Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/451067
IT STARTS WITH YOU THE PATH TO SUCCESS Academics Preparation Competition Service Graduation Lifelong Success ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ student. He rejoined the squad after that season on the sidelines, and it turned out to be a great move for both the player and team. Once Brown came to grips with exactly how competi- tive the environment was within the squad, he embraced it and that allowed the goalie to eventually thrive. "I had a pretty up and down mental approach when I first got on the team," Brown admitted. "Once I came back, I was a changed person mentally. I've always been competitive, but when I came back after being away from it for a while, it makes you realize how important sports are and that there's a drive inside of you. "I made it my goal just to com- pete as hard as I possibly could every single day, and that's what I hope everyone on our team does because that makes all of us better." Brown did not immediately win the starting job, but while he was once driven to quit, he was now pushed to work hard. His play improved enough to where Brown was inserted into the lineup for the last regular season contest in 2013. He did so well that he went on to start all seven postseason games, helping the team finish 5-2-1 while also being named to the ACC All-Tournament team. This season, Brown was the starter from day one and helped the Cavalier men claim their seventh national championship on the pitch. Once again, he was stellar in the postseason and was named to the 2014 Men's College Cup All-Tournament team, while also being named the event's Most Valuable Defensive Player. Although he did not have the start he always dreamed of with college soccer, Brown was still able to write a sto- rybook ending. "Virginia surrounds you on the soccer team with such incredible athletes and soccer players — the best in the country," he said. "In that environment, we get the best train- ing within our own team. Even the players who are not playing during the fall are great players, and when you get to practice with them every day, you get better every day. "I saw that happen with myself when I came back on the team, and it was a steep incline of me getting better every day." The Cavaliers' loaded rosters in all sports means intense battles for playing time, but there is no better way to prepare for the season. It's the closest simulation possible for league play in the ACC, one of the country's premier conferences. Fourth-year soccer star Morgan Brian is a member of the U.S. Women's National Team after ending her collegiate career with a second straight MAC Hermann Trophy, which is annually awarded to the top player in soccer. She noted that practices on Grounds helped prepare her for what she has seen at the sport's high- est level. Morgan Brian, who is currently a member of the U.S. Women's National Team, believes her time at UVa helped prepare her to play at soccer's highest level.