The No. 21 Virginia men’s soccer season has been plagued with injuries, and it has affected the team not only physiologically but also in the psychological state. The season kicked off with a couple of injuries, including a torn ACL, which ended the season for freshman Jimmy Simpson. Then, halfway through the season, defender Matt Williams sprained his
MCL and was out for several games until his appearance in the last night’s final regular season game against
Wake
Forest. The toll from all the injuries was noticeable in the amount of different starters for each game, an inconsistency found between one game and the next.
Yannick Reyering also significantly injured his ankle that underwent surgery in the spring, and while he was not playing at 100 percent health he still showcased his scoring ability. That is, until the junior tore his ACL in the penultimate game against
Maryland. Reyering’s absence was a contributing factor in the match against
Wake
Forest, which
Virginia lost by a 3-1 score. While he stayed back in
Virginia getting surgery, sophomore Neil Barlow returned to the midfield and played one of his best games, until he was thrown onto the field with a considerable injury as well. Barlow hopped out of the game and returned only to be seen in crutches and with an iced ankle, a considerable loss that marked the rest of the first half.
For
Virginia, it was again sophomore Ross LaBauex who found the back of the net, scoring his third goal in the last three games. But, the Cavaliers already trailed 2-0 before LaBauex scored in the 43rd minute, and gave up a goal in the second half which essentially iced the game for No. 1 Wake Forest.
As the
Virginia fans emptied the stands full of disappointment, the team managed to bring the fans’ spirits back up by thanking them for being the 12th man, the one that helps keep the players’ spirits up the most when going through rough times. It was a rough season for the men’s soccer, but it’s not over yet, so fans and players alike can still see greener pastures ahead with the 2007 ACC tournament creeping up. All anyone can do is hope for a good result from this tournament.
Reyering is more than likely out for the rest of the season, which also signals the end of his career at UVA. Depending on the doctor’s diagnoses on the extent of the injuries to Barlow and Williams (who got re-injured against Wake), the team’s chemistry might be gone for the tournament. And, a bad result in the tournament won’t allow for a high seeding for the NCAA championships. All Virginia fans can do is hope that like other teams in the nation that start out with negative results - like UCSB did last year - they can end up on top.
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