U.Va. tops Maryland
By Jeff White
Published: March 29, 2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE – He marveled when he heard the P.A. announcer tell the crowd it was witnessing the longest game in the history of Division I men’s lacrosse. Moments later, Brian Carroll made the day even more memorable for the University of Virginia.

One minute into the seventh overtime – 85 minutes into a game that was supposed to last 60 -- the right-handed Carroll fired a left-handed shot into the upper right corner of the cage yesterday. That spectacular goal gave top-ranked U.Va. a 10-9 sudden-death victory over No. 9 Maryland before an emotionally drained crowd of 5,019 at Klockner Stadium.

“I’m probably too tired to consider the historical significance of all of this,” Virginia coach Dom Starsia said. “It just felt like it was a struggle offensively all day, and I wasn’t sure that we were going to be able to manufacture the goal we needed to win … There was no magic in the air on offense the whole day.”

Overtime, however, is Carroll’s time. A season ago, he ended OT wins over Syracuse and Johns Hopkins, and the junior midfielder from Towson, Md., came through again yesterday.

“You couldn’t ask for anything more,” Carroll said.

When it dawned on the Cavaliers that this ACC game was at last over, about half of the team ran to the offensive end to mob Carroll. Starsia’s other players piled on goalie Adam Ghitelman at the defensive end.

Ghitelman, a sophomore from Long Island, N.Y., recorded a career-high 22 saves, including six in the extra periods. The one Virginia save not credit to Ghitelman was huge, too.

With one second left in the first four-minute OT, Ghitelman delivered an illegal body check to a Terrapin. His quick reflexes kept Maryland (2-1, 6-3) from scoring what would have been the game-winner, but Ghitelman was sent to the sideline for a one-minute penalty. In came backup Mark Wade, and against the Terps' extra-man offense he rescued U.Va. (1-0, 11-0). Wade stopped a shot by midfielder Dan Groot, and Virginia then killed the rest of the penalty.

“Take Mark Wade and then put him on top of Adam Ghitelman’s performance, and this is a game that we win because of our play in the goal,” Starsia said. “It was clearly Adam Ghitelman’s coming-out day today.”

Stellar goaltending aside, this was not a vintage U.Va. performance. The Wahoos turned the ball over 28 times and often struggled to catch routine passes. With 6 minutes to play in regulation, Virginia trailed 9-6, and Maryland appeared poised to clinch the No. 1 seed in next month’s ACC tournament.

But U.Va. pulled even with three goals in a span of 62 seconds, and the fourth period ended 9-9.

The game was not without controversy. Nine seconds into the first OT, a rocket by 6-5, 240-pound attackman Grant Catalino gave Maryland an apparent win. But the goal was disallowed when officials ruled that an inadvertent whistle had blown an instant before Catalino shot. The Terps retained possession, but they couldn’t capitalize, and the tension grew at Klockner as the game wore on.

"I was losing track of overtimes by the end," Ghitelman said.

In March 2001, the Cavaliers won a four-overtime game at Johns Hopkins. Until yesterday, that was the longest game in U.Va. history.

Virginia defenseman Ryan Nizolek helped quiet 6-6, 260-pound attackman Will Yeatman late in the game. A former football player at Notre Dame, Yeatman finished with two goals and three assists but was scoreless for the final 43:52.

“We won in seven overtimes – or whatever it was – and we didn’t quit once,” Nizolek said. “I couldn’t be prouder of the guys on our team.”

Contact Jeff White at (804) 649-6838 or jwhite@timesdispatch.com.


Maryland 2 0 6 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -- 9
Virginia 1 2 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 – 10

Goals – Maryland: Yeatman 2, Young 2, Reed 2, Groot, Holmes, Cummings. Virginia: Stanwick 4, B. Carroll 2, Glading, S. Bratton, Giannone, Haldy.

Assists – Maryland: Yeatman 3, Burns, Catalino, Young. Virginia: Glading 4, Billings, Kelly.

Goalies – Maryland: Phipps (85 minutes, 11 saves, 10 goals allowed). Virginia: Ghitelman (83:53, 22, 9); Wade (1:07, 1, 0).
 

Maryland falls to Virginia in seven overtimes
Carroll scores game-winner for Cavaliers in longest game in NCAA history
By Edward Lee | edward.lee@baltsun.com
March 29, 2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - By the end of the game, players from the Maryland and Virginia men's lacrosse teams wearily offered congratulations, sought any liquid that could hydrate their bodies and then trudged off to their respective destinations.

