Andrews Caps Off Undefeated Season With NCAA Championship in 800m
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/13/2010

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Robby Andrews capped off an undefeated freshman campaign by winning the NCAA Championship in the 800m Saturday evening at the 2010 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships at the University of Arkansas’ Randal Tyson Track Center. Andrews becomes Virginia’s second individual national champion in the 800m, as Paul Ereng is the only other Cavalier to accomplish the feat, doing so in 1989.

“This is unbelievable," Andrews said. "There were so many great guys in the field and running this race. I never thought this could happen, but my coaches and dad gave me the confidence I needed. I am so thankful for such a great support crew. It just feels really good.”

Using his dominating kick over the final stretch, Andrews came from behind to narrowly edge Oregon Olympian Andrew Wheating by .01 seconds for the crown, finishing with a time of 1:48.39. Wheating finished runner-up in 1:48.40, while Penn State’s Ryan Foster was third with a time of 1:48.79.

“I was out in Eugene when Wheating ran such a great race at the Olympic trials,” Andrews said after the race. “I’ve been a huge fan since.

“I was just trying to jump him so that he didn’t have time to react; .01 seconds – that’ll do it.”

Andrews automatically advanced to the finals of the 800m by winning his preliminary heat in 1:49.31 yesterday. The 2010 ACC Champion has finished this season undefeated in every race he ran, winning the 800m at the Armory on Feb. 13 and the 600m at the Hokie Invitational. In addition, he was a member of Virginia’s 4x800m relay teams that broke Virginia Tech’s facility record at the Hokie Invite. He also anchored the Cavaliers’ 4x800m relay team to victory at the Millrose Games and won an ACC Championship with UVa’s distance medley relay, running the anchor leg of 1600m.

Andrews also owns Virginia’s indoor freshman record and third fastest mark of all-time in the 800m with a time of 1:48.02. On the all-time list, he ranks third behind Ereng’s collegiate record of 1:44.84 from 1989 and Ben Kurgat’s time of 1:47.31 from 1991.

With a national championship now under his belt, Andrews becomes Virginia’s fourth All-American in the event, joining Kurgat (’91), Ereng (’88, ’89) and Ray Brown as the only Cavaliers who have earned the national honor in the 800m.

“This is unbelievable,” Andrews said. “I’m so thankful for this.”

Tonight’s event marks the finale for the Cavaliers’ indoor track and field season. Virginia will open the 2010 outdoor season next weekend, traveling to Fairfax, Va., to compete in the Mason Quadrangular on Saturday.
 

Outstanding Defense Lifts No. 1 Virginia to Solid Road Victory at No. 8 Cornell
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/13/2010

ITHACA, N.Y. - No. 1 Virginia (6-0) traveled to Ithaca, N.Y., for the first time since 1974 to face the No. 8 Cornell Big Red (4-1) and came away with its first all-time victory at Schoellkopf Field on Saturday afternoon, 12-4. The Big Red entered the game with a 22-1 home record since the start of the 2007 season. Until today, the only loss during that span came against Ohio State in the 2008 NCAA Tournament.
The Cavaliers' only other previous trip to Cornell came during the 1974 NCAA Tournament. Cornell was victorious, 15-8, eliminating UVa from the tournament.

The Cavaliers won many of the team battles, edging the Big Red on shots (40-29), ground balls (30-24), face-offs (11-9) and saves (14-12) en route to Virginia's third victory over a Top 20 team this season.

I thought Ryan [Nizolek] and Ken [Clausen] did a nice job on their two big guns early, Rob Pannell and Ryan Hurley," said Virginia head coach Dom Starsia. "Adam [Ghitelman] did a nice job in goal and I though we were solid through out the game. We felt from very early on in the game that we could defend them and our effort was consistent there."

Virginia wasted no time scoring on its first possession, 2:33 into the game, when Matt White (Ridgefield, Conn.) scored on a Chris Bocklet (South Salem, N.Y.) pass. The Cavaliers then tallied back-to-back unassisted goals, first by Shamel Bratton (Huntington Station, N.Y.) with 11:00 left in the first quarter, followed by Bocklet at 10:46 on the ensuing faceoff.

