekend.  Reflecting on the match, Dimas felt the team  “came out with good energy and good intensity, did well to go up a goal, didn’t do so well to go down a goal, but then in the end we got the result and I think we improved so it was a good night.”

The win puts Virginia’s record at 7-2-1 for the season. Next up the Cavaliers face Alabama A&M at home this Saturday 9^th at 7p.m.

Photo courtesy of virginiasports.com

The No. 2 Virginia Men’s Soccer Team started their regular season off in outstanding fashion with home wins over UAB and No. 17 St. John’s over the weekend.

On Friday night the Cavaliers were given an early scare when Blazers forward Babayele Sodade scored in the 58^th minute, putting the Cavaliers in the unfamiliar position of trailing.

Virginia‘s response came from a penalty kick converted by sophomore midfielder Sean Hiller in the 61^st minute, opening his career scoring account.

Hiller then turned provider in the 78^th minute, crossing the ball for sophomore forward and last season’s top-scorer Will Bates to head in the winner, Virginia winning 2-1.

On Sunday afternoon, the team claimed a big scalp by defeating BIG EAST Champions St. John’s 5-0.

Two goals against the Red Storm came from freshman forward Brian Span. His first was an impressive hammered shot into the top right corner from 15 yards out in the 17^th minute. The other goals came from redshirt midfielder Jimmy Simpson, sophomore forward Sean Murnane and Bates (bringing his regular season total to two.)

The two wins raised Virginia’s unbeaten streak to 18 games, with a home unbeaten streak of 12 games. The second game was the first clean sheet for the team and fourth year Goalkeeper Diego Restrepo.

Next up is a trip to Durham NC for a crucial Conference match against Duke this Sunday at 7pm. The Blue Devils started their season with a tie against #11 Louisville and a win against Sacremento State, overall scoring four and conceding one.

Photo courtesy of ncaa.com

Following up on a championship-winning performance is the main challenge that the Virginia Men’s Soccer team will face this season after last year’s stellar performance. A No. 2 ranking in the Preseason National Coaches of Association of America poll should raise confidence that the team can repeat last year’s ACC and NCAA Championship achievements.

Last year, the team finished the season with an overall record of 19-3-3, defeating NC State 1-0 to win its tenth ACC Championship. The team then beat Akron in a hard-fought game on penalties to claim its sixth NCAA Championship. Head Coach George Gelnovatch was named National Coach of the Year.

The loss of key starters, particularly in the midfield, who were pivotal last season will be the major concern that the Cavaliers will have to address.  With Tony Tchani selected second overall in the MLS draft by the New York Red Bulls and team captain Ross Labauex now with the Colorado Rapids, two key starting midfield positions need to be filled.

Regulars from last year who will also be missing are Jordan Evans, Neil Barlow, Chase Neinken and Jonathan Villanueva, all of whom were seniors.  Except for Forward Neinken, all of the players who have left are midfielders.

This loss of players has had its impact on the expectations of how the team will perform. The recent ACC poll, determined by ACC head coach’s votes, predicted Virginia finishing third in the ACC, behind Maryland and North Carolina in second and first respectively.

However, what remains of last season’s team, is still promising. Record-breaking goalkeeper Diego Restrepo was named in the 2009 first team All-America and made the College Soccer News 2010 preseason All- America First Team. His 16 shutouts (11 consecutive) were a school record, earning him the ACC Tournament MVP.

Supporting Restrepo will be the same stingy defense that managed 17 shutouts, allowing only 8 goals throughout the season. The center pairing of Greg Monaco and Mike Volk will look to anchor the Cavalier defense as well as they did last season.

Freshman forward Will Bates was last year’s freshman of the year. Bates finished the season as the team’s top scorer with 12 goals. Along with defender Greg Monaco, Bates was recently named on the Hermann Trophy Watch List (as well as the preseason All- America First Team with Restrepo).

Virginia came out of the preseason last night with a perfect record, defeating George Mason 2-1, VMI 4-0 and  VCU 1-0. Bates has already gotten off to a good start, notching two goals in the three games. Last year’s talismanic walk-on Ari Dimas has also already scored two.

The season kicks off with a game against the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The Blazers have also finished preseason undefeated. The game will be in Charlottesville at Klockner Stadium at 8pm Friday 3^rd September.