But at the end of the longest game in NCAA history, the heads and shoulders of the host Cavaliers hung slightly higher than those of their counterparts.

No. 1 Virginia got a goal from junior midfielder Brian Carroll with three minutes left in the seventh overtime to outlast the No. 9 Terps, 10-9. The finish ended 85 minutes of play and capped a contest that took about 3hours, 45minutes to complete before an announced 5,019 at Klockner Stadium on Saturday. (A regulation lacrosse game usually takes two hours.)

Afterward, players from both sides remarked on the length of the game, which featured a combined 89 shots (52 by Maryland), 83ground balls (43 by the Terps) and 53 turnovers (28 by the Cavaliers).

"I don't think many people have been in games that long," Maryland junior attackman Will Yeatman said in what might have been the understatement of the day. "It was pretty fatiguing towards the end. I try to hydrate myself well before the game, but when you go into seven overtimes, it's hard enough to have enough H2O in your body to stay hydrated."

Added Carroll, a Towson native and Gilman graduate: "It was by far the longest game I've played in, but I actually wasn't as tired as I thought I would be. I guess the adrenaline was going and everyone was real pumped up after the game, so I felt good."

As the overtime periods began to pile up, no end appeared in sight. Virginia coach Dom Starsia acknowledged that he missed Carroll's game-winner "because I wasn't sure that we were ever going to score the goal that was going to win the game," he said.

Carroll's bullet from about 8 yards was the third game-winner in overtime of his career, and all three have come in the past two seasons. From 2005 to 2007, Virginia was just 1-3 in contests extended beyond regulation.

"I guess I'm confident shooting at the end of games," Carroll said of his overtime heroics. "At the same time, it probably just ends up going that way."

Just one minute into the seventh overtime, Carroll sprinted down the left alley and launched a shot from a sharp angle that eluded the stick of Terps goalie Brian Phipps (11saves) and settled into the upper right corner.

"The alley was open, and there was a short-stick [defender] there kind of in a position to slide, but he never came," said Carroll, who ranks third among the Cavaliers (11-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) with 19 goals. "Just decided to let it go."

Carroll's goal capped a 4-0 run that began with less than six minutes left in the fourth quarter. Trailing 9-6, Virginia got goals from freshman attackman Steele Stanwick (a career-high-tying four goals), senior attackman Danny Glading (one goal, four assists) and Carroll in a span of 1:02 to tie the score.

Starsia said the team never panicked despite leading for just a total of 13:27 until the end.

"In every huddle and during every break of the action, it was always very positive," said Starsia, whose squad had trailed just three times before Saturday's game. "Guys were always on top of it and saying, 'Let's get things going.' And that's what you want to hear."

The Terps (6-3, 2-1) were paced by Yeatman (two goals, three assists) and Ryan Young (two goals, one assist) but could not knock the Cavaliers from the ranks of the undefeated for the second consecutive year. Virginia won its first nine games last season before falling, 13-7, in College Park exactly a year ago.

Maryland wasted extra-man opportunities in the second, fourth and fifth overtimes, and an apparent game-winner from Grant Catalino nine seconds into the first overtime was waved off when officials ruled the Terps' bench had called for a timeout before Catalino's shot.

"I think both teams had missed opportunities," Maryland coach Dave Cottle said. "We had opportunities in that one."

 

Cavs win in not-so-sudden death
By Whitey Reid
Published: March 29, 2009

At 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds, Maryland attackman Will Yeatman is one of the largest players you’ll ever see on a lacrosse field.

At a generously-listed 5-foot-9, 186 pounds, Virginia goalie Adam Ghitelman is one of the smallest players you’ll ever see.

On Saturday afternoon at Klockner Stadium, the opponents engaged in a duel that will likely be talked about for years to come.

In the longest game in NCAA Division I history, No. 1-ranked Virginia — thanks to a goal by Towson, Md., native Brian Carroll in the seventh overtime (yes, seventh) — defeated No. 9 Maryland, 10-9, in front of a crowd of 5,019.

The game wasn’t always pretty. Each team made a number of careless mistakes. Maryland even filed a protest with the ACC because of an official’s inadvertent whistle in the first overtime.