Chris Langton put Cornell on the board with 3:16 remaining in the first quarter, cutting the UVa advantage to two goals, 3-1. Langton beat the UVa defense for the unassisted goal on a bounce shout.

Bocklet pushed UVa's lead back to three goals, 4-1, with his unassisted score with 1:35 left in the opening quarter, capping the first quarter scoring.

Shamel Bratton, who has played mostly extra-man opportunities the past few weeks because of an injury, scored his second goal of the game, unassisted with 12:30 left in the opening period.

Rhamel Bratton (Huntington Station, N.Y.) followed his brother's lead and tallied an unassisted goal with 4:11 left in the second quarter after faking a pass to the middle.

To start the second half Colin Briggs (Narragansett, R.I.) intercepted a Ross Gillum pass and ran two-thirds of the field and scored unassisted with 11:40 left in the third quarter. The goal pushed UVa's lead to six goals, 7-1.

Cornell answered right back with 9:57 left in the third quarter. After a causing a Cornell turnover and picking up the ground ball, Matt Lovejoy (Orford, N.H.) turned the ball back over to the Big Red allowing Rob Pannell to break lose for the unassisted score, cutting UVa's lead to five goals, 7-2.

Virginia then scored three straight goals to close out the third quarter scoring and giving UVa the 10-2 lead. Rhamel Bratton scored his second goal of the contest after Garett Ince (Oakville, Ont.) picked up the ground ball from his the faceoff he just won and registered the assist with 9:34 left in the period.

Briggs scored his second goal on a Steele Stanwick (Baltimore, Md.) helper at 4:56. After winning the ensuing faceoff, Stanwick found Chris LaPierre (Medford, N.J.) open for the score with 4:48 left in the third quarter, capping the scoring and handing the Cavaliers the 10-2 lead.

George Huguely (Chevy Chase, Md.) scored his second goal of the season on a Bocklet pass with 10:17 left to play, extending the UVa lead to nine goals, 11-2.

Cornell answered right back when an errant pass from Andrew MacDonald found Ryan Hurley wide open for the score with 10:02 remaining in the game. The goal brought the Cavaliers' advantage down to eight goals, 11-3.

Max Pomper fired home his first goal of the season from 15 yards out on a LaPierre pass with 7:33 left in the contest to give UVa the 12-3 lead and capping UVa's scoring for the day.

Cornell scored one more time via Austin Boykin's unassisted score with 27 seconds left, finishing the game's scoring and leaving UVa with the eight goal triumph, 12-4.

The Bratton twins and Bocklet led the way with two goals apiece. Stanwick and Bocklet each had two assists, while Adam Ghitelman (Syosset, N.Y.) had a game-high five ground balls and saved 14 shots in between the pipes.

The UVa defense registered a stellar outing, limiting Cornell's starting attack to two goals (Hurley and Pannell). Between the Cavaliers' starting defense and the goalie Ghitelman, UVa secured 18 of the team's 30 ground balls and caused six turnovers.

"When a spot opened up on our schedule a couple years ago I was looking to add one of the top teams in the country," said Starsia. "Cornell has been one of the best teams in the Ivy League over the last 10 years. My roots at Brown all those years I was there - my experiences with Cornell tell me this is one of the classiest programs in our sport. We are happy we were able to add them to the schedule and I hope this is the beginning of a great rivalry."

No. 1 Virginia returns to Klöckner Stadium on Tuesday for its final midweek game of the season when it hosts Vermont, who is coached by former UVa All-American defenseman Ryan Curtis, the 2000 National Defenseman of the Year. Faceoff is set for 7 p.m.

