Cavs romp; Hokies still growing
First two games of series show disparity between programs
Sunday, Mar 30, 2008 - 12:07 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTESVILLE - The gap between the state's two ACC baseball programs probably will narrow one day.

For now, though, the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech operate on different levels. U.Va., ranked No. 21 nationally by Baseball America, hammered Tech 9-2 yesterday before 2,070 fans at Davenport Field.

The victory was the Cavaliers' 11th straight over the Hokies, a streak that began in April 2003. Virginia improved to 7-4 in the ACC and 22-5 overall. Tech (0-11, 8-17) is the only ACC team that's winless in conference play.

"There's about five or six one-run games here or there that we could have on the 'W' side, so I try not to judge the growth of our program on wins and losses right now," said second-year coach Pete Hughes.

"But when you're transitioning 14, 15 guys that have never played Division I college baseball, there's a learning curve there. We've just got to make sure that learning curve stays small so we can get some productivity here towards the end of the year and into next year. But I feel good about the guys in our program and where we're at."

Imagine how good Cavaliers coach Brian O'Connor must feel. In only his fifth season at U.Va., O'Connor is on the brink of his 200th victory. The Wahoos appear likely to advance to the NCAA tournament for the fifth consecutive year.

"I've got ultimate respect for Pete Hughes and what he's going to do at Virginia Tech," said O'Connor, whose record at U.Va. is 199-71. "They're getting some very good players from our state, and it's obviously important when we play each other that we do the best we can to win those games, because they'll continue to get better, and it's important that we continue to establish ourselves in this state."

All-ACC right-hander Jacob Thompson pitched a complete game in U.Va.'s 10-1 romp Friday night. About 20 hours later, teammate Pat McAnaney matched that feat. The senior left-hander struck out a career-high 13 and walked only two yesterday.

"To know that guys are going out and throwing strikes, getting ahead of hitters, makes you relax a little bit at the plate," U.Va. first baseman Jeremy Farrell said. "You know you don't have to go out and score 13 runs to get a win."

The teams conclude their three-game series today (1 p.m.) at Davenport Field, and Hughes can only hope his team's defense has improved overnight. Tech committed three errors Friday night and five yesterday, raising its total for the season to 51.

"Very disappointing," Hughes said. "You can't give a team five, six outs an inning, no matter what level you're playing at." Right fielder Klint Reed, a transfer from Virginia Military Institute who starred at L.C. Bird High, collected three of the Hokies' six hits yesterday.

Virginia totaled 10 hits off four Tech pitchers. Farrell (3 for 4, three RBI) led the attack, and freshman outfielders Dan Grovatt and David Coleman had two hits apiece.

Coleman, a Trinity Episcopal graduate who began the season as U.Va.'s cleanup hitter, has gone 4 for 7 in this series to raise his batting average to .246. He batted sixth yesterday.

"Maybe he put a little bit too much pressure on himself, as sometimes freshmen do," O'Connor said. "I took him out of the lineup for awhile, and since I've put him back in, he's regained that confidence and is starting to swing the bat like he's capable of."

 

