Cavalier Corner

Morgan Brian Earned National Acclaim In Her First Year At UVa BY MIKE SCANDURA M ORGAN BRIAN STILL re- members it like it was yester- day. Nervously, she stepped off the red carpet in Los An- geles to accept a 2011 ESPY award for best female high school athlete. "That was probably the best experience of my life — just going to the red carpet and going to the ESPYs and being around all those people who were FEMALE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR winning awards," Brian said. "That was really cool. "And the award itself — I didn't think I'd ever win something like that." As a first-year at Virginia last season, Brian more than lived up to the accolade. The 5-7 midfielder out of Frederica Academy in St. Simons Island, Ga., finished second on the team in points (30). "I think it's pretty rare to have somebody so her- alded and do as well as she did," Virginia head coach Steve Swanson said. "It's hard sometimes. You fight expectations a lot … "We always knew what she was capable of doing, but actually doing it is an entirely different thing. [Especially] given the fact that she was playing in a top conference, a very competitive conference. She had a great year. She was a difference maker for us, for sure. I think the impact she had on our team was pretty tangible." Brian was named first-team All-ACC, ACC Fresh- man of the Year and Soccer America National Fresh- man of the Year (the first time a Cavalier has earned that distinction in the 25-year history of the award). But perhaps her most telling honor came when her teammates voted her team MVP. "I think that tells you how she's thought of amongst the team," Swanson said. "I think the thing about Morgan is that she works hard on both sides of the ball. She's an honest player in that you know what you're going to get from her every day. "I think that's a credit to her and the work ethic she has. She does some amazing things on the of- fensive end, scored a lot of goals for us, but she's a very grounded person. She has a great work ethic, a great attitude and really wants to learn. She's very motivated. And I think those things speak to the kind of person she is and I think that's where it all starts. She has good values." The upcoming season could be a bit of an odd one for Brian. Due to her probable commitment to the United States' Under-20 Team, she has the potential to miss about 10 games. "Obviously, it's a sad thing missing [roughly] half of a season," said Brian, who hopes to return by the start of UVa's ACC schedule in mid-September, "but the World Cup is a once-in-a-lifetime chance, so it's not too hard of a decision — playing for your country." CAVALIER CORNER ◆ AUGUST 2012 ◆ 45

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