Virginia 4-2-4-2-12
Cornell 1-0-1-2-4

Att-1640

Scoring (G-A) - V: Chris Bocklet 2-2, Shamel Bratton 2-0, Rhamel Bratton 2-0, Colin Briggs 2-0, Chris LaPierre 1-1, Matt White 1-0, George Huguely 1-0, Max Pomper 1-0, Steele Stanwick 0-2, Garett Ince 0-1 C: Rob Pannell 1-0, Ryan Hurley 1-0, Austin Boykin 1-0, Chris Langton 1-0, Max Feely 0-1

Goalie Summary - V: Adam Ghitelman 55:27 mins., 14 saves, 3 goals allowed, Rob Fortunato 3:18 mins., 0 saves, 0 goals allowed, Rob Eimer 1:15 mins., 0 saves, 1 goal allowed C: A.J. Fiore, 55:27 mins., 12 saves, 12 goals allowed, Mat Martinez, 4:33 mins., 0 saves, 0 goals allowed

Shots: V-40, C-29
Ground Balls: V-30, C-24
Clearing: V-21x24, C-17x21
Faceoffs: V-11, C-9
Penalties: V-2-1:30, C-4-2:00
EMO: V-0x4, C-0x2


 

Defense Lifts #1 Virginia to Road Victory at #8 Cornell

ITHACA, N.Y. – No. 1 Virginia (6-0) traveled to Ithaca, N.Y., for the first time since 1974 to face the No. 8 Cornell Big Red (4-1) and came away with its first all-time victory at Schoellkopf Field on Saturday afternoon, 12-4. The Big Red entered the game with a 22-1 home record since the start of the 2007 season. Until today, the only loss during that span came against Ohio State in the 2008 NCAA Tournament.

The Cavaliers only other previous trip to Cornell came during the 1974 NCAA Tournament. Cornell was victorious, 15-8, eliminating UVa from the tournament.

The Cavaliers won many of the team battles, edging the Big Red on shots (40-29), ground balls (30-24), face-offs (11-9) and saves (14-12) en route to Virginia's third victory over a Top 20 team this season.

I thought Ryan [Nizolek] and Ken [Clausen] did a nice job on their two big guns early, Rob Pannell and Ryan Hurley," said Virginia head coach Dom Starsia. "Adam did a nice job in goal and I though we were solid through out the game. We felt from very early on in the game that we could defend them and our effort was consistent there."

Virginia wasted no time scoring on its first possession, 2:33 into the game, when Matt White (Ridgefield, Conn.) scored on a Chris Bocklet (South Salem, N.Y.) pass. The Cavaliers then tallied back-to-back unassisted goals, first by Shamel Bratton (Huntington Station, N.Y.) with 11:00 left in the first quarter, followed by Bocklet at 10:46 on the ensuing faceoff.

Chris Langton put Cornell on the board with 3:16 remaining in the first quarter, cutting the UVa advantage to two goals, 3-1. Langton beat the UVa defense for the unassisted goal on a bounce shout.

Bocklet pushed UVa's lead back to three goals, 4-1, with his unassisted score with 1:35 left in the opening quarter, capping the first quarter scoring.

Shamel Bratton, who has played mostly extra-man opportunities the past few weeks because of an injury, scored his second goal of the game, unassisted with 12:30 left in the opening period.

Rhamel Bratton (Huntington Station, N.Y.) followed his brother's lead and tallied an unassisted goal with 4:11 left in the second quarter after faking a pass to the middle.

To start the second half Colin Briggs (Narragansett, R.I.) intercepted a Ross Gillum pass and ran two-thirds of the field and scored unassisted with 11:40 left in the third quarter. The goal pushed UVa's lead to six goals, 7-1.

Cornell answered right back with 9:57 left in the third quarter. After a causing a Cornell turnover and picking up the ground ball, Matt Lovejoy (Orford, N.H.) turned the ball back over to the Big Red allowing Rob Pannell to break lose for the unassisted score, cutting UVa's lead to five goals, 7-2.

Virginia then scored three straight goals to close out the third quarter scoring and giving UVa the 10-2 lead. Rhamel Bratton scored his second goal of the contest after Garett Ince (Oakville, Ont.) picked up the ground ball from his the faceoff he just won and registered the assist with 9:34 left in the period.

Briggs scored his second goal on a Steele Stanwick (Baltimore, Md.) helper at 4:56. After winning the ensuing faceoff, Stanwick found Chris LaPierre (Medford, N.J.) open for the score with 4:48 left in the third quarter, capping the scoring and handing the Cavaliers the 10-2 lead.