McAnaney stifles Hokies
By Jay Jenkins
Published: March 30, 2008

Approximately 20 minutes after Virginia clinched a series win over Virginia Tech, a 5-year-old boy stretched out his hand for a high five with Virginia third baseman Tyler Cannon.
“Way to whip those Hokies,” the youngster spouted.
For that kid, it has been a constant pattern in his life — at least in baseball.
The Cavaliers, behind another complete game on the mound, dispatched the Hokies, 9-2, at Davenport Field to win their 11th straight game in the in-state rivalry.
Virginia starting pitcher Pat McAnaney fanned 13 batters — a new career-best figure — and scattered six hits and two walks less than 24 hours after junior Jacob Thompson’s complete-game victory Friday night.
“I don’t know if that has ever happened under our current coaching staff,” said Virginia coach Brian O’Connor after improving to 22-5 and 7-4 in the ACC. “In this league, to be able to go back-to-back with complete games is pretty remarkable.
“It makes you feel good about the bullpen that you have available for the last game of the series. We will not have to string anybody out.”
Virginia Tech (8-17, 0-11 ACC) cannot stake the same claim — the Hokies used four pitchers as Virginia slapped out 10 hits.
Only three of the runs allowed by the Hokies’ hurlers, however, were earned as two infielders and catcher Anthony Sosnoskie combined to commit five errors, a figure that could climbed higher without a gracious official scorer.
Virginia also scored runs in an opportunistic fashion.
After a two-out single by David Adams in the first inning, rookie left fielder Dan Grovatt connected on what appeared to be a routine fly ball. But the play continued after the ball dropped behind the third baseman, giving Grovatt an RBI double.
“I just popped it up,” said Grovatt, who scored two runs and had two RBI. “I sliced it. It wasn’t a very good swing, but I got the work done.”
Grovatt, now a mainstay in the cleanup spot, also scored in the opening inning on an RBI single by first baseman Jeremy Farrell, who finished with three hits and three RBI.
The Cavaliers erupted again in the second, scoring four runs in a frame fueled by three hits and a pair of Virginia Tech errors. One of the hits included a two-out RBI single for freshman right fielder David Coleman, who finished with two hits and two RBI.
“David struggled there for a little bit earlier this season and I took him out of the lineup, hoping he could regain his confidence,” O’Connor said. “Fortunately, he has swung the bat well in the two games in this series.
“He’s going to be somebody we are going to count on in the back-half of the season.”
Thanks in part to Coleman’s hit and the first two Hokies miscues, McAnaney appeared to have ample run support until he ran into trouble in the sixth.
With Virginia leading 6-1, McAnaney gave up a leadoff walk to Sean O’Brien and helped the Hokies score with a wild pitch and a balk.
“I kinda lost my composure, which I shouldn’t do,” McAnaney said. “I hate walking guys and [Virginia pitching] coach Karl Kuhn always preaches to clear it out and get the next guy, but I let it bother me a little bit.”
McAnaney (3-1) also gave up a two-out single and a walk but stranded both in the sixth inning and watched his offense pad his lead in the Cavaliers’ half of the sixth and eighth innings. In fact, he retired nine of the 10 batters he faced for his second complete game of the season.
Ironically, McAnaney told teammates in the first inning Friday night during the Cavaliers’ 10-1 win that Thompson would go the distance on the mound.
“I predicted that he was going to throw a complete game,” McAnaney joked. “He tried to give me the same good vibe.”
McAnaney said he would try to pass down the same good wishes to junior Andrew Carraway, who is slated to start the series finale today at 1 p.m.
Carraway, who was chased after three innings last Sunday, said he relished the situation following back-to-back complete games.
“I like that,” Carraway said. “It will make it more fun.”

 McAnaney, No. 15 Baseball Thump Virginia Tech, 9-2
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/29/2008

Pat McAnaney tossed his second career complete game in the win over Virginia Tech.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Behind a dominating complete-game effort from Pat McAnaney (Sr., Syracuse, N.Y.), the Virginia baseball team defeated Virginia Tech, 9-2, Saturday afternoon in ACC play at Davenport Field. McAnaney (3-1) struck out a career-high 13 and allowed just two earned runs, six hits and two walks as he earned his second career complete game.

McAnaney matched the complete-game performance of Jacob Thompson (Jr., Danville, Va.) from Friday night. It marked the first back-to-back complete games by Virginia since 2004 when Joe Koshansky and Matt Avery recorded consecutive complete games in wins over George Mason and Princeton, respectively, in the NCAA tournament.

Jeremy Farrell (Jr., Westlake, Ohio) went 3-for-4 with three RBI while Dan Grovatt (Fr., Tabernacle, N.J.) and David Coleman (Fr., Richmond, Va.) each had two hits and two RBI for the Cavaliers.

David Cross (2-1) took the loss for the Hokies. He started and went two innings and allowed six runs (two earned), six hits and a walk while striking out one. The Virginia Tech defense did little to help the cause by committing five errors.

Virginia (22-5, 7-4 ACC) jumped out to a 6-0 lead through two innings to give McAnaney plenty of early cushion. In the first, Grovatt hit a two-out double to score David Adams (Jr., Margate, Fla.) and Farrell followed with a single to plate Grovatt for a 2-0 UVa lead.

In the second, Virginia benefited from two Virginia Tech errors to bat around and score four unearned runs. Tyler Cannon (So., Pigeon Forge, Tenn.) and Adams hit back-to-back sacrifice flies to give Virginia a 4-0 lead. Grovatt then doubled to score Greg Miclat (Jr., Concord, N.C.) and Coleman hit a single to score Grovatt as the Cavaliers’ lead bulged to 6-0.

