Drexel shocks top-ranked UVa
Dragons net 2 in final 10 seconds
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
February 19, 2007

Having lost several of his best players from last season’s national championship team to graduation, Virginia coach Dom Starsia had talked about the possibility of there being a few bumps in the road for his 2007 squad in the early going.

He never said anything about landmines.

On a frigid Sunday afternoon in Charlottesville, UVa - which went undefeated in 2006 - gave up two goals in the final 10 seconds and lost its season opener to Drexel, 11-10.

“I am a little stunned, but it’s just one game,” said Virginia junior Ben Rubeor. “We have a long season. By no means is this an indication of how our year’s going to go.”

Better hope not.

Overall, Starsia said there weren’t many positives to take away from the game.

“We had our moments,” Starsia said, “but I didn’t think our attack was sharp. There were too many turnovers, too many missed opportunities. Those are the kind of things that kill you in the end.”

UVa (0-1) looked like it was going to escape with the victory. The Cavaliers held a 10-9 lead and had the ball in Drexel territory with less than a half-minute to play.

However, the Dragons were able to regain possession after a Virginia shot and called timeout with 16 seconds left.

When the action resumed, Drexel’s Colin Ambler perfectly executed a set play, beating goalie Kip Turner.

“They picked for the guy that Mike Timms was covering,” Starsia explained. “Matt Kelly’s guy snuck around the far side of the cage and Matthew got caught a little bull-watching there.”

With only 10 seconds left, overtime seemed like a likely scenario, but Drexel won the faceoff - the Dragons won 13 of 22 on the afternoon - and got the ball to Ambler, who rifled a shot past Turner from the top.

“I was just trying to come out and take a little of the angle away,” Turner said. “He shot it in the one place where I wasn’t. I just wasn’t there.

“It was a good shot, [but] I should be able to save shots from 12 [yards] and out and I didn’t do that.”

Virginia started the game fairly well. Rubeor scored less than three minutes in for a 1-0 lead. After a Drexel goal, UVa scored three straight to go up, 4-1. The Cavaliers took a 6-3 lead into the half.

However, after the break, Drexel seemed to play with more passion. Dragons players were jumping up and down on the sideline as they made their way back. Virginia’s players seemed like they were going through the motions.

Still, the Cavaliers appeared to be in good shape after Rubeor scored on a man-up goal to make it a 9-7 game. But less than a minute later, the Cavs allowed Kevin Dart to score a man-down goal.

“It was mental mistakes more than anything else,” said Rubeor, who scored a game-high four goals. “I don’t think we were totally there with the thinking part of the game.

“They came out in the second half with more energy. That’s something that our whole team needs to work on.”

Starsia was disappointed in his attack.

“I think their goalie was very good,” he said, “but I don’t think we shot particularly well or smartly. I thought our inexperience showed on the offensive end.”

While visibly upset, Starsia tried to remain optimistic.

“It’s a completely different group of kids,” he said. “Everything that we do is a lesson for the next game, you hope. We have a lot of lacrosse to play and have to get back to work.”

Added Rubeor: “I think this can be good motivation for us here on out.”

 

Miclat's big day leads UVa to another rout
Shortstop goes 5 for 5, steals 3 bases
By Todd Merchant / tmerchant@dailyprogress.com | 978-7236
February 19, 2007

George Washington’s offensive output of seven hits on Sunday wasn’t necessarily that bad, especially considering it was just the team’s second game of the season. But add to that the fact that Virginia’s Greg Miclat nearly matched the Colonials’ total singlehandedly, and it’s not too difficult to guess who came out on top in this one.

Behind Miclat’s 5-for-5 performance at the plate and a solid outing on the mound from fellow sophomore Jacob Thompson, No. 8 UVa cruised to an 11-1 victory over GW on a cold and windy day at Davenport Field.

It was the fourth double-digit game of the young season for Virginia (4-1), which pounded out 14 hits, half of which went for extra bases.

“The team morale gets on a high once we score,” Miclat said. “And your job is, once you’re up, to stay up. You smell blood and go after the kill.”

The Cavs chased George Washington starter Brian Frazier (0-1) after just 3.2 innings. He gave up four runs (three earned) on seven hits while walking three and striking out two.

Miclat did the bulk of the damage as he filled the box score with a double, a triple, two RBI, three stolen bases and two runs scored. This coming a day after the shortstop went 4 for 5 in an 11-0 victory over GW.

“I’m seeing the ball well, but I’m also hitting it to the right spots,” said Miclat, who is now hitting .571 (12 for 21) this season. “I also got a little lucky with the traction out there.”

Miclat got things started right away for the Cavaliers as he singled to lead off the bottom of the first then scored on a triple by Brandon Marsh.