George Huguely (Chevy Chase, Md.) scored his second goal of the season on a Bocklet pass with 10:17 left to play, extending the UVa lead to nine goals, 11-2.

Cornell answered right back when an errant pass from Andrew MacDonald found Ryan Hurley wide open for the score with 10:02 remaining in the game. The goal brought the Cavaliers' advantage down to eight goals, 11-3.

Max Pomper fired home his first goal of the season from 15 yards out on a LaPierre pass with 7:33 left in the contest to give UVa the 12-3 lead and capping UVa's scoring for the day.

Cornell scored one more time via Austin Boykin's unassisted score with 27 seconds left, finishing the game's scoring and leaving UVa with the eight goal triumph, 12-4.

The Bratton twins and Bocklet led the way with two goals apiece. Stanwick and Bocklet each had two assists, while Adam Ghitelman (Syosset, N.Y.) had a game-high five ground balls and saved 14 shots in between the pipes.

The UVa defense registered a stellar outing, limiting Cornell's starting attack to two goals (Hurley and Pannell). Between the Cavaliers' starting defense and the goalie Ghitelman, UVa secured 18 of the team's 30 ground balls and caused six turnovers.

"When a spot opened up on our schedule a couple years ago I was looking to add one of the top teams in the country," said Starsia. "Cornell has been one of the best teams in the Ivy League over the last 10 years. My roots at Brown all those years I was there – my experiences with Cornell tell me this is one of the classiest programs in our sport. We are happy we were able to add them to the schedule and I hope this is the beginning of a great rivalry."

No. 1 Virginia returns to Klöckner Stadium on Tuesday for its final midweek game of the season when it hosts Vermont, who is coached by former UVa All-American defenseman Ryan Curtis, the 2000 National Defenseman of the Year. Faceoff is set for 7:00 p.m.

 

Virginia, Clausen Get Revenge on Cornell
by Brian Delaney | Special to Lacrosse Magazine Online | Game Blog
Virginia goalie Adam Ghitelman stares down Cornell shooter Chris Langton. Ghitelman made 14 saves in the top-ranked Cavaliers' 12-4 win over the eighth-ranked Big Red.
© Greg Wall

ITHACA, N.Y. — As if the 15-6 loss to Cornell at the 2009 Final Four didn’t provide enough motivational fodder, Virginia defenseman Ken Clausen hadn’t forgotten what Rob Pannell did to the Cavaliers in two games last season.

Pannell went for six points in each game, including a three-goal, three-assist effort against Clausen and Co. at Gillette Stadium.

Tasked again Saturday with shutting off Cornell’s dynamic offensive quarterback, Clausen’s effort on Pannell was one of the highlights of a thoroughly one-sided 12-4 victory in a top-10 matchup at Schoellkopf Field.

“Yeah, I think we’ve been waiting for this one,” Clausen said. “They beat us down pretty bad last year. Embarrassed us.”

Pannell, a crafty sophomore who works best in space behind the cage, finished with one meaningless goal. He had zero assists — just a face-full of Clausen everywhere he went. His teammates, meanwhile, took away just about every off-ball cut, dodge or set play Cornell tried.

When Cornell (4-1) finally got off a shot, Adam Ghitelman usually snuffed it out. Ghitelman made 14 saves on the day, but few, if any, overly taxed the junior goaltender.

Cornell registered only 16 shots through three quarters, and trailed 10-2 entering the fourth.

“Honestly, we had great off-ball defense,” Clausen said. “(Pannell) was trying to get some passes in to some guys cutting, and our defense did a great job locking those down, making switches inside, making stick checks and really making that hard for them inside. I think we all shut them down together.”

Cornell’s scoring output was tied for the worst in the 10-year Jeff Tambroni era. The Big Red beat Princeton, 4-3, in 2006 and lost 14-4 to Georgetown in 2004. If not for an Austin Boykin goal with 27 seconds left, Cornell would have been held to its lowest scoring output sine a 12-2 loss to Princeton in 1991.

