No. 2 Cavaliers hold off physical Maryland

By JOHN GALINSKY
Daily Progress staff writer

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — In a physical and penalty-filled men’s lacrosse game between No. 2 Virginia and No. 5 Maryland, there were few pretty plays on the field at Byrd Stadium.
But goalie Tillman Johnson provided one moment of perfection, making a superb save in the closing seconds to preserve a hard-fought 11-10 victory for the Cavaliers. He reached high to his stick side and intercepted a blistering 10-yard shot by Mike Mollot, then was mobbed by his teammates after the final seconds ticked off the clock.
“Most of [the Terrapins] were shooting high today, so I just tried to stay big and reach the shot,” Johnson said of his 11th and final save of the day.
The sophomore called it the biggest save of his career. It allowed Virginia (6-1, 1-0 ACC) to win its sixth straight game and snap a four-game winning streak by the Terrapins (6-2, 1-2). It also ended an intense and contentious 68th meeting of old rivals.
Neither team is fond of the other, which was apparent before the game started. Some of Maryland’s players walked through UVa’s team huddle, which annoyed the Cavaliers. Then there were 14 penalties called during the game, nine on Virginia, as well as plenty of hard hits and trash talking.
“They try to intimidate you by hitting you late and doing silly stuff. They try to make their mark by being really tough,” junior midfielder Chris Rotelli said of the Terrapins. “We know we’re just as tough if not tougher than they are. We knew it was going to be physical. We had to be physical back, and we were. We got called for it sometimes, but we weren’t going to back down.”
Senior attackman Conor Gill was called for three penalties, matching his total from last season. Early in the third quarter, UVa coach Dom Starsia drew the first unsportsmanlike conduct flag of his 20-year career for arguing a call against midfielder Brenndan Mohler.
As a result, the teams spent much of the game with uneven numbers. The Terrapins converted four of seven extra-man opportunities, while the Cavaliers went three for four. Virginia also scored two shorthanded goals, including one by John Christmas with two men down following the calls on Mohler and Starsia. It was the fourth goal of the game for the freshman attackman, a career high, and it gave UVa an 8-4 lead.
“We talked about keeping our poise and playing with discipline,” Starsia said. “I’ll be honest, I probably lost my poise a little bit. Conor did on the sideline. But after Conor’s penalty, we talked about keeping our heads and keeping our wits about us at the end of the game. I think that’s how it finished up for us.”
Christmas and fellow freshman Joe Yevoli each scored three goals in the first half, staking Virginia to a 7-4 lead. They did it against a Maryland defense that had been allowing 5.86 goals per game, fewest in the country.
But neither scored over the final 26 minutes as the Terrapins stiffened, tempers flared and flags flew. Maryland was called for two slashing penalties in one sequence, leading to A.J. Shannon’s second goal for Virginia. But Gill and defenseman Ned Bowen were penalized in succession and the Terrapins scored twice in the final 20 seconds of the third quarter to draw within 9-8.
Maryland had plenty of chances to tie the game in the final period, but Johnson came up with several clutch saves. Rotelli also scored a pair of unassisted goals from tough angles to keep the Cavaliers in front.
“I felt we needed something and I felt I had a good matchup,” said Rotelli, who also had two assists for a season-high four points. “I think those were my only two shots of the day.”
Senior midfielder Nate Watkins answered each of Rotelli’s goals with one of his own for Maryland. His third goal of the day made it 11-10 with 2:55 remaining. Though Virginia won the ensuing faceoff, turnovers by Rotelli and Gill gave the Terrapins two chances to tie.
On the first, Virginia’s defense forced a turnover and Johnson pounced on the loose ball in the crease. The second time, the Terrapins called timeout and set up a final play for Mollot, who juked defenseman Brett Hughes and cleared himself for a shot.
Johnson snagged it cleanly in his stick, allowing Virginia to win a game in which it took nine fewer shots than Maryland, picked up 14 fewer ground balls and lost 14 of 22 faceoffs.
“This is one of those games where you’re just so pleased to get a win,” Starsia said.

College of Charleston eyes Herrion

By ANDREW JOYNER
Daily Progress staff writer

Virginia men’s basketball assistant Tommy Herrion has emerged as one of the top candidates for the head coaching vacancy at the College of Charleston after long-time coach John Kresse retired earlier this month.
In 23 years at Charleston, Kresse compiled a 560-143 record and established Charleston as one of the top mid-major programs in the nation. Kresse guided Charleston to four NCAA tournament appearances and along the way recorded upsets of several top programs including Georgia Tech and Maryland, the latter of which occurred in the first round of the 1997 NCAA tournament.
It is that history that makes the Charleston job such an appealing one, according to Herrion, 34, who has served as an assistant to UVa coach Pete Gillen for the past eight seasons (four at Providence and four at Virginia).
“I’ve always said that right now I have the best job in America and that Virginia is a very special place. I think that makes you selective when looking at some of these openings,” Herrion said Saturday from Atlanta, where he and the other UVa coaches are attending the Final Four.
“I think Charleston is a special place, and all the ingredients are there to maintain the tradition that John Kresse has created there. The success of the programs speaks for itself.”
Kresse’s legacy at the school is not exactly hard to recognize because the school plays in an arena that bears the name of the legendary coach. Such a situation would certainly be daunting for whoever will replace him.
“I absolutely think that it would be a tough thing to replace a coach like John Kresse. I don’t know how smart people would think I am for trying to do that,” Herrion said.
Herrion, who was also a candidate for Siena’s head coach opening last spring, is expected to meet with representatives from the College of Charleston today and a more formal interview could follow next week.
Herrion, a native of Oxford, Mass., comes from a strong coaching family. His father, the late Jim Herrion, was an assistant at Holy Cross and the head coach at Worchester Polytechnic Institute and previously been a highly successful high school coach in New York City. Herrion’s older brother, Bill, is currently the head coach at East Carolina after serving as the head coach of Drexel for seven seasons.
Among the other candidates for the job are Maryland assistant coach Dave Dickerson, Ohio State assistant Biancardi, and former Kresse assistants such as Gregg Marshall, currently the head coach at Winthrop.