Not since the 2003 season had the Virginia men’s soccer team dropped its first two games. That year, UVa still wound up winning the ACC.

The sophomore from McLean had a hat trick off the bench as Virginia dominated Liberty, 5-0.

The Virginia men’s soccer team lost its first season opener in five years, dropping a close 1-0 decision to St. John’s on Friday night at Klockner Stadium.

Last season was a disappointing one for the Virginia men’s soccer team. UVa finished 12-8-2 (1-5-2 in the ACC) and lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to West Virginia. That marked the program’s earliest exit from the Big Dance since 1996.

On Friday night at Klockner Stadium, both those things happened as UVa — behind two goals from senior Kelly Quinn — opened its season with a dominating 4-0 victory over Loyola (Md.) in front of 848 fans.

Virginia women’s soccer coach Steve Swanson has enjoyed a great deal of success in his nine years at the helm, so it was pretty telling when he recently said that his team’s performance last year was “some of the best soccer this program has seen.”

On Monday, Chris Agorsor was named the 2007-08 Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year.