Virginia Tech (8-16, 0-11) scored single runs in the fifth and sixth innings to cut the lead to four. In the fifth, Michael Seaborn came home from third base on an attempted double steal as Sean Ryan was thrown out at second. In the sixth, Anthony Sosnoskie grounded out to shortstop to score Sean O’Brien.

Virginia scored twice in its half of the sixth inning, as Farrell hit a sacrifice fly and Coleman then grounded out to second base to bring home Adams. The Cavaliers posted their final run in the eighth inning on a double by Farrell to score Cannon.

Virginia aims for the series sweep at 1 p.m. Sunday. The game will be webcast on ACC Select.



 

What U.Va. needs to improve isn't a well-guarded secret
The Cavaliers know they have to play better defense next season. And find somebody to fill some of the void left by standout Sean Singletary.
By MELINDA WALDROP | 247-4634
March 30, 2008
 

Virginia coach Dave Leitao had one thing on his mind after his team's season ended in the College Basketball Invitational semifinals — defense.

"That was Coach Leitao's last words out of the locker room — 'We're gonna play defense,' " said freshman guard Jeff Jones, whose career-high 26 points weren't enough in the Cavaliers' 96-85 loss to Bradley on Wednesday. "Starting from the (first) practice, whenever it is, we're gonna go hard. We're gonna be a defensive team. We're gonna stop everybody."

This season, the Cavs (17-16) stopped virtually no one. Nine teams — eight ACC opponents and second-round CBI foe Old Dominion — shot better than 50 percent against Virginia, and Bradley made 48 percent of its shots, including 6 of 12 second-half 3-pointers.

"When we needed a (defensive) stretch or a stop, we have not been able to get it with any level of consistency, and that's got to be something that we address moving forward," Leitao said.

That's not the only issue confronting the Cavaliers in the 2008-09 season.

Question marks also abound on an offense that was hit-or-miss, even with Sean Singletary's 20 points a game. Without Singletary, a three-time first-team all-ACC selection, can U.Va. realistically expect to improve?

"Definitely. He'll tell you that we're gonna be a good team," Jones said. "He's leaving some big shoes to fill — humongous shoes to fill. So it's going to be a group effort from all the guards on the team to make up for what Sean did for us the last four years."

Jones began the season with 15 points in Virginia's 75-72 win at Arizona on Nov. 17, then disappeared before coming on strong in the CBI. He had 10 points against ODU before his 9-for-14 night against Bradley.

"He started off with a bang and he ended with a bang," Singletary said. "He has a lot of confidence, and I helped him as much as I can. ... I'm sure he'll probably be the face of the program, because he works his behind off, and he's a real good kid."

Fellow guard Calvin Baker, a William and Mary transfer and Woodside High product, followed an opposite trajectory. After showing early promise, including 16 points in 16 minutes in a 94-52 win against Northwestern on Nov. 27, Baker lost his starting spot and struggled with his shooting and ballhandling.

"I had a lot of highs, I had a lot of lows," Baker said. "I've just got to become more consistent."

Forwards Mike Scott and Jerome Meyinsse also will have to build on the potential they showed this season.

In Leitao's first three years at Virginia, he has had Singletary to rely on, and for his first two, he also had J.R. Reynolds — both players recruited by predecessor Pete Gillen.

"What I decided to do was to ride that as far and as long as I could," Leitao said. "Somewhere in the earlier stages of this season, I realized that this is the part in which you take over a program that you have to start building it.

"You couldn't call it a rebuilding project with guys like Sean Singletary or J.R. Reynolds around. ... Now we've got to take this spring and summer to put some things in place for the younger guys that allow everybody else to begin to move forward."

Singletary admitted this year's team didn't have the battle-tested toughness of previous clubs. But he's not joining the chorus predicting dire things for the young players he's leaving behind.

"I know they hate to lose because they're competitors, and they'll learn how to channel their emotions to the game and learn how to pick their spots," he said. "They'll learn. They've got a lot of talent, probably the most talent we've had since I've been here. So it's all mental now. I'm sure Coach will get them ready. I expect them to do a lot of winning next year."

