Men's Soccer Heads to Virginia Tech

Story Links

September 15, 1998

THE GAMES: Virginia (3-0-1)
at Virginia Tech (1-3-0)
Tech Soccer Field
Blacksburg, Va.
Sept. 16, 1998
4:00 p.m.

THE SERIES WITH VIRGINIA TECH: Todays game will be the 32nd meeting between the Hokies and the Cavaliers, with Virginia leading the all-time series 29-2-0. The Cavaliers have won 25 straight games against Virginia Tech, with the Hokies only victories coming in 1965 (2-0 in Charlottesville) and 1966 (1-0 in Blacksburg). Virginia has shut out Virginia Tech 14 times, while holding the Hokies to only one goal on 12 other occasions. The teams have gone to overtime only once, that being a 3-1 Cavalier victory at Scott Stadium in 1989.

DOMINANCE IN THE STATE: Virginia has an all-time record of 146-22-11 (.846) against in-state rivals who currently compete at the Division I level. The Cavaliers had won 22 straight games against those teams, prior to a pair of losses to George Mason at the end of 1996. In 1997, Virginia posted a 4-1-0 record against in-state opponents (defeating Virginia Tech 3-1, VCU 2-1, Liberty 5-2 and George Mason 3-1, while falling to Old Dominion 1-0). The Cavaliers now stand 26-3-0 in their last 29 contests against schools from within the Commonwealth.

ALBRIGHT FINDS THE NET TWICE AGAINST MARYLAND: Sophomore forward Chris Albright, the Cavaliers top returning scorer from 1997, had a pair of goals in Saturdays victory over Maryland. His first goal was the game winner, when he ran onto a pass from Steve Totten in the right side of the penalty box and one-timed it into the net from 14 yards away. Albright also scored Virginias final goal of the game, when he headed in a pass from Totten from 12 yards out in the center. With that performance Albright has now scored two goals in a game three times in his career and twice against ACC opponents. Last year he scored twice against both Akron and Wake Forest. For the season Albright has now totaled six points on three goals, while also being named the Offensive MVP of the season-opening Fila Classic. Over the course of his career, Albright has now totaled 35 points on 14 goals and seven assists.

GELNOVATCH LOOKS TO TIE CORRIGAN ON ALL-TIME UVA WIN LIST: UVa third year head coach George Gelnovatch has the Cavaliers off to another strong start in 1998. With a 3-0-1 mark so far this season, Gelnovatch has improved his career record to 38-7-7 for a .798 winning percentage. With a victory in todays game, Gelnovatch will move into a tie with Eugene Corrigan (39-35-7 record from 1958-65) for second place on the all-time UVa victory list (Bruce Arena holds the school record for victories with 295 from 1978-95). In addition, Gelnovatch needs 12 more wins this season to become the first mens soccer coach in Atlantic Coast Conference history to record 50 victories in his first three seasons. He also has a chance to become the first ACC coach to reach 50 wins before he has 10 losses.

TOTTEN HAS BIG DAY AGAINST THE TERRAPINS: Freshman midfielder Steve Totten turned in an excellent performance against Maryland in the first ACC game of his collegiate career, scoring a goal and adding two assists. Totten opened the scoring at the 8:40 mark when he took a pass from Jason Moore in the right side of the penalty box and found the net from 12 yards out. He then had an assist on the Cavaliers next goal, intercepting a pass in the Maryland end and sending the ball ahead to Chris Albright in the box for the score. Totten added his second assist on Virginias final score, taking a pass from Drew ODonnell in the left side of the box and playing it toward the center, where Albright headed the ball into the net. Totten, who scored his first goal as a Cavalier in the Cal State Fullerton game, is now tied for the team lead in scoring with six points on two goals and two assist. One of three freshmen to start all four games this season for the Cavaliers, Totten was an NSCAA and Parade All-American at the Peddie School in Allentown, N.J., last year.

BARNES GETS FIRST GOAL AGAINST MARYLAND: Freshman forward Sheldon Barnes scored the first goal of his collegiate career in the victory over Maryland. Barnes scored an unassisted goal to give the Cavaliers a 3-0 lead in the 43rd minute, stealing the ball on the right flank and dribbling past a defender before scoring from 16 yards out in the right side of the box. He scored his first career point a week earlier with an assist on the game-winning goal against San Diego, winning the ball at midfield and sending it to Ryan Trout in the center, before Trout found the net for the only goal of the game. Last year, Barnes was the Florida state Player of the Year, while also earning high school All-America honors from both Parade and the NSCAA.