But in the end, the effort and grit on both sides made most in attendance forget all about aesthetic value.

“This is a game that we clearly win because of our play in the goal,” said Virginia coach Dom Starsia, whose squad improved to 11-0, 1-0 in the ACC.

Ghitelman finished with 22 saves. In each of the overtimes, he turned away several point-blank shots by the Terrapins, including four by the mammoth Yeatman.

“He made some great stops,” said Yeatman, who had two goals and three assists. “When you’ve got a goalkeeper like that, it’s hard to get a ball past him. He deserved to win, the way he played.

“Today they just made more plays and came out on top…Adam definitely had my number toward the end of the game.”

But if it wasn’t for Carroll, the teams might still be going at it.

After Ghitelman turned away a shot by Ryan Young, Carroll got the ball at the other end. The junior drove hard to his left and fired a left-handed shot over the left shoulder of Maryland goalie Brian Phipps.

“They had a guy there who didn’t end up sliding,” Carroll said, “so I took the shot…to be able to score the game-winning shot, you couldn’t ask for anything more.”

The game-winner was the third of Carroll’s career. Last year, he had one against Johns Hopkins. Earlier this season, he beat Syracuse with a late tally.

“I’m confident shooting at the end [of the game],” Carroll said, “but I just think it works out that way.”

Early in the fourth quarter, Virginia looked dead in the water. UVa trailed 9-6 with 13 minutes, 32 seconds left after a goal by Maryland’s Bryn Holmes.

But then the Wahoos snapped out of their funk, scoring three straight goals within a 62-second span to tie the game, the last of which came from Carroll on an assist from Danny Glading.

Virginia seemed like it was in the driver’s seat when Maryland was hit with penalties resulting in a two-man advantage. However, UVa couldn’t take advantage and the game went to overtime.

Just seconds into the first session, Maryland’s Grant Catalino scored what appeared to be the game-winner, but the goal was waved off because of what was termed an “inadvertent whistle.”

Starsia said that he and Terrapins coach Dave Cottle had spoken with the officials just before the play took place.

“[We] said, ‘We want a timeout if it goes in the box,’” Starsia said, “so when the ball went in the box, the official called timeout, even though coach Cottle didn’t actually call for the timeout. [The official] was anticipating the play.”

Starsia and Cottle appeared to engage in a shouting match on the sidelines as Cottle argued his case to the officials.

“He was hoping the official was going to make some other call, other than that call,” Starsia said. “I don’t blame him for being upset. [The official] anticipated the play and it was just too bad.”

In the ensuing overtimes, Maryland (6-3, 2-1 ACC) was able to generate far more scoring chances than Virginia. Yeatman had quality opportunities at both the end of the fifth and sixth sessions.

“There was no talk about being tired,” Ghitelman said. “It was just about giving it our all out there.”

Added Carroll: “We were going on adrenaline.”

Early in the second overtime, Virginia received a huge boost from backup goalie Mark Wade. The junior, who had entered the game after Ghitelman was hit with a penalty at the end of the first session — the infraction was actually a smart one since it likely prevented a goal — stopped a point-blank shot by Dan Groot.

In the first half, Virginia was outshot by eight and committed 15 turnovers, including a whopping 10 in the second quarter.

Yet it was a Maryland turnover right before the intermission that gave UVa some brief momentum.

Defender Matt Kelly intercepted an attempted clear by Phipps. Kelly passed to Garrett Billings, who hit a darting Steele Stanwick in front of the Terrapins’ net. Stanwick (game-high four goals) rifled a shot past Phipps with just 2 seconds remaining to give the Wahoos a 3-2 lead heading into the break.

Steve Giannone scored just 17 seconds into the third quarter to put Virginia up 4-2 before Maryland answered with four straight goals.

“We could have lost this game today,” Starsia said, “and if we had, I would have told you that the effort in the first half is not what we really wanted.

“There was no magic in the air on offense throughout the day. It was going to be a workmanlike performance.”

One made by possible by the smallest guy on the field.

 

Virginia Outlasts Maryland 10-9 in 7-Overtime Thriller
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/28/2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA—Midfielder Brian Carroll’s goal one minute into the seventh overtime lifted the top-ranked Virginia Cavaliers to a 10-9 come-from-behind win over Maryland in the longest game in NCAA men’s division I lacrosse history.