 

Cavaliers Snap Duke's Home Win Streak with 13-9 Victory
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/29/2008

DURHAM, N.C. - A strong start and solid midfield play on Saturday afternoon led the No. 4 Virginia women’s lacrosse team to a 13-9 victory over ACC-rival No. 5 Duke in Koskinen Stadium. The win marks the first for a team visiting Durham in the last 20 tries, as the Cavaliers were the last to beat the Blue Devils on their home turf, an 11-10 win on April 1, 2006. The loss for Duke (7-3, 2-2 ACC) is also the first time the Blue Devils have dropped two straight since the 2005 season, and is just the second time in the last six years that Virginia has beat Duke in the regular season.

Junior Jenny Hauser was just the second Cavalier this season to notch five goals in a single game, leading seven Virginia scorers. Sophomores Kaitlin Duff and Brittany Kalkstein each recorded two goals, while seniors Megan O’Malley and Kaitlin Swagart tallied three points each, on a goal and two assists. Junior Ashley McCulloch had a goal and an assist, and sophomore Caity Whiteley contributed a goal for the second-straight game.

Seniors Claire Bordley, Alice Hughey and O’Malley led Virginia’s midfield in breaking up seven of Duke’s 14 clears, causing two turnovers apiece. The Cavaliers also won eight of the opening 11 draw controls, and held the final edge in ground balls, at 14-11. Kalkstein had three draw controls and four ground balls.

Led by Bordley’s four draw controls in the opening half alone, the Cavaliers were able to jump out to an 8-2 halftime advantage, holding their fourth opponent to under-two goals in the first 30 minutes.

Swagart notched the first goal 1:12 into the game and Duke responded with a score at 26:24. Hauser then fired two consecutive goals within two minutes into the back of the net, pushing Virginia ahead, 3-1.

The Blue Devils answered back with a goal at 14:42, but it’d be their last of the half as Virginia went on to score six straight. Duff started the streak firing a pass from Swagart into the back of the net at 8:32. McCulloch added another at 6:08 and Hauser tallied two more by 2:49. Kalkstein’s goal at 1:45 led Virginia into the intermission with a six-goal advantage.

Duke came out of the break firing a goal 17 seconds into play, but Whiteley answered for the Cavaliers at the 23:46 mark. The Blue Devils rallied for two-straight scores, before O’Malley and Hauser tacked on two more for Virginia, giving the Cavaliers an 11-5 lead.

The Blue Devils went on to score four of the game’s final six goals, but Kalkstein’s goal with 3:26 left to play secured the final score at 13-9.

Virginia (8-2, 3-1 ACC) will return to action on Wednesday, playing host to Old Dominion. The Monarch’s will visit Klöckner Stadium for a 7 p.m. opening draw.

 

Terps hand No. 1 Virginia first loss
By Mike Preston | Sun reporter
7:54 PM EDT, March 29, 2008
 

COLLEGE PARK - Everyone knows the formula, but few execute it like Maryland did today.

The No. 8 Terps jumped out to an early lead and then slowed Virginia's offense to a snail-like pace, upsetting the No. 1 Cavaliers, 13-7, today before an announced 4,239 at Byrd Stadium.

The Cavaliers (9-1, 0-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) were dominated from the opening faceoff and never seriously challenged Maryland (7-2, 2-1) after the Terps took a 3-1 first-quarter lead.

Virginia's offense was awful at times, and operated at a much lower level than the past couple of seasons, when the Cavaliers had one of the most productive scoring units in the game.

The sluggish performance came one week after the Cavaliers survived and got a great overtime win against Johns Hopkins, a victory that catapulted them into the No. 1 spot.

But Maryland also had a lot to do with Virginia's dismal showing. Virginia entered the game averaging 15.8 goals.

"We got off to a great start," Maryland freshman attackman Travis Reed (Boys' Latin) said. "Once we got rolling, it gave us a lot of confidence. When you're playing against a team like Virginia, they have a lot of speed. When they get behind, they try to force some things, and that's what they did today."

Reed played a major part in getting Maryland the lead. He finished with three goals and two assists, but all of his goals came in the second quarter, including two back-to-back, the final one giving Maryland a 7-2 lead with 9:37 left in the half.

Reed's goals came from the left side, just outside the crease. Junior Jeff Reynolds hurt the Cavaliers, twice unleashing 30-foot shots for goals in the first five minutes of the game.