“I thought our big boys on defense did a really nice job with (Ryan) Hurley and Pannell,” Virginia coach Dom Starsia said. “I thought we played well defensively overall, but in particular those two matchups I felt we at least kept those two guys under control. They’re as good as it gets in the game.”

All-American midfielder Shamel Bratton returned from a hamstring strain and scored two goals. Twin brother Rhamel also scored twice, as did sophomore Chris Bocklet and second line middie Colin Briggs.

Virginia’s offense stayed patient, confident that its defense would cover up any sequence of empty possessions.

The Cavaliers’ shortstick defenders won their-on-one battles and exposed a young and inexperienced Cornell midfield line that has endured some early-season struggles. The Big Red’s two midfield units were held to one point, a first-quarter goal by sophomore Chris Langton.

“I think the biggest discrepancy (between the two teams), and we talked about this with our guys, is through the midfield,” Cornell coach Jeff Tambroni said. “The Brattons and (Brian) Carroll, and their defensive middies, they have three veterans playing back there and I didn’t think we really provided that much of a threat at the midfield today to soften up their close defense and give Ryan Hurley and Rob Pannell a little bit more room.”

When Cornell lost an evenly played regular season game at Virginia last year, 14-10, the Big Red realized it was close to a top-five level. On Saturday, it found out just how far away it is.

No. 1 Virginia (6-0) drove back to Charlottesville with its second victory over a top-10 team safely tucked away.

Clausen was happy, if not completely satisfied.

“We know what happened to us last year. With this game in particular, that was on our minds,” he said. “We wanted to make a statement. I think we’re getting better with every game, but by no means are we playing our best lacrosse. We have a lot to work on.”

 

Cavaliers Score Six in Ninth to Shock Florida State, 9-8
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/13/2010

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Down five runs with one out in the ninth inning Saturday night, the Virginia baseball team staged an incredible rally and scored six times to shock Florida State, 9-8, at Dick Howser Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla. Keith Werman (So., Vienna, Va.) supplied the eventual game-winning hit - a two-out, bases-loaded single to left-center which scored John Hicks (So., Sandy Hook, Va.) and Reed Gragnani (Fr., Richmond, Va.).
With the victory, Virginia clinched its first-ever series win - home or away - over Florida State. UVa shut out the Seminoles, 5-0, Friday night.

The teams will play the final game of the series at 1 p.m. Sunday. The game will be televised live on Sun Sports, and the broadcast also will be picked up by Fox College Sports.

Both teams are ranked nationally among the top five. Virginia (12-2, 2-0 ACC) is ranked as high as No. 1 in the Baseball America and Rivals.com polls, while Florida State (12-2, 0-2) stands as high as No. 2 nationally in the Collegiate Baseball, NCBWA and USA Today/ESPN Coaches polls.

Virginia finished with 13 hits. Phil Gosselin (Jr., West Chester, Pa.), Tyler Cannon (Sr., Pigeon Forge, Tenn.), Steven Proscia (So., Suffern, N.Y.) and Kenny Swab (Jr., Kernersville, N.C.) each recorded a pair of hits for Virginia.

Dan Grovatt (Jr., Tabernacle, N.J.) was credited with his first career win (1-0) after pitching the eighth inning. Kevin Arico (Jr., Flemington, N.J.) tossed a scoreless ninth inning to notch his fifth save in as many tries. Virginia starting pitcher Robert Morey (Jr., Virginia Beach, Va.) worked five innings, giving up five runs (three earned), seven hits and three walks while striking out six.

Florida State reliever Andrew Durden (0-1), the third of four FSU pitchers to take the mound in the ninth inning, took the loss after giving up a pair of runs and failing to retire any of the three batters he faced. FSU starter John Gast pitched four innings, allowing two earned runs, five hits and two walks with five strikeouts.

Virginia sent a dozen batters to the plate in its six-run ninth. The inning started when first baseman Jayce Boyd booted Werman's sharp ground ball after a pitch from closer Daniel Bennett. One out later Cannon walked and Grovatt followed with a single to left to load the bases. Proscia followed with a run-scoring single. Bennett was lifted in favor of Tye Buckley, who uncorked a wild pitch on his first offering, scoring Cannon. A Jarrett Parker (Jr., Stafford, Va.) groundout scored Grovatt and moved Proscia to third. Durden was brought in to face Hicks, who drew a walk. Gragnani ripped the next pitch back up the middle and off Durden's leg for an infield single, scoring Proscia to cut the lead to 8-7.