Marsh scored a batter later and UVa picked up another run to go up 3-0 early. It was the fourth time in the first five games that Virginia has scored in the first inning and the second day in a row the Cavs put up multiple runs.

“Getting up on a team early, it allows you to do things offensively and continue to put pressure on the other team - steal bases, take extra bases and take some extra chances,” said Virginia coach Brian O’Connor. “And also, it allows your pitcher to go out there and attack the strikezone.”

UVa tacked on another run in the second to spot Thompson a 4-0 lead. It was all the righty would need as he was able to contain the George Washington offense for much of the day. Thompson (2-0) scattered four hits, struck out six and walked none in six innings of work.

The lone blip was a solo homer by the Colonials’ Charlie Kruer in the fourth inning. Kruer came up again in the sixth with runners on the corners and one out, but Thompson got him to ground into a double play to end the threat.

Neal Davis then came in and threw three innings for the Cavs, allowing three hits and striking out four while walking none to earn the save.

“Jacob did a nice job. He wasn’t as sharp as he usually is, but he gave us a pretty good outing,” O’Connor said. “And I thought Neal Davis really pitched the ball well for us.”

While O’Connor’s decision to use only two pitchers was partially attributed to the cold weather, he also didn’t want to wear out his pitchers too early during a tough stretch for the Cavs, who play eight games in nine days.

UVa will send freshman lefty Matt Packer to the mound as it closes out the series with GW today at 3 p.m.

Extra bases

Jeremy Farrell went 3 for 3 with a double and an RBI for UVa, David Adams was 2 for 4 with a double and a home run, while Tyler Cannon went 2 for 3 with two runs scored and an RBI. … Packer went 4.2 innings last weekend in his collegiate debut against Coastal Carolina, giving up two runs on seven hits while striking out six and walking just one. He did not factor in the decision.
 

Cavs kept Thornton off the charity stripe
Leitao wanted to limit fouling
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
February 19, 2007

In Virginia’s 73-70 win over Florida State on Saturday, FSU star Al Thornton finished with 30 points and 16 rebounds.

Those stats would lead you to believe that UVa didn’t do a very good job of defending the Seminoles All-American candidate.

However, Virginia coach Dave Leitao said his team did as well as could be expected.

“We did an admirable job,” said Leitao, whose team plays at Miami on Wednesday. “What we were talking about with him is [making him] work; he’s going to score some points.

“There were times when he got offensive rebounds and kind of bullied us a little bit getting to the basket, but that’s what he does against everybody.”

Virginia (18-7, 9-3) did a great job of keeping Thornton off the foul line. He finished with just four free-throw attempts - his lowest total of the season.

As a team, Florida State had just 13 attempts. That was huge when you consider that the Seminoles are the best free-throw shooting team in the ACC and second in the country (78 percent).

“In preparing for them, we talked about defending without fouling and don’t get them into the bonus and those kinds of things,” Leitao said. “Obviously there are going to be situations in which fouls are created, but I thought we did a good job of not fouling and making sure they settled for shots that were contested.”

Virginia forwards Jason Cain and Will Harris were the two players who spent the most time defending Thornton.

“I thought, for the most part, they did a decent job,” Leitao said. “He’s terrific. … As I told our staff, I don’t want to play against him when we go to Tampa [for the ACC Tournament]. He’s a terrific, terrific player.”

Yo Adrian!

Leitao continues to marvel at the confidence that Adrian Joseph plays with. The junior scored a season-high 17 - including two clutch 3-pointers - against FSU.

“Him making shots is him working on [it] and being a terrific shooter, but even more a result of having a shooter’s mentality,” Leitao said. “Missing shots doesn’t really bother him that much.”

Said Joseph: “Things don’t always go my way, but I just try and stay focused.”

Tunji Time

Virginia big man Tunji Soroye continued his improved play in the victory. The 6-foot-11 Nigerian tied his season-high of five points and also hauled in nine rebounds - his second-highest output of the season.

“One thing we wanted to take advantage of was our ability to rebound,” Leitao said. “We didn’t do a great job of it for 40 minutes, but Tunji has been coming up big lately - both offensively and defensively on the backboards.”

Change up

As the season progresses, Leitao seems to be tightening his player rotation. In Saturday’s game, Lars Mikalasukas played just one minute, a career low. And, for the third time in the last six games, freshman Jamil Tucker did not play.

 

Drexel surprises Virginia
Defending champions allow 2 goals in last 10 seconds to end streak
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Feb 19, 2007
MEN'S LACROSSE
DREXEL 11 U.VA. 10

CHARLOTTESVILLE - It wasn't going to last forever, of course. Still, only the most optimistic Drexel fans expected the University of Virginia's winning streak in men's lacrosse to end yesterday.

