Cavalier Corner

October 2014

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BY WHITELAW REID I T WAS KIND OF A GOOD NEWS, bad news situation for Makenzy Doniak this summer. On one hand, she was able to play with some of the top players in the world on the United States' Under-20 World Cup Team. On the other, she had to miss Virginia's pre- season training camp in August. However, the silver lining of it all was that Do- niak returned to UVa an even better player. "It was a great experience, really unlike any that I've ever been through," said the UVa third- year. "Even though we fell short, I think I really grew from the whole experience. "Having that under my belt as I move forward is just really going to help me." Playing in Canada, the U.S. lost to North Ko- rea in the quarterfinals, which enabled Doniak to make it back in time for UVa's season opener against Marshall Aug. 22. In the 3-0 win over the Herd, Doniak scored Virginia's first goal. "It's been great to have her back," Virginia head coach Steve Swanson said. "For as much as she's played this summer, she's had a lot of life in her legs and has given us a lift. She gave us a lift the minute she got back. "I think she's been sharp. She looks like she's in midseason form in terms of her work rate, and in terms of her runs and in terms of her creativity. It's just been great to have her back and her pick up where she left off in terms of scoring goals." Doniak, a native of Chino Hills, Calif., has some athletic genes. Her father, Dave, played football at Long Beach State, while her mother, Lori, played tennis. Her two older sisters, Kylie and Alyssa, played soccer at Texas and St. Mary's, respectively. When she was younger, her extracurricular ac- tivity of choice was actually dancing. Tap, ballet, jazz, hip hop — Doniak did it all. Doniak believes the fancy footwork helped her in soccer. "You have to be coordinated to dance," she said. " And so I think that kind of translated onto the field a little bit." After a stellar high school career, Doniak picked UVa over UCLA, USC, Stanford and Notre Dame. WORLD-CLASS Makenzy Doniak Hopes To Parlay Her International Experience Into Another Strong Season At UVa

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