Some say it is impossible to improve on perfection, but that is precisely what the 2021-2022 version of Barristers United aims to do this year. After a dominant run in the regular season, seeing the Law School soccer team go undefeated in the top co-ed soccer league in Charlottesville, the team continued to sweep aside all of their competition by claiming the Sunday League trophy with an emphatic 4-1 victory over their hated rivals FC Beercelona.
The offseason was far more painful however, with several key pieces leaving for different teams. In particular, team captains Will Pretto ’21 and Nathan Eagan ’21 were signed by Kirkland FC and the Gibson Dunn’s respectively while manager Zach Turk ’21 intends to pursue his dream career of event planning in the aftermath of his wildly successful Summer Series.
In their place, commentators expect the legendary UVA class of 2022 to step up and live up to last year’s reputation for perfection. Leading the way is fan favorite dog owner Stephen Wald ’22, who has promised to bring an attacking attitude to the fullback position along with a tent for fans to watch from.
Other standouts include last season's MVP Day Robins ’22, who commentators expect will break her own record of goals from outside the 18 this semester along with the devastating stiker duo of Sam Mirzai ’22 and Ardi Khalafi ’22 who is excited to move to his natural position at forward.
These veteran leaders will also get assistance from some Barrister’s youth products who are ready to take the next step into the first team. The development staff have long been raving about Nachi Baru’s ’22 vision and feel for the game, and fans are excited at the prospect of him making his debut sometime this season. Another wild card are the members of softball champions BDE, Ray Roesler ’22, Tom Langstaff ’22 and Kelli Finnegan ’22 who will need to balance their commitments to two championship organizations.
There are some questions that still remain unanswered. Will record transfer Doyle Tuvesson ’23 be able to come back from his suspension and adapt to the high level of play found in the Cville Sunday league? Who will the team’s new defensive partnership be? And how many 1Ls will be able to come out consistently with LRW briefs just on the horizon? Only time will tell, but make sure to check back here every week to get more updates about Barristers United!
---
jwb4bb@virginia.edu