Jack Brown ‘23
Staff Editor
Every weekend, the brave students of UVA Law take to the fields of Charlottesville in their quest to hoist the most prestigious soccer trophy in the world: the SOCA Cup. The Law Weekly aims to document this legendary journey week in and week out, as our community looks to prove that UVA is more than just a softball/pickleball school.
Last season was one of the worst in Barristers United history. Only finishing second in the league, Barristers’ lowest placing in almost four years, the squad came into this week’s late-night game against Net Six and Chill looking to show that they were not going to repeat the same mistakes as last year (losing).
With the start of a new year, longtime Barristers fans will see many new faces in the squad, thanks to the inevitable passage of time. Luckily, recruiting efforts (including a new soccer skills component of the Law School’s application) have borne fruit, with an incredibly talented 1L class poised to assert themselves on the game’s biggest stage.
The game was a tight affair, with both teams anchored by impressive defenses. For the Law School, starting in the net was this year’s captain and Barristers legend, Aziz Rashidzada ’23, who remembers the club’s golden years better than anyone else. Right in front of him was the devious duo of Tom Schnoor ’23 and Keith Stone ’24. This solid defensive core allegedly has over 300 combined pickup and Sunday League games between them and helped the Barristers squad weather Net Six and Chill’s talented players.
For twenty minutes, the game was a brutal defensive contest with a series of precise fouls preventing any real forward progress for Barristers. The closest goal-scoring opportunity came from the victim of many of those fouls, Zack Pierce ’24, whose header off a corner was cleared at the goal line in a dramatic moment that robbed Barristers of a deserved lead.
The game changed, however, with the first wave of substitutions. Moments after coming on, JMU transfer Stephen Foss ’25 received the ball at the thirty-yard line and ripped a shot that scorched past the dumbfounded keeper. Sensing blood in the water, Barristers surged forward, with target man Nathan Sheeley ’24 and the ever-speedy Drew Flanagan ’24 taking several chances that were saved by a now very awake Net Six and Chill keeper.
Unfortunately, during this period of pressure, a rapid counterattack from the other team resulted in Barristers conceding in their opener. Still, the defense, bolstered by the addition of Barristers youth product/Libel star Chris Hamborsky ’23 and the ever-consistent Warren Griffiths ’23, held strong after this lapse.
At halftime, the score was tied 1-1, but momentum was clearly with Barristers, who had been the better side all game. Taking the stage for the first time, but not the last, Captain Aziz inspired the squad to keep the pressure up, to avoid getting mad at the ref, and to use the squad’s superior speed.
His speech resonated with the team, who came into the second half with renewed purpose and determination. The homophonous duo of Elana Murray ’25 and Alayna Choo ’23 dominated on the right side, while Ben Keller ’25 and Seth Coven ’25 showed the future was bright as the two 1Ls valiantly held the left flank.
Despite this heroism, the game remained tied 1-1 going into the last four minutes with the closest scoring chance of the half coming from the other team (with the shot brilliantly cleared off the line by Schnoor). As the game drew to a close, Barristers was able to earn a last-second corner. Barristers historically has not been known for its goals off set pieces. BUT SUNDAY, THAT DIDN’T MATTER as Cam DiGiovanni ’25 soared like a salmon and headed the game winner into the net with unreal force to end the game with barely any time left.
Another goal was put in by Foss after the other team overextended and opened themselves up to a counter-attack, which resulted in a penalty. The game ended 3-1, with all of Barristers’ goals coming from 1Ls, which bodes well for the squad’s future. Join us next week as your fellow students go into battle again to raise yet another SOCA championship trophy.
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jwb4bb@virginia.edu