The win in their Atlantic Coast Conference opener is the Cavaliers’ 11th in a row to open the season. Maryland entered the game in first place in the conference but now is 2-1 in the league and 6-3 overall.

The OT winner is the third of Carroll’s career; he beat Syracuse and Johns Hopkins with extra-session goals last season and is the first player in school history with three winners in a career.

“I’ve had a few left-handed goals this year, all of them on the run,” Carroll said of his winning shot. “The alley was open. They had a guy standing there and he didn’t end up sliding, so I took the shot.”

While Carroll had an inkling of the historical nature of the game, Virginia head coach Dom Starsia wasn’t.

“It never occurred to me,” he said. “I’m probably too tired to consider the historical significance of all of this. It felt like it was a struggle offensively all day and I wasn’t sure that we were going to be able to manufacture the goal we needed to win.

“Frankly, we don’t call a timeout when we had one on that last possession and kind of left it for the players out there to make the play and win the game. So maybe taking it out of the hands of the coaches and leaving it in the kids’ hands is what we needed to do to finally get this one in the end.”

Virginia overcame a tremendous number of turnovers to rally from a 3-goal deficit in the final six minutes of regulation to force overtime. The Cavaliers had more turnovers than shots for the first three quarters of the game and ended up with 28 for the game, including six in the overtimes.

“The game was far enough way from us, but there was enough left for us to kind of catch up,” Starsia said. “I think we started to play a little bit in the last 15 minutes (of regulation), when it was very easy to see that maybe we were going home without this game.”

“I thought we were pretty much on top of it throughout the overtimes, although there was no magic in the air on offense throughout the day.”

Freshman Steele Stanwick started the Cavaliers on their late-game run with his fourth goal of the game at the 5:41 mark. Danny Glading scored 33 seconds later to draw UVa within one at 9-8. Carroll’s goal with four minutes and 39 seconds remaining forced the game into the extra sessions.

Maryland appeared to win the game nine seconds into the first overtime on Grant Catalino’s goal, but an inadvertent whistle by the officials negated the goal.

The Terrapins outshot Virginia 14-to-6 in the overtime periods, but Virginia goalie Adam Ghitelman consistently kept them from scoring. He finished with a career-high 22 saves, including six in overtime.

Maryland also had three extra-man opportunities in the overtime sessions, but was unable to capitalize on any. The Terps seemed to have an excellent chance late in the first overtime following a penalty on Ghitelman. Mark Wade came off the bench cold to replace Ghitelman and made a key save on a Dan Groot shot with just over three minutes to play in the second OT session.

“You take Mark Wade and put him on top of Adam Ghitelman’s performance and this is a game that we win because of our play in the goal. Clearly it was Adam’s coming out day today; Mark Wade is ... really a positive influence on everything we do every single day ... and for him to come in and make a big play at a key moment was terrific.”

Virginia plays North Carolina next Saturday in the first game of the Big City Classic tripleheader at the Meadowlands in New Jersey. The game is set to faceoff at noon and will be televised by ESPNU. The Tar Heels ended a 2-game losing streak this afternoon with a 10-9 overtime win over Johns Hopkins.

Maryland 2-0-6-1-0-0-0-0-0-0-0—9 record: 6-3
Virginia 1-2-2-4-0-0-0-0-0-0-1—10 record: 11-0
att—5019

Scoring (G-A)—Md: Will Yeatman 2-3, Ryan Young 2-1, Travis Reed 2-0, Joe Cummings 1-0, Dan Groot 1-0, Bryn Holmes 1-0, Dam Burns 0-1, Grant Catalino 0-1. Va: Steele Stanwick 4-0, Brian Carroll 2-0, Danny Glading 1-4, Shamel Bratton 1-0, Steve Giannone 1-0, John Haldy 1-0, Garrett Billings 0-1, Matt Kelly 0-1.

Goalie Summary—Md: Brian Phipps 85 mins., 11 saves, 10 goals allowed. UVa: Adam Ghitelman 83:53 mins., 22 saves, 9 goals allowed; Mark Wade 1:07 mins., 1 sv., 0 GA.