Reed and Reynolds contributed to the big lead, but so did faceoff specialists Bryn Holmes and Will Dalton, who combined to win 15 of 23 faceoffs, including 10 of 14 in the first half.

With the lead, and by controlling the pace of the game, the Terps were able to pack in their defense and force Virginia to shoot from outside.

That allowed Maryland goalkeeper Jason Carter to get some good looks and excellent position on shots. Carter finished with 15 saves.

More importantly, he played nearly the entire game.

"The coach [Dave Cottle] had been splitting halves with me and Brian Phipps all season," Carter said. "Walking in at halftime, Brian said, 'I think it's cool that you stay in because you've found your rhythm.'

"Then [Cottle] comes in and says, 'Finish what you started.' At the time, I didn't know what was going on in his head."

Cottle wanted to finish riding a hot goalie. Phipps will start the next game, Friday night against Navy at Byrd Stadium. But Cottle didn't want to talk about that game yet.

He was still riding the high of the Virginia upset. Cottle said his team practiced extremely well during the week in preparation for the Cavaliers, and the Terps were excited about playing their first game at home at Byrd.

"These kids were bouncing off walls because they really wanted to play," Cottle said. "The coaches did a good job in preparation, and the kids followed the game plan. Jason did what he had to do to win, and our defensive guys came up with some really big hits."

"We're going to enjoy this one for a while," Cottle said. "We're going to enjoy this one for about 24 hours before we begin preparing for the next one."

 

Maryland Upends Virginia 13-7
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/29/2008

COLLEGE PARK, MD—Using faceoff dominance and excellent goalie play, Maryland ended Virginia’s nine-game winning streak with a 13-7 win before 4239 fans Saturday afternoon at Byrd Stadium.

The Cavaliers lost their ACC opener for the first time in four years to fall to 9-1 overall this season. The loss will almost certainly knock them from the No. 1 ranking after a one-week stay. Maryland improves to 7-2 overall, including 2-1 in the ACC, with its third impressive outing in a row.

Travis Reed and Jeff Reynolds paced Maryland with three goals apiece as eight Terrapins found the back of the net; Reed added two assists. Jason Carter was outstanding in goal and finished with 15 saves before being replaced late in the game. Will Dalton won eight of 14 faceoffs as Maryland won 15 of 23 in the game and scored three times directly after faceoffs.

Midfielders Rhamel Bratton and Peter Lamade scored two goals each to lead Virginia.

The homestanding Terrapins took control of the game early after scoring on its first three shots of the contest. Ryan Young put Maryland on the board first with his seventh goal of the season less than two minutes in. Bryn Holmes won the ensuing faceoff and fed Jeff Reynolds in front six seconds later for a 2-0 advantage at the 12:55 mark.

Maryland tacked on its third goal of the afternoon as Reynolds scored his second of the period.

Lamade scored UVa’s first goal of the game at the 3:34 mark after the Cavaliers misfired on their first six shots.

Carter made four of his 15 saves in the first quarter while allowing just one goal.

“Maryland did a nice job on defense,” Virginia head coach Dom Starsia said after the game. “I thought we had some good chances early and Jason Carter made some great stops early in the game. He seemed like he came up with a big save whenever they had to have it.”

Maryland quickly extended its lead with back-to-back goals early in the second quarter. Travis Reed notched the first of his three at 11:30 with Will Dalton winning the next faceoff and scoring six seconds later for a 5-1 lead.

Brian Carroll scored his ninth extra-man goal of the season for Virginia, but two goals by Reed and single tallies by Rob Morrison and Ton Mendes put the Cavaliers in a 9-2 hole. Lamade closed the first half with his second goal of the game as Virginia trailed 9-3 at halftime.

Ben Rubeor and Rhamel Bratton opened the second half with goals that enabled Virginia to trim the deficit to 9-5 in the first five minutes of the second half.

Reynolds and Catalino countered for Maryland as the Terps doubled up the Cavaliers 11-5. Rhamel Bratton scored his second goal late in the quarter but the Cavaliers were unable to get any closer the rest of the way.

“We got completely outplayed by a Maryland team that was right on top of their game today,” Starsia said. “I thought we showed a little spark in the second half, which I was glad to see. There is a lot of lacrosse to play the rest of the season but this is certainly a bump in the middle of this long road. Maryland carried the play today and won a game that they certainly deserved to.