Franco Valdes (Sr., Miami, Fla.) then fell behind 0-2 and was a strike away from ending the game, but he took four straight balls to draw a walk. FSU then brought on Tyler Everett to face Werman, who slapped a 2-1 pitch the other way into left-center to score Hicks and Gragnani and give the Cavaliers their first lead of the day, 9-8. The comeback was reminiscent of one from the 2009 season, where UVa scored sixth in the ninth to rally and win at Georgia Tech, 11-10; in that game, Werman hit the go-ahead single to score Hicks.

Arico entered in the ninth and gave up a one-out single to Justin Gonzalez. Pinch hitter Sean Gilmartin then hit a grounder to Cannon at shortstop - he flipped to Werman for the force at second, but Werman's throw to first slipped out of his hand and sailed well over Hicks at first. Gilmartin rounded first and started to head to second on the play, but threw on the brakes when the ball quickly bounced to Hicks, who threw the ball back to Werman, who then tossed it back to Valdes, who moved up from behind the plate to cover the bag and tagged out a sliding Gilmartin easily at first to end the game.

Florida State got off to a quick start and took advantage of Virginia miscues in scoring three times in the first inning. Tyler Holt led off with a double and was sacrificed to third by James Ramsey. Stephen Cardullo then hit a chopper to Proscia at third. He initially bobbled the ball, forcing him to throw to first instead of home, but the throw was dropped at first by Swab for an error. Mike McGee then doubled to right-center to score Cardullo. A passed ball by Hicks moved McGee to third, and Stuart Tapley hit a sacrifice fly to center to score the run and give FSU the 3-0 lead.

Morey escaped further damage in the second inning. After Gonzalez reached on a leadoff single and Rafael Lopez walked, Jayce Boyd laid down a sacrifice bunt. Morey, facing the top of the batting order, rebounded to strike out Holt and Ramsey.

Virginia got two runs back in the third inning, stringing four-consecutive hits together to cut into the lead. Swab led off with a single to center. Stephen Bruno (Fr., Audubon, N.J.) then ripped a 3-2 Gast offering high off the center-field wall, moving Swab to third. Gosselin hit a single to center to score Swab, and Cannon followed with another single to center to plate Bruno and cut the lead to 3-2.

FSU struck back with two runs in its half of the third. Cardullo and McGee drew back-to-back walks to start the inning. One out later, Sherman Johnson singled to center to score Cardullo and move McGee to third. Gonzalez then put down a squeeze bunt to score McGee and stretch the lead back to three, 5-2.

Florida State has opportunities to add to the lead in the fourth and fifth inning, but in both instances Morey was able to wiggle out of the jam. In the fourth, he struck out Tapley looking with the bases loaded and two out. In the fifth, Holt hit a rocket to Gosselin at second, who was positioned perfectly up the middle to stab the hot shot. He then made an off-balance throw to first to get Holt by a half-step and strand runners at second and third.

The Cavaliers touched up Busch for a run in the seventh inning. Gosselin led off with a double to right-center and advanced to third on a single to left by Cannon. Grovatt then launched a fly ball to right-center, which Ramsey caught with his back against the wall, scoring Gosselin.

The Seminoles again answered in their half of the seventh. Tapley walked to lead off and was replaced by pinch runner Ohmed Danesh, who stole second. One out later, Gonzalez doubled to right-center to score Danesh.

FSU added a pair of runs in the eighth inning on a two-run home run to right field off Grovatt, who had just moved from right field to the mound.


