Men's Soccer Recovers from Loss, Pounds Richmond 7-1

After falling to a tough West Virginia squad, a game against in-state rival Richmond ended up being the best way to recover.  Against the Mountaineers, 11th-ranked UVA never seemed comfortable; they were kept out of a rhythm most of the match, and a second-half push came too late.  Head coach George Galnovatch commented, "West Virginia is easily the most athletic team we will play this season." While some of our ACC competition would probably beg to differ, no argument could be made for Richmond here; they were way overmatched last night, as the Hoos rolled to a 7-1 victory.

From the start, it was apparent that UVA would have numerous chances, all of which were missed in the first 27 minutes.  Next, however, the Hoos put up an impressive scoring barrage.  Nine eventful minutes later, they had a 4-0 advantage, delighting a pretty decent Monday night crowd of 1,786.  

Brian "Cobi" Span started the scoring off on a cross from Will Bates.  Only minutes would pass before fan-favorite Ari Dimas drove home one of the more impressive shots we will see all season, a 25-yard try taken that was perfectly placed in the left corner of the net.  By the 36th minute, Chris Somerville and Will Bates, off a penalty kick, had scored twice more; though the Spiders mixed in a goal also, the game was out of reach at 4-1 from then.

Cobi looks like he will be a fun player to watch this year, as he was able to easily control action against the Spider defense.  Dimas should also continue to be exciting, delivering plenty of pinpoint passes and shots (hoping the timing of some of his runs improves also).   Bates played well, and the team will only get better when Brian Ownby (injury) and Hunter Jumper (red card vs. WVU) return to the lineup.  

Overall, a solid way to come off the West Virginia loss.  The team needed a regular season confidence-builder, and it got it.  Looking forward, the Hoos will have two tougher tune-ups this weekend, playing Cincinnati and Wisconsin at a tournament in Blacksburg before beginning their ACC-slate in Durham against Duke.