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DECEMBER 2022 7 cavalier sports Persistence is a quality that can be seen throughout the 2022 Cavalier men's soccer team. The squad was picked to finish last in the ACC Coastal division in 2022, but found itself sitting on 10 wins with its sights set on the postseason. An even more personal embodiment of persistence can be seen in third-year forward Phil Horton. In 2019, Horton was seen as the heir ap- parent to Daryl Dike, a Virginia striker that led the program to its 13th NCAA College Cup and an appearance in the national title game with 10 goals and 8 assists before signing a professional contract. Horton, often a substitute in relief of Dike, was ex- pected to slot right into the team following his departure. "It was a great experience," Horton said. "I was ready to be the striker and take that next step. I worked hard and came back in the winter feeling fit and playing well but blew out my knee for the first time before the season." Horton and the program faced adversity entering the fall of 2020 following the COVID-19 pandemic. The striker spent the spring recovering from an MCL tear in Janu- ary while the team struggled to replace holes in the lineup after losing most of its College Cup squad to the professional ranks. Though Horton earned his place in the starting 11 the following fall, injuries contin- ued to plague his efforts. A hamstring issue sidelined him for the spring of 2021, and a second MCL tear ended his third-year sea- son before it even began, despite a promis- ing summer spent at Columbus Crew 2 in his home state of Ohio. At the start of the 2022 season, Horton was fully healthy and again earned his way into starting position for his fourth-year season. His grit and determination showed early when he scored his first NCAA Divi- sion I goal in 692 days during a 3-0 win over James Madison. His actual breakout moment came in one of the program's defining games of the regular season. Fresh off a statement road victory at Syracuse, Virginia traveled to take on No. 10-ranked Pitt, where Horton got Virginia off the mark with a goal less than a minute into the match. He would record a career-high 5 points with 2 goals and 1 as- sist to power Virginia to a 3-1 road win over the Panthers. Following that performance on the road, Horton was recognized by the United Soc- cer Coaches, College Soccer News and Top Drawer Soccer as the nation's player of the week, an honor that seems not only symbolic of his journey but that of his entire team. "We have had a couple of tough breaks these last couple of years, and we just have that willingness to keep at it," Horton said. "We have adopted this underdog mentality. We are going into games with a chip on our shoulder this year, and I like that a lot." — Quinn Hull getting to know Third-Year Men's Soccer Forward Phil Horton Horton ranked second on the team with 13 points (5 goals and 3 assists) through 17 matches. (Photo courtesy UVA)