Shots: Md—52, Va—37
Ground Balls: Md—43, Va—40
Clearing: Md—30x34, Va—27x34
Faceoffs: Md—15, Va—11
Penalties: Md—4-3:00, Va—5-4:00
EMO: Md—0x5, Va—0x3

 

Cavaliers get even with Heels
Javier Serna, Staff Writer
Comment on this story

CHAPEL HILL - Virginia may be young, but it's showing it belongs in the crowded discussion of the ACC's best baseball teams.
Saturday, Virginia learned from the lessons of its one-run loss to No. 5 North Carolina on Friday, when it left five men on base.

This time, the No. 8 Cavaliers (22-3, 6-3 ACC) jumped to a four-run lead and were 5-2 winners at Boshamer Stadium.

It was Virginia's second win in two weekends over a top-10 team, adding more legitimacy to the Cavaliers' school-record 19-game winning streak to start the season.

"To lose a difficult game like we did last night, when you have the lead going into the eighth inning and give it away, it's tough," Virginia coach Brian O'Connor said.

UNC stranded runners in the fourth, failing to score with two runners on with one out.

"It would have been nice to get a lead right there," UNC coach Mike Fox said. "There's such a small margin for error. They took advantage and got some big hits."

Those hits came in the fifth, when the Cavaliers scored twice.

UNC starter Adam Warren hit leadoff batter Tyler Cannon and gave up a single to John Hicks. After a bunt moved the runners up, Cannon scored on Corey Hunt's single. Hicks scored on a sacrifice fly to right field.

The Cavaliers went up 4-0 in the sixth on Steven Proscia's two-run home run to left-center.

UNC (19-6, 6-4) got solo home runs from first baseman Dustin Ackley (his sixth of the year) in the sixth inning and right fielder Garrett Gore in the ninth.

Warren was pulled with two outs in the seventh, and two pitches later, lefty reliever Logan Munson gave up a solo home run to Virginia's Jarrett Parker, his second home run of the series.

"He's a different player than he was last year," O'Connor said. "He stayed around Charlottesville [last summer] and put on 20 pounds of muscle. ... It hasn't changed his speed. He can still run in that leadoff spot. But he's got the ability to drive the ball out of the ballpark every time he steps up to the plate."

Warren (3-2), taking his second straight loss, gave up four earned runs in 6 2/3 innings.

"I was kind of surprised that all the balls we did hit hard were right at people and we just couldn't string anything together," Ackley said. "It's very frustrating ... especially when you've been struggling for the last week or so and the pitching is out there working hard and you're not getting anything for them."

Carraway, No. 8 Baseball Shut Down No. 5 UNC, 5-2
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/28/2009

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Andrew Carraway (Sr., Marietta, Ga.) pitched seven strong innings, and Steven Proscia (Fr., Suffern, N.Y.) and Jarrett Parker (So., Stafford, Va.) each homered as the No. 8 Virginia baseball team picked up a 5-2 win over No. 5 North Carolina Saturday at Boshamer Stadium. The series is now even at a game apiece heading into the Sunday finale at 1 p.m.

Carraway (4-0) was brilliant on the mound, working seven innings and giving up one earned run, three hits and a walk while striking out three. Matt Packer (Jr., Germantown, Tenn.) pitched the final two innings to close out the game. Adam Warren (3-2) started for North Carolina and tossed 6.2 innings, allowing four earned runs and eight hits while fanning five.

Virginia used a pair of two-run innings in the fifth and sixth innings to break a scoreless tie. Dan Grovatt (So., Tabernacle, N.J.) broke out of a recent slump with a 3-for-4 effort at the plate. Proscia and Parker each added two hits, while John Hicks (Fr., Sandy Hook, Va.) had a single to extend his hitting streak to nine games. Dustin Ackley homered and had half of North Carolina’s four hits.

Carraway twice escaped big jams to keep the game scoreless. In the second, Kyle Seager led off with a double, but Carraway came back to retire the next three batters. In the fourth, the Tar Heels put runners on second and third with one out. Garrett Gore then hit a grounder down the first-base line that Danny Hultzen (Fr., Bethesda, Md.) made a diving stop on to record the out while keeping the runner at third. Carraway then induced a Mark Fleury groundout to end the inning.

After four scoreless innings, Virginia (22-3, 6-3 ACC) scored the game’s first two runs in the fifth inning. Tyler Cannon (Jr., Pigeon Forge, Tenn.) was hit by a pitch to lead off and moved to second on a Hicks single. Both runners advanced on a David Coleman (So., Richmond, Va.) sacrifice bunt. Corey Hunt (R-So., Charlottesville, Va.) then singled off the glove of diving second baseman Levi Michael to score Cannon, and Jarrett Parker (So., Stafford, Va.) lifted a sacrifice fly to left field to bring home Hicks and give UVa a 2-0 lead.