 

Virginia scores six runs in ninth to rally past FSU baseball
By Ira Schoffel • DEMOCRAT SENIOR WRITER • March 14, 2010

UVA had batted around in the inning. The No. 4 Cavaliers had scored four runs. But still, the No. 2 Seminoles were an out away from avoiding disaster.
Disaster came on the fourth pitch.
Werman, who was a late-inning replacement, slapped a 2-1 pitch into short left field with the bases loaded and helped Virginia pull off a six-run, ninth-inning rally and stun the Seminoles, 9-8.
Florida State coach Mike Martin, who normally maintains a positive outlook even during the most difficult of circumstances, was almost at a loss for words when he met with reporters.
"That hurt," Martin said.
It hurt because the Seminoles (12-2, 0-2 in ACC) seemed to have the game in hand from the early innings. Unlike on Friday, when they were shut out and held to three hits, the 'Noles broke out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning.
Then when Virginia (12-2, 2-0) closed it to 3-2 in the top of the third, FSU responded with two more runs in the bottom of that frame. Then they extended their advantage to 8-3 in the bottom of the eighth, when sophomore right fielder James Ramsey slammed a two-run homer over the right-field fence.
Even though the Seminoles had squandered several early scoring opportunities — they left nine runners on base — it appeared they had done enough to even the series at one victory apiece.
"I thought about it a little while it was happening," junior left fielder Mike McGee said. "It would have been nice to have gotten those guys in. But you thought you were fine going into the ninth with a five-run lead."
Junior reliever Daniel Bennett, who was sharp in the eighth, came back out for the ninth but found immediate trouble when Werner reached on an error. After recording a strikeout, Bennett then allowed the next three batters to reach on a walk and two singles.
With run already across and the bases loaded, Martin called upon junior left-hander Tye Buckley to face left-handed batter Jarrett Parker. And after another run scored on a wild pitch, Buckley got Parker to ground out to first base for the second out; but a third run scored on that play to make it 8-6.
At that point, Martin went to junior right-hander Andrew Durden, who was projected to be the Seminoles' closer this season. But Durden walked two batters and allowed a hit before he was pulled for junior Tyler Everett.
At that point, the Seminoles still led 8-7. But that brought up Werner with the bases loaded. And four pitches later … disaster.
"I never relaxed," Martin said. "You can't relax in this game. You have to get that 27th out. Virginia showed what they're about. You have to give them a lot of credit."
The loss spoiled solid pitching performances by starter John Gast and middle reliever Brian Busch. They combined to limit Virginia to three runs on nine hits in seven innings.
Said McGee: "It's a terrible loss. It's why baseball is such a frustrating game sometimes. But you've just got to get it out of your head as quick as possible so you can come back and win tomorrow."
With the win, Virginia secured its first series victory at FSU in school history.
"This is one of the great powers in college baseball," UVA coach Brian O'Connor said. "To come here and win the first two is quite an accomplishment and something we'll be very proud of."
The game could have cost Florida State even more. Catcher Rafael Lopez went down with a sprained ankle/foot in the ninth inning, and Martin said Lopez will be out for at least a week.
Junior right-hander Geoff Parker (1-0, 6.08) will start for FSU in the series finale today at 1 p.m. Right-hander Cody Winiarski (1-0, 6.43 ERA) will take the hill for Virginia.
 

Baker’s Career Day Lifts No. 8 Cavaliers Over Undefeated Tar Heels in Overtime
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/13/2010

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Redshirt sophomore Ainsley Baker scored a career-high five goals, including the game-winner in overtime, to lift the eighth-ranked Cavaliers over previously unbeaten No. 3 North Carolina, 13-12, Saturday afternoon at Klöckner Stadium. The game marked the season-debut at Klöckner Stadium for Virginia this year and improves the Cavaliers to 4-2 on the season, 1-1 in the ACC. Carolina falls to 6-1 and 0-1 in the league.

Baker’s game-high five goals led six Cavaliers in scoring. Sophomore Charlie Finnigan added three goals for the second hat trick of her career, while senior All-American Kaitlin Duff chipped in two scores and one assist. Senior Caity Whiteley tacked on one goal and two assists for the Cavaliers, while sophomores Julie Gardner and Josie Owen each had one score. Senior All-American Brittany Kalkstein rounded out the scoring with one helper.

For North Carolina, Becky Lynch led the way with four goals and two assists, while Laura Zimmermann added two more scores for the Tar Heels.

