Gelnovatch Announces 2023 Captains
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. —Virginia head men’s soccer coach, George Gelnovatch announced Wednesday (Aug. 23) that Leo Afonso, Holden Brown and Will Citron have been selected as team captains for the 2023 season.
“Leo, Holden and Will are all excellent young men who understand what it means to represent Virginia men’s soccer both on and off the field,” Gelnovatch said. “We have an incredibly talented and deep squad this year, and these three veteran players will continue to do an outstanding job leading by example.”
Afonso returns to wear the armband once again after captaining the squad in 2021 and 2022. The Brazilian striker has led Virginia offensively in each of the previous two seasons recording 18 points in each campaign. He earned first-team All-ACC honors in 2022, leading a Virginia attack that equaled its highest scoring output since the 2013 season with 34 total goals.
“It’s a tremendous honor to be a captain of this team, a program that has so much history and success,” Afonso said. “I’m thrilled for Will and Holden to be joining me in leading the team this year and looking forward to adding more success to the programs history this season.”
Holden Brown returns for his senior season between the goalposts. As a goalkeeper, Brown has started each game for Virginia since the start of the 2021 season. A third-team All-ACC selection in 2022, Brown recorded eight solo shutouts while keeping a save percentage of .762. He currently ranks seventh on Virginia’s all-time career saves list with his total of 150.
“I’m honored and excited to represent this university and team in my final year,” Brown said. “We have a really strong group of guys this season and I am looking forward to being a figure on the team that people can look up to.”
Since transferring to Virginia from Cornell ahead of the 2020 season, Will Citron has played an important role for the Cavaliers as a center back. In 2022, Citron appeared in 12 games for the Cavaliers logging a total of 700 minutes. Citron made nine starts last season, playing the full 90 in three crucial games against top-25 teams late in the season—Virginia went 2-0-1 in those matches.
“Being named a captain of the UVA men’s soccer team is a tremendous honor.” Citron said. “It’s a privilege to be able to inspire and lead such a talented group of teammates toward our ultimate goal of winning a national championship.”
The 2023 season begins Thursday (Aug. 24) when the Cavaliers welcome Iona to Klöckner Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. Tickets are on sale now at www.uvatix.com. The action will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra.