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cavalier profile VERONICA LATSKO Fourth-Year • Soccer Even after she blew out her right ACL, which caused her to miss her senior year at McMurray (Pa.) Peters Township, fourth-year forward Veronica Latsko remained confident she would be able to play soccer for Virginia. "I always had a bunch of great resources, including my coaches and family telling me to get back to where I was or better," said Latsko, who was named a third-team All-ACC selection last season. "I never really was nervous that I wouldn't get back to the level of play I was at before my injury. "I was confident in my coaches at home. [Virginia head coach] Steve [Swan- son] made me confident that I could get back to where I was." Where Latsko was before Virginia was a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year in Pennsylvania and a forward that led Peters Township to three consecutive state championships. During her third-year season at Virginia, she scored eight goals — including four game-winners — and assisted on three. The adjective Swanson used to describe Latsko is "relentless." "He gives me more credit than I deserve," Latsko said. "Every time I step on the field I might not be the most technical player, the fastest player or the best header. But every time I step on the field I know what I can control and what I can put into the game. "I'm going to try to control everything I can. The things I can't, I'm going to work much harder at them." Latsko, the Cavaliers' leading returning scorer, also works hard in the class- room because she majors in public policy and foreign affairs. Balancing her academic demands with her commitment to soccer can be a difficult path to navigate. "I have so much help from [director of academics/Olympic spor ts] Heather Downs, Steve and [Batten School of Leadership public policy di- rector of academic programs and registrar] Amanda Crombie," said Latsko, a CoSIDA Academic All-District selection and a member of the ACC Women's Soccer All-Academic Team. "The combination of all the academic resources that I have and the understanding of the staff make an impossible balance manageable." — Mike Scandura ◆ Photo by Matt Riley/courtesy UVA AUGUST 2017 ◆ 31