In the season opener for both teams, the unherald Dragons pulled off a shocking upset. Drexel scored two goals in the final 10 seconds to beat defending NCAA champion U.Va. 11-10 before a nearly frozen crowd of 1,076 at the University Hall Turf Field.

Virginia had won 17 straight games since losing in overtime to Johns Hopkins in an NCAA tournament semifinal on May 28, 2005. The Cavaliers had won 19 in a row at home.

"I am a little stunned, but it's one game," said junior attackman Ben Rubeor, who led U.Va. with four goals and four assists. "By no means is this an indication of how our year is going to go."

Rubeor's pass to sophomore attackman Danny Glading produced a goal that gave U.Va. a 10-9 lead with 6:43 left. The score hadn't changed at the 2:00 mark, when Virginia had possession. From that point, however, the Cavaliers' lack of patience - and poise - proved costly.

First, sophomore attackman Garrett Billings attempted a shot that Drexel goalie Bruce Bickford saved. U.Va. regained possession with 50 seconds left, but another mental lapse followed. Sophomore midfielder Steve Giannone, in transition, opted to shoot instead of pulling up and killing the clock. His shot hit the pipe, and Drexel picked up the ball.

After a timeout, the Dragons' Andrew Chapman passed to Colin Ambler, who was open on the crease, and the freshman attackman scored on goalie Kip Turner to make it 10-10 with 10 seconds left. On the ensuing faceoff, freshman Zak Fisher beat U.Va. senior Drew Thompson cleanly and then scooped up in the ball in stride. Fisher passed to Ambler, who fired the game-winner past Turner with 3 seconds left.

Drexel won 13 of 22 faceoffs overall and four of five in the last quarter. Virginia outshot the Dragons 46-24, but many of those were low-percentage attempts.

"I thought our inexperience showed at the offensive end, but not to make an excuse about that," Cavaliers coach Dom Starsia said. "Their goalie played very, very well."

The Dragons, who trailed 6-3 at halftime, pulled to 8-7 by the end of the third quarter. They were the more energetic team by far in the fourth.

"There was a sense of momentum about what was going on there," Starsia said. "All of a sudden they were picking up every ball and catching every pass, and plays that we maybe were making earlier in the game, all of a sudden they were making."

 

Cavs lose opener in final seconds
Freshman nets two goals late in game to give Drexel upset win over Virginia
Megan McDonald, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor

With 10 seconds left in the game, the 1,076 fans gathered at the U-Hall Turf Field for the men's lacrosse season opener were confident that Virginia's one goal lead would be enough to win -- they were wrong. By the time the final buzzer sounded, Drexel freshman Colin Ambler scored two goals and the Dragons defeated the Cavaliers 11-10.

"There was a sense of momentum about what was going on at the end," Virginia coach Dom Starsia said. "Drexel was picking up every ball, catching every pass and making the plays we had been earlier in the game. Towards the end, they made the plays that won them the game."

The Dragons' win snaps Virginia's 19-game home winning streak and marks Drexel's first victoryover the Cavaliers. They have met a total of six times -- this is the fifth year the teams have faced off in their season openers. While there certainly must be a first time for everything, junior attackman Ben Rubeor said Drexel's win was a direct result of the way Virginia played.

"We made a lot of mental mistakes and more than anything else, I don't think we were totally there with the thinking part of the game," Rubeor said. "They came out in the second half with more energy and that's something that our whole team needs to work on -- we need to come out with energy for the entire game."

That said, the loss is certainly not a reflection of Rubeor's individual play. Spearheading the Cavalier attack with four goals and four assists, he once again demonstrated why he is considered one of the leading offensive players in the country.

Alongside Rubeor, Danny Gladding tirelessly pressured the Dragon goal and finished the day with two goals and one assist. Despite such stand out performances and the fact that the Cavaliers tallied a considerable number of points, Starsia sees considerable room for improvement on the attack.

"Overall there wasn't a lot that I liked today," Starsia said. "I thought we had our moments and that our attack had a lot of points but I don't think that they were particularly sharp -- too many turnovers, too many missed opportunities. And those are the kinds of things that kill you in the end."

Senior goalie Kip Turner and his defensive squad also struggled, especially during quick field transitions. Drexel's tying goal was scored off a pick play. As Turner described, Virginia players lost some of their marks and allowed Ambler to sneak in behind and get an easy layup goal. Seven seconds later, Drexel freshman Zak Fisher once again fed Ambler the ball, this time for the game-winner.

"They were both good shots," Turner said. "I should be able to save shots from about 12 and out like that, but I didn't do that today."

Following the loss, thoughts of Virginia's disappointing 2004 season crossed many people's minds, including Starsia's. This week's task will be to prevent the upset from putting the team into a tailspin and instead, to harness its potential as a motivating force.