The Cavaliers return to action next Saturday at North Carolina in a contest starting at 4 p.m.

Virginia 1-2-3-1—7 record: 9-1/0-1 ACC
Maryland 3-6-2-2—13 record: 7-2/2-1 ACC
att—4239

Scoring (G-A)— V: Peter Lamade 2-0, Rhamel Bratton 2-0, Ben Rubeor 1-1, Garrett Billings 1-0, Brian Carroll 1-0, Danny Glading 0-3, Jack Riley 0-1. M: Travis Reed 3-2, Jeff Reynolds 3-0, Grant Catalino 2-0, Ryan Young 1-1, Will Dalton 1-0, Brian Farrell 1-0, Tony Mendes 1-0, Rob Morrison 1-0, Bryn Holmes 0-1.

Goalie Summary—V: Adam Ghitelman 60 mins., 11 saves, 13 goals allowed. M: Jason Carter 58:54 mins., 15 saves, 7 goals allowed; Brian Phipps 1:06, 0, 0.

Shots: V —42, M—39
Ground Balls: V —37, M —35
Clearing: V —19x20, M —21x23
Faceoffs: V —8, M —15
Penalties: V —0, M —3-2:30
EMO: V —1x3, M —0

 

Sluggish Cavs fall to Terps
By Whitey Reid
Published: March 30, 2008

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Shortly after Saturday afternoon’s Virginia-Maryland lacrosse game, UVa coach Dom Starsia explained how it can sometimes be a good thing for a team to take a punch to the nose.
Well, playing in front of a crowd of 4,239 at Byrd Stadium, Starsia’s squad took a punch to the nose, alright.
Perhaps a few Ralph Macchio karate chops to the midsection, too.
Fourth-ranked Maryland, behind three goals apiece from Travis Reed and Jeff Reynolds and strong play in goal by Jason Carter, manhandled top-ranked Virginia, 13-7.
It was the first loss of the season for UVa, which had won its first nine. The defeat marked the first time in four years that the Cavaliers dropped their ACC opener.
“We got completely outplayed by a Maryland team that was on top of its game today,” Starsia said. “This is certainly a bump in the middle of a long road.”
With an early noon start, Virginia (9-1, 0-1 ACC) looked sluggish from the opening face-off. Ryan Young scored less than two minutes in for a 1-0 lead before Reynolds added a pair for a 3-0 lead.
UVa senior captain Ben Rubeor said a subpar week of practice was a harbinger for the team’s performance.
“We didn’t come out prepared - emotionally or playing-wise,” Rubeor said. “The offense didn’t hold up our end…there was just not a lot of passion on both sides of the ball.”
Virginia didn’t get on the scoreboard until a goal by Pete Lamade with 3:34 left in the first quarter.
Reed and Will Dalton scored within a six-second span of the second quarter to put Maryland up 5-1.
Virginia’s Brian Carroll answered with a goal to make it 5-2, but then the Terrapins ran off four straight to take a commanding 9-2 lead. Maryland (7-2, 2-1) led 9-3 at halftime.
“I don’t think we played tough enough on defense early in the game,” Starsia said, “and Travis Reed really stepped up.”
UVa appeared to start the second half with more vigor. Rubeor and Rhamel Bratton scored quick goals to trim the lead to 9-5, but Reynolds and Grant Catalino responded with goals and Virginia never got as close the rest of the way.
“It was one of those days where everything crumbled,” said Virginia junior Matt Kelly. “From the start, we were flat. This should be a good lesson. I think it’s definitely something we can learn from.”
Carter, who finished with 15 saves, was extremely sharp, slamming the door whenever Virginia had quality scoring chances.
“I thought he had some big stops,” Starsia said. “He had a big save whenever they had to have it. We certainly generated enough opportunities to score more than we did.”
Virginia outshot Maryland 42-39. However, the Cavs lost 15 of 23 face-offs. The Terrapins scored directly off face-offs on three occasions.
“They played very well,” said Rubeor. “Give a lot credit to their scheme and their goalie play, but at the end of the day we weren’t sharp enough.”
Virginia, which figures to fall from No. 1 after the loss, will travel to North Carolina on Saturday and try to bounce back.
“We’ll find a way to learn from this,” Rubeor said. “It will be good motivation.”