The Cavaliers doubled their advantage in the sixth inning. Grovatt hit a one-out single and Proscia followed with a towering blast just to the right of the 370 sign in left-center field for his fourth home run of the season.

North Carolina (19-6, 6-4) got on the board – literally – in the bottom of the sixth when Ackley swatted his sixth home run of the season – a line drive which caromed off the scoreboard in left-center field.

UVa answered that shot with one of its own in the seventh inning when Parker launched his second home run in as many days. The latest home run came against UNC reliever Logan Munson, who was brought in to face Parker and force a lefty-lefty matchup. The solo blast to left-center was Parker’s sixth round-tripper of the season. It also marked UVa’s 24th home run this season – one shy of the team’s total in all of 2008.

The Tar Heels added a run in the ninth inning on a solo home run by Gore, his second long ball of the year.

The teams will play the rubber game of the series with a 1 p.m. matchup Saturday. WINA 1070-AM will have the radio broadcast in the Charlottesville area, and it also will be available online with V Pass.



 

Virginia Finishes Ninth at NCAA Championships
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/28/2009

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Virginia men’s swimming team placed ninth with 133 points Saturday at the 2009 NCAA Championships, the program’s highest finish. The three-day event was held at the Student Rec Center Natatorium on Texas A&M’s campus.

Virginia’s best showing at NCAA meet before this year was a 10th-place finish in 2003.

Senior Ryan Hurley, swimming in his fourth and final NCAA Championships, won the consolation finals of the 200 breaststroke in 1:53.93. That time broke former NCAA champion Ed Moses’ conference and school record time of 1:53.99, the winning time of the 2000 NCAA Championships.

Sophomores Matt McLean and John Snawerdt both earned honorable mention All-America honors for their performances in the 1650 freestyle. McLean placed 12th overall in 14:51.44 while Snawerdt was 14th in 14:53.42. Fellow sophomore Taylor Smith finished 21st in the event (15:03.19) while junior Darren Ankosko was 23rd (15:05.99). It was the second All-America nod for Snawerdt in the event after an eighth-place finish a year ago as a freshman.

Sophomore Scot Robison also picked up honorable mention All-America accolades after finishing 14th in the 100 freestyle. Robison, the conference and school record holder in the event, clocked a time of 43.08. Robison finished his second NCAA championships with two All-America performances after a fifth-place finish in the 200 freestyle on Friday.

The 400 freestyle relay team of Robison, Peter Geissinger, John Azar and McLean capped the meet with an 11th-place finish, clocking a time of 2:53.29. The Cavalier foursome captured honorable mention All-America honors.

All five of Virginia’s relays earned All-America or honorable mention All-America status at the NCAA Championships, led by the 800 freestyle relay’s fifth performance on Friday night. Five All-American relays has occurred only once in program history, back in 2001.

The Cavaliers also totaled two individual All-America performances and seven honorable mention All-America performances in the meet.

Seniors Ryan Hurley, Pat Mellors, Pat Reams and Lee Robertson competed for the final time for the Orange and Blue.

2009 Men's NCAA Championships
Final Team Standings

1. Auburn 526

2. Texas
487

3. Stanford
460.5

4. California
350

5. Florida
324

6. Arizona
309

7. Michigan
248

8. Tennessee
144

9. Virginia
133

10. Georgia
131


 

Cavaliers Fall in Final Seconds to No. 5 Duke
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/28/2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Senior All-American Jenny Hauser’s career-high six-goal effort was erased in the final seconds of the No. 10 Virginia women’s lacrosse teams contest against No. 5 Duke in Klöckner Stadium on Saturday, as Sarah Bullard fired the game-winning goal into the back of the net with 11.3 seconds remaining on the clock to secure the Blue Devils’ a 13-12 victory.

The Cavaliers (7-4, 1-3 ACC) were led by Hauser’s six goals, while senior All-American Blair Weymouth notched two goals. Fellow senior All-American Ashley McCulloch and junior Brittany Kalkstein tallied a goal and an assist each, while redshirt junior Whitaker Hagerman and freshman Julie Gardner rounded out the scoring with a goal each.