CAVALIERS HAVE UNCHARACTERISTIC GAME AGAINST MARYLAND: The series between Virginia and Maryland has been marked by a number of close games over the last few years, making the Cavaliers 4-1 victory over the Terrapins last Saturday very surprising. Prior to that contest, UVa had totaled only three goals in its previous four games against Maryland (a 1-1 tie and a 2-0 loss in 1996, and a 0-0 tie and a 2-0 win in 1997). The four goals on Saturday marked the most by the Cavaliers against the Terrapins since a 4-2 victory at Klckner Stadium in 1994, with the three-goal margin of victory being the largest in the series since a 5-1 UVa win at Klckner in 1992. In addition, Maryland suffered its worst regular season loss since falling to Clemson 5-1 in 1993.

TROUT CONTINUES TO SCORE: Sophomore forward Ryan Trout has been a key part of the UVa offense so far this season, scoring one of the Cavaliers goals and assisting on three others. Against San Diego Trout took a pass from Sheldon Barnes and chipped a shot over the goalkeeper from 25 yards out in the center to record the game-winning goal. In the Cal State Fullerton game he took a pass from Drew ODonnell in the right corner and sent a cross into the box which Steve Totten volleyed in for the goal. Then against Lehigh Trout had assists on both goals, with Chris Albright heading in a cross for the first goal and Rob Wright knocking in a cross for the game winner. Trout now has 22 points in his UVa career on four goals and 14 assists, with three of his goals being game winners.

WRIGHT MAKES FIRST GOAL A BIG ONE: Freshman forward Rob Wright, who joined the team as a walk-on in August, scored the first goal of his collegiate career in Wednesdays victory over Lehigh. Wrights goal was the game winner, as he knocked in a cross by Ryan Trout from six yards out at the far post after the ball had found its way through traffic. Wright, who has seen action in all four of the Cavaliers games off the bench, led his district in scoring and was named first team all-state last season at First Colonial High School in Virginia Beach.

SPREADING IT AROUND: The Cavaliers have used a balanced offensive attack so far this season while posting a 3-0-1 record in their first four games. Virginia has scored eight goals on the year, with five different players finding the net. Ryan Trout scored the game winner against San Diego, while Steve Totten had the Cavaliers lone goal in the Cal State Fullerton game. Against Lehigh both Chris Albright and Rob Wright found the net for UVa, while Albright scored twice and Totten and Sheldon Barnes added goals in the Maryland contest.

YETSO HAS ANOTHER STRONG PERFORMANCE AGAINST MARYLAND: Senior goalkeeper Brock Yetso turned in another outstanding performance in Saturday victory over Maryland. Yetso faced 10 Terrapin shots and made three saves while allowing only one goal. Over the course of his career, Yetso has now faced Maryland three times and allowed only one goal in 300 minutes while making 10 saves. For the season he has posted an 0.64 goals against average while making seven saves and recording a victory in each of his three appearances. Yetso also has 99 career saves entering the Virginia Tech game and needs only one more to become the seventh player in school history with at least 100 saves.

UVA ONLY EIGHT WINS AWAY FROM 500: With eight more victories this season, Virginia will record the 500th win in the history of its mens soccer program. When the Cavaliers reach that milestone, they will become the first team in Atlantic Coast Conference mens soccer history with 500 victories (Duke currently ranks second with 482 all-time wins). The majority of UVas victories have come in the last 20 years, with the Cavaliers posting a 333-66-38 record since the beginning of the 1978 season. Entering the Virginia Tech game, Virginias all-time record stands at 492-230-75 for a .664 winning percentage.

CHULIS AND MOORE NAMED HERMANN TROPHY FINALISTS: Senior defender Matt Chulis and sophomore midfielder Jason Moore are among the 15 finalists who have been named for the 32nd annual Hermann Trophy. Chulis and Moore make Virginia one of only four schools to have more than one finalist, along with Duke, Indiana and UCLA. The winner of the Hermann Trophy will be announced on Dec. 12 in Richmond, Va. If either Chulis or Moore wins the award he would be the fourth player in school history to receive the honor, along with Tony Meola (1989), Claudio Reyna (1993) and Mike Fisher (1995 and 1996).