"We'll have to work real hard to take the lessons here and apply them to the next situation," Starsia said. "Like we've always said, we just need to be ready to go each and every time and it makes it even more important for us to come back and be ready for the next game, the trip to Stony Brook [New York]."

 

The Godfather of college lacrosse
Kyle O'Connor, Columnist

Bear Bryant had the hat. John Thompson had the towel. Dom Starsia has the voice.

If you're reading this within a mile of U-Hall, stand still and listen very carefully. No, it's not your roommate replaying "The Godfather" for the 57th time in a row. That voice you hear -– that raspy, booming, baritone with a certain please-God-I-hope-he's-not-yelling-at-me quality isn't made in Hollywood. It's 100 percent real and it's coming to you straight from the grassy practice fields where the best college lacrosse team in the nation suits up every afternoon.

Listening to Starsia, the coach of the Virginia men's lacrosse team, I often wonder whether the next words out of his mouth will be instructions to one of his players or a command to "leave the gun, take the cannoli." One thing is for sure, though: whatever the man says is pure lacrosse gold. Dom Starsia may put his pants on like the rest of us, but after that, he wins national championships. And ACC titles. And coach of the year awards. Somewhere in there he even finds time to persuade the best recruits in the nation to come to Charlottesville for the next four years and learn from the man behind that voice. The only thing he doesn't do is make gold records, but maybe that's on tap for the 2007 season.

Though his press conferences are nowhere near as big as the media throngs that cluster around Al Groh or Dave Leitao, Starsia's numbers put them both to shame. After coaching at Brown, his alma mater, Starsia came to U.Va. in 1992 with a clean slate. Since then, he's won three national championships in eight seasons, been to nine final fours, compiled a 158-54 record and turned Virginia into a perennial lacrosse power that consistently shines in the national spotlight.

Last season, in what was arguably one of the most dominant performances of all time by a college lacrosse team, the Cavaliers won 17 straight games against the best competition the sport has to offer. The 2006 squad led the nation in scoring, secured the national title and produced eight All-Americans (to fully appreciate this, consider that lacrosse teams only start 10 players).

Of course, the diehard fans know this already. More than most other sports, lacrosse seems to attract followers that have done their homework -- they know the game and can appreciate how special it is to be able to watch some of the best action in the country for free on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. That said, even those who think the crease refers only to something on the front of their khakis can appreciate the game when they see it. During the past decade Virginia has been a machine, churning out unbelievably fast-paced action for the Charlottesville faithful -- and most of that is due to one man.

This year, Starsia will have his share of challenges on the field as well. After graduating some of the top talent in the country, and losing to Drexel yesterday, it remains to be seen whether the Cavaliers can maintain their No. 1 pre-season ranking.

When all is said and done, the truth is that one of the most successful coaches (and one of the best human beings) at the University deserves your support. As a former high school lacrosse player and a reporter who's followed Starsia's Cavaliers up and down the East Coast, I'll admit that I'm not exactly neutral on this subject. I will say, however, that some of my fondest Virginia sports memories didn't happen at Scott Stadium or John Paul Jones Arena.

Head over to Klöckner any weekend this season and you'll see what I mean. The weather will be beautiful, we'll sing the Good Ole Song after every goal (there will be quite a few) and the team will work its magic on the field. Even though lacrosse has gotten an unfortunate bad rap from the Duke scandal, it remains one of the most entertaining college sports to watch, hands down. Anybody who has seen Matt Poskay nail those behind-the-head shots would agree.

Over the past few years, the lacrosse attendance record for one game at Klöckner has been broken -- a tradition that we should keep going strong. Get over to a game at least once this semester to see (and hear) Starsia at his best. And no, he's not yelling at you. He's just making the best team in college lacrosse a little better.

 

Cavs fall to No. 1 Georgia

The Virginia men's tennis team fell to top-ranked Georgia Sunday in the semifinals of the National Team Indoor Tournament. The Cavaliers (8-1) defeated No. 4 Mississippi Saturday to advance to the finals, but were unable to top an undefeated Georgia team (7-0) in order to continue on to the finals. Against Georgia, Virginia could not pull out the doubles point against the Bulldogs, and the Cavaliers struggled in singles matches. In the doubles matches, the No. 7 team of juniors Treat Huey and Somdev Devvarman lost to the top-ranked doubles team of John Isner and Luis Flores. The Cavaliers seemed like they might be able to pull out the match, winning two of the first three singles matches to even the score at two, including an upset by redshirt freshman Dominic Inglot over No. 22 Travis Helgeson. But freshman Lee Singer lost and No. 8 Devvarman lost to No. 2 John Isner to clinch the match for Georgia.

---compiled by Campbell Grant