#8 Virginia vs. Connecticut 2013 NCAA Tournament Quarterfinal Game Breakdown
#8 Virginia vs. Connecticut
Virginia has cruised to the quarterfinals without breaking much of a sweat. In the second round against the Red Storm, the Cavaliers netted a couple set pieces to win 2-0. Calle Brown was again solid in goal, recording four saves in just his fifth career start. There were a couple times Virginia should have been a bit worried against Marquette in the third round. Defender Matt Brown was shown a red card less than one minute into the game. But it did not take too long for the Cavs to find the back of the net. Early in the second half Darius Madison netted a second goal for UVA. The Golden Eagles’ C Nortey got Marquette back into the game in 53rd minute, but in the 54th Todd Wharton gave Virginia a 3-1 win. Connecticut has had a tougher time advancing to the quarterfinals. As the only team left in the NCAA Tournament that did not earn a seed, the Huskies had to start back in the first round where they beat Quinnipiac. After upsetting UMBC, UConn was matched up with top overall seed UCLA. It looked dim for the Huskies after going down 2-0 early, but Cyle Larin scored two goals to tie the Bruins 3-3. Eventually the game went to penalty kicks and that is where keeper Andre Blake once again took the Huskies to victory.
The Huskies have already traveled to Maryland and Los Angeles and now they are headed back to the East Coast to take on Virginia. The problem UConn has had throughout the tournament is on defense. In their three contests, they have allowed six goals. That is very unlike Connecticut and sooner or later that will catch up with them. The high scoring Cavaliers could be the team to take advantage. Strikers Darius Madison and Riggs Lennon and midfielders Eric Bird and Todd Wharton are all capable of finding the back of the net. The Huskies have had a great run and Blake will make it very tough for Virginia to advance, but the Cavaliers are playing great soccer right now.
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