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AUGUST 2023 33 cavalier profile REESE MILLER Second-Year • Soccer The Virginia men's soccer team gave its fans plenty to be excited about following the 2022 campaign. Reese Miller, a second- year out of Houston, is near the top of that list. Nicknamed "Bones" due to his slender frame as a first-year, Miller quickly made himself an invaluable part of the team. Miller came up through the academy program of Major League Soccer's Houston Dynamo, playing regularly with Houston Dy- namo 2 in MLS NEXT Pro. A sound defender playing at the outside back position, Miller is electric on the attack well. "He's got a good engine; he can get up and down in the attacking third," UVA head coach George Gelnovatch said. "I love de- fenders with an attacking background." Slotting right into the Virginia lineup in the season opener, the left-footed Miller had several scoring opportunities early in the season that did not find the back of the net. He broke through at a crucial point in the Cavaliers' campaign. With just more than an hour played in Pittsburgh and the Cavaliers locked in a battle with the 10th-ranked Panthers, passes from Phil Horton and Leo Afonso set up Miller's first collegiate goal. The strike propelled Virginia to its second consecutive victory over a top-10 opponent, helping to ignite a run that would see the Cavaliers lose just one of their final 12 matches. It was déjà vu in the ACC quarterfinal round when the Cavaliers hosted Pitt on their home pitch at Klöckner Stadium. With 20 minutes gone in the first half, Daniel Mangarov threaded a ball through the Pan- ther backline. With a little flick from Afonso, the ball fell to Miller who lashed it onto the side netting of the far post — his second game-winning goal against Pitt. Revamped and retooled, the UVA program is set to face another difficult schedule in the fall with hopes of a deep run in the NCAA Tour- nament. Now entering his second year, Miller looks to pick up right where he left off after earning ACC All-Freshman honors in Year 1. — Quinn Hull • Photo courtesy UVA Athletics