Kalkstein also won five draw controls, while senior All-American Jen Holden scooped up three ground balls.

For Duke (9-2, 2-1), Carolyn Davis and Lindsay Gilbride paced the attack with four goals each.

The Cavaliers jumped out to a quick and confident 3-0 lead in the opening 10 minutes of the game – rattling off goals from McCulloch, Hauser and Hagerman by the 21:49 mark. But Duke responded with back-to-back goals to nip Virginia’s lead to one, at 3-2, with 20:38 on the clock.

Hauser converted a free position shot at 19:30 to push the Cavaliers back ahead two, but it would turn into all Duke for the next 10 minutes, as the Blue Devils tallied six-unanswered scores for an 8-4 lead with 3:02 remaining in the opening half.

Kalkstein found Gardner at 2:24 to snap the visitor’s streak and Hauser notched two more scores to cut Duke’s lead to one, at 8-7, heading into the intermission.

The Blue Devils tallied the first score of the second half, an unassisted goal at 28:21, before Kalkstein and Weymouth scored back-to-back goals for the Cavaliers to knot the score at nine all.

Duke responded with two-straight scores, but Hauser fired her fifth goal of the game into the net with 12:03 on the clock.

With rain beginning to fall, the Blue Devils tallied another goal before Hauser converted a free position shot and Weymouth fired an unassisted goal into the net to tie the score at 12-12, with 8:25 to play.

The game would remain scoreless for the next eight minutes, until Bullard fired the game winner into the cage.

The Cavaliers will return to action on Wednesday, heading to Norfolk, Va., to face Old Dominion in the first of four-straight road contests for Virginia.

 

Virginia Splits Doubleheader with Hokies
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/28/2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia softball team (19-8, 2-3 ACC) split with Virginia Tech (11-17, 2-3 ACC) in a doubleheader Saturday at The Park. The Cavaliers took the first game, 5-2, thanks to a three-run homer by Abby Snyder in the sixth inning. The Hokies rebounded and won the second game, 10-2. Snyder finished the day with all six of Virginia’s RBI.

Senior Karla Wilburn pitched a complete game in the first contest, allowing two runs on six hits and striking out three. Virginia Tech outhit Virginia 6-5 but the Cavaliers had a two-run first and a three-run sixth to pull out a win.

Freshman Giannina Cipolloni singled to center with one out in the first. After a Carly Winger walk, Cipolloni stole third and both runners would advance a base after an illegal pitch. After Sarah Tacke walked, Winger moved over to third on a wild pitch and Tacke later stole second. Clara Kendall would reach on a fielder’s choice that cut Winger down at the plate. Snyder came through with a RBI single to left to score Tacke as the Cavaliers took a 2-0 lead.

Virginia Tech picked up a run in the top of the third after three singles and two walks in the inning, including Charisse Mariconda’s bases loaded walk that scored Amber Walker. The Hokies added a second run in the fifth that tied the game at two. Erin Ota singled through the right side to bring home teammate Kristen Froehlich, who singled to start the inning.

Snyder was clutch in the sixth. With one out, Tacke singled through the right side and Megan Wind came on to pinch run. After a Kendall single, Snyder crushed the ball to deep center for a three-run shot and a 5-2 Virginia lead.

VT’s Abbie Rexrode threw 5 1/3 innings in the first game, taking the loss for the Hokies. She allowed all five runs on five hits with five walks and a strikeout.

Wilburn’s day was not yet complete, as the fifth-year senior from Del Mar, Calif., also got the start in game two. Virginia Tech, however, came out swinging and compiled a three-run first inning.

Virginia fought back and scored twice in the first to cut the lead to one, 3-2. Cipolloni walked and Winger reached on a fielder’s choice as the speedy Cipolloni slid safely into second. After a Tacke groundout moved both runners over, Kendall walked to load the bases. Synder singled to center to bring home both Cipolloni and Winger.

The two runs in the first would proved to be it for Virginia in game two. Virginia Tech added four more in the third, thanks to a Beth Walker grand slam to center, and three more in the top of the fifth. The Cavaliers were unable to answer as the game ended in a run rule.

Wilburn took the loss in the second game, pitching 2 1/3 innings. Nicole Koren came on in relief to toss the final 2 2/3 innings. She finished with two strikeouts.