MOORE GETS ANOTHER ASSIST IN MARYLAND GAME: Sophomore midfielder Jason Moore has continued to show his value to the Cavaliers as one of the top passers and ball handlers on the squad. Against Maryland he had an assist on Virginias opening goal, taking the ball from the left side near midfield and sending a pass to Steve Totten for the score. Moore had recorded his first assist of the season in the previous game against Lehigh, with it coming on the game-winning goal.

THE LAST MEETING
Virginia 3, Virginia Tech 1
September 17, 1997
Klckner Stadium

Virginia Tech       0   1       1Virginia            2   1       3

Scoring: UVaOlsen (Moore, West) 2:19; UVaLeonard (West, Moore) 25:34; UVaAlbright (Leonard) 54:39; VTWhalen (Warnick) 67:22.Shots: VT 8, UVa 20; Saves: VT 4 (Sexton 4), UVa 4 (Yetso 4);
Corner Kicks: VT 7, UVa 5;
Fouls: VT 18, UVa 23; Offsides: VT 0, UVa 2;
Attendance: 1,752; Records: VT 4-1-0, UVa 3-1-2.

Matt Leonard scored the game-winning goal and also added an assist as the eighth-ranked Cavaliers posted a 3-1 over No. 14 Virginia Tech at Klckner Stadium. Ben Olsen opened up the scoring in the third minute off a pass from Jason Moore, then Brian West fed Leonard for a goal as the Cavaliers took a 2-0 halftime lead. After the intermission Chris Albright had a goal after receiving a pass from Leonard. The Hokies avoided the shutout when Matt Whalen scored a goal with an assist by Bobby Warnick. Brock Yetso made four saves in goal for Virginia, while Virginia Techs John Sexton had four saves. The Cavaliers won for the 25th straight time in the series and improved their record in night games at Klckner to 17-0-0 all-time.

UPDATING THE RECORD BOOKS
Where the 1998 Cavaliers stand on the Virginia all-time lists:
Brock Yetso 6th in goals against average (0.90)
next: Jeff Causey (0.78)
6th in solo shutouts (8)
next: Mark Peters (9)
7th in saves (99)
next: Keith Lenert (112)
7th in save percentage (.756)
next: Jeff Causey (.803)
7th in games played goal (38)
next: Bill Wallace (45)
7th in minutes played goal (3,190)
next: Steve Baer (3,230)

Moore took a free kick from 25 yards out in the center and played the ball to Ryan Trout in the right side of the box, before Trout crossed the ball to Rob Wright for the goal. Over the course of his UVa career Moore now has a total of 11 assists, with five of them coming on game-winning goals.

ODONNELL CONTINUES TO SHOW VERSATILITY: Junior Drew ODonnell has proved very valuable for the Cavaliers so far this season, starting three games at right back and once as a flank midfielder. ODonnell has played a big role for the UVa defense, with the Cavaliers surrendered only three goals in 400 minutes. He has also made offensive contributions with a pair of assists. ODonnells last assist came on the final goal of the Maryland game when he played the ball to Steve Totten in the left side of the penalty box, before Totten passed to Chris Albright for the score. Over the course of his career, ODonnell has now totaled 10 points on two goals and six assists.

ALBRIGHT STARS FOR UNDER-20 NATIONAL TEAM: Sophomore forward Chris Albright scored four goals and one assist in three games as the United States under-20 team finished in first place in CONCACAF qualifying, held in Trinidad in early August. Albright scored two goals in a 5-1 victory over Canada, then added two goals and an assist in a 6-1 win against Trinidad & Tobago. In both contests, Albright scored the first goal of the game. The U.S. played Costa Rica to a 1-1 tie in its other game. By finishing with their 2-0-1 record, the Americans earn a spot in the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship, to be played in Nigeria next April.

TWO CAVALIERS NAMED PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS: Senior defender Matt Chulis and sophomore forward Chris Albright have both been named to the Soccer America preseason All-America teams. Chulis, a first team selection, has earned second team All-America and first team All-ACC honors each of the last two seasons. Albright, a second team selection, was named to the Soccer America National All-Freshman team and the All-ACC Tournament team last season. Virginia was one of only four schools to have more than one player named to the squads.

THE HONOR ROLL: Since 1978, 19 UVa players have been named All-Americans, including 11 first-team selections. Five have left UVa as two-time All-Americans, three as three-time All-Americans and one (Jeff Agoos, 1986-90) as a four-time All-American. In addition, over the past 12 seasons UVa has produced 38 first-team all-ACC selections, 18 more than any other ACC school.