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Senior midfielder Matt Poole and the Virginia Cavaliers kick off their 29th-straight NCAA Tournament appearance Tuesday night at 7 p.m. against Connecticut. Poole scored three goals at the 2008 ACC Tournament en route to all tournament team honors and an appearance in the title game by UVa.
Question: What are your thoughts on your NCAA Tournament draw, being seeded 10th and hosting Connecticut in the second round?
Poole: We definitely received a good seed. We play in one of the toughest conferences in the country and our record reflects that, so being seeded 10th was fair. We feel like our schedule is definitely one of the toughest in the country.
Question: How much do you think home field advantage will help you Tuesday night?
Poole: It’s an advantage because you’re playing on the same field you play on during the season. We feel like we have one of the best facilities in college soccer, but we have to play the best that we can to defeat a very good Connecticut team.
Question: It’s been more than a week since your last game, a 1-0 loss to Maryland in the ACC Championship. How has the team prepared for the NCAA Tournament?
Poole: We had two days of rest after the ACC Tournament because we really needed to get our legs back after playing three games in five days. We’ve since spent time getting ready for UConn and we feel like we know their strengths and weaknesses and are prepared for the game.
Question: You had three goals at the ACC Tournament. Do you feel like you are peaking at the right time?
Poole: Scoring those goals, to me, wasn’t that big of a deal. But yes it feels good to score and help my team. We are all playing very well.
Question: Is there anyone you feel like will have a breakout NCAA Tournament?
Poole: As a unit, I think we will all step up.
Question: As a team, you were able to defeat No. 1-ranked and previously unbeaten Wake Forest in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament. Did that experience help you heading into the postseason?
Poole: Beating Wake Forest was a great feeling, especially because they were unbeaten. Now we are just looking to remain focused and take one game at a time during this tournament.