Kenzie Roark improved to 7-10 on the year with a win in the circle. She threw all five innings allowing two runs, both earned, on just four Cavalier hits.

Virginia and Virginia Tech will conclude the series at 1 p.m. Sunday. Prior to the game, the recent renovation to The Park will be commemorated and Virginia Athletics Director Craig Littlepage will throw out the first pitch.

A free tailgate beginning at noon is also scheduled and the Cavalier Band will be on hand to perform.

 

Recruiting will be big for Cavs’ new coach
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: March 29, 2009

The next Virginia basketball coach — and, I still think it will be Tubby Smith — needs to be a top-notch recruiter and have a staff that can bring talent back to the program.

Smith, who brought in great talent at Kentucky and has a top-10 ranked class coming into Minnesota, fits the bill.

Recruiting is the lifeblood of any successful program and there hasn’t been a whole lot of talent in Virginia’s program in a long, long time. Want proof? Just look at how many Wahoos have played in the NBA of late.

Putting pieces in place

The reason I’m writing about recruiting is something that two coaches said during the recent NCAA first and second rounds in Greensboro, and something a good coaching friend of mine said this week.

For those who may have missed Saturday’s column, I spent two hours with a Division I coach this week in an enlightening conversation. He said that in a coaching search, the potential candidate is interested mainly in one thing: “Winning.”

“Can I win there?” the coach said.

He wrote next to “winning,” another key word: “players.”

“Can I get the players? That’s how you win.”

That coach was correct.

I remember Bear Bryant once told me about recruiting and winning: “Son, did you ever see a jackass win the Kentucky Derby?”

That’s all he had to say.

Tubby Smith has the reputation, the people skills, the charisma to lure great talent to Virginia.

If UVa is going to turn around in the sport, then it has to come from recruiting and coaching. Tubby would bring both.

Talking to Texas coach Rick Barnes and LSU coach Trent Johnson down in Greensboro, they confirmed everything from above about winning.

Talent is everything

When chatting with Johnson about whether he discovered similarities when taking over the programs at LSU, Stanford and Nevada, this is what he said.

“The three common denominators were Kirk Snyder (Nevada), who was WAC player of the year ... Brook Lopez and Robin Lopez (Stanford), in that Brook was the runner-up to the Pac-10 player of the year last year, and then Marcus Thornton (at LSU),” Johnson said.

“So the bottom line is players,” the LSU coach said. “It’s not Trent Johnson, believe me. Because we were running the same stuff we are now when we were 9-20 my first year in Nevada and it didn’t work. So, you better have some guys that can make baskets and make plays.”

Talking to Barnes about all the McDonald’s All-Americans that were on the rosters of teams in Greensboro, he had similar thoughts to Johnson.

“As you continue to go deeper in this tournament, there is one common denominator, and it’s talent,” Barnes said. “I don’t think any coach would disagree with that. The further you go in this, you need talented players that can make some plays, because the game is such a fine line. So, there is no doubt that it’s a player’s game as you continue in March.”

The next Virginia coach’s challenge will be to bring those kinds of players to Charlottesville.

According to statistical data, there is plenty of talent in the Old Dominion and a great recruiter shouldn’t have to look too far to find them.

Since 1998, the state of Virginia ranks seventh nationally in producing top 100 high school talent; ranks fourth nationally in top 50 high school players; and third nationally in producing top 10 rated recruits.

Virginia has produced 59 players rated top 100 players in that span; 34 players rated in the top 50; and eight players rated top 10.

Meanwhile, since 1977 the state ranks fourth nationally in producing McDonald’s All-Americans (with 50 — California leads with 78, New York is second with 61, and Illinois is third with 57). Since 1990, Virginia ranks third (behind only California and Illinois) in producing McDonald’s All-Americans (with 30). Since 2000, Virginia ranks fourth (with 13), which trails only California, Texas and Illinois.

So, there’s talent in them thar hills. Virginia just has to make the right hire to go get ’em.

Another survey that should be noted ranked the nation’s Division I coaches in terms of national popularity. Tubby Smith ranked fourth. Roy Williams and Mike Krzyzewski ranked 1-2.

Virginia NEEDS a guy who can coach, recruit, and be the face of Wahoo basketball, and hang on the same level as Williams and Krzyzewski.

That guy is Tubby.