To open the game, North Carolina jumped out to a commanding 4-0 lead less than three minutes into play. The Cavaliers were able to chip into the Tar Heels’ lead throughout the half though, before Baker completed the first hat trick of her career to knot the score at eight heading into intermission.

Baker initially got the Cavaliers on the board at the 26:58 mark following UNC’s four scores and just 22 seconds after a Virginia timeout.

The goal wasn’t enough to halt the Tar Heels’ streak though, as North Carolina extended its lead to five with back-to-back goals by the 23:37 mark.

Finnigan responded for Virginia, notching two-unanswered scores of her own, before North Carolina found the back of the net for a seventh time, at 15:18.

Two more from Virginia – the first from Baker and the second from Owen, assisted on by Whiteley – pulled the Cavaliers within two, 5-7, with 12:26 remaining in the half.

Carolina tallied their final goal of the half at 5:45, before the Cavaliers rattled off three straight – all unassisted from Duff, Whiteley and Baker – sending the teams into the intermission with an even 8-8 score.

The Tar Heels started the scoring in the second half, firing a shot into cage 2:14 into play. Less than one minute later, Duff caused a turnover and raced down the field before finishing off the play by winning a one-on-one battle with UNC goalie Logan Ripley at the 26:49 mark.

Finnigan tacked on another score for the Cavaliers at 21:49, giving Virginia it’s first lead of the game, 10-9, prompting Carolina to make a goalie change.

Baker took advantage of the situation for the Cavaliers less than 10 minutes into the second half, firing her fourth goal into the net, but Carolina reverted back to its starting keeper. Gardner then notched her first goal of the game, converting a free position shot at 15:29, giving Virginia a 12-9 lead.

The Cavaliers’ streak was broken at with 13:58 on the clock, as Carolina strung together three-straight goals to knot the score at 12 with 6:15 to play. As time wound down, both defenses stepped up in the final minute, forcing an overtime period.

Virginia won the opening draw, but had a shot blocked before redshirt junior Lauren Benner stepped up in cage for the Cavaliers, stopping North Carolina’s attempt to score.

Baker then found the back of the net for a fifth time, almost two minutes into overtime, to give the Cavaliers the advantage. As time expired, Benner came up with her sixth save of the contest to secure the victory for the Cavaliers, while sophomore Annie Taylor scooped up the ground ball and cleared it from Virginia’s defensive end.

Kalkstein anchored the defense causing three turnovers and scooping up three ground balls. She also won five draw controls, while Owen won three. Junior Liz Downs also had two caused turnovers for Virginia, while the win in cage gives Benner her second-straight of the season.

On Wednesday, the Cavaliers will travel to No. 18 William & Mary for a midweek contest with their in-state rival. Game time is slated for 7 p.m.
 

No. 8 Virginia Upsets No. 3 North Carolina in Overtime

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Redshirt sophomore Ainsley Baker scored a career-high five goals, including the game-winner in overtime, to lift the eighth-ranked Cavaliers over previously unbeaten No. 3 North Carolina, 13-12, Saturday afternoon at Klöckner Stadium. The game marked the season-debut at Klöckner Stadium for Virginia this year and improves the Cavaliers to 4-2 on the season, 1-1 in the ACC. Carolina falls to 6-1 and 0-1 in the league.

Baker's game-high five goals led six Cavaliers in scoring. Sophomore Charlie Finnigan added three goals for the second hat trick of her career, while senior All-American Kaitlin Duff chipped in two scores and one assist. Senior Caity Whiteley tacked on one goal and two assists for the Cavaliers, while sophomores Julie Gardner and Josie Owen each had one score. Senior All-American Brittany Kalkstein rounded out the scoring with one helper.

For North Carolina, Becky Lynch led the way with four goals and two assists, while Laura Zimmermann added two more scores for the Tar Heels.

To open the game, North Carolina jumped out to a commanding 4-0 lead less than three minutes into play. The Cavaliers were able to chip into the Tar Heels' lead throughout the half though, before Baker completed the first hat trick of her career to knot the score at eight heading into intermission.

Baker initially got the Cavaliers on the board at the 26:58 mark following UNC's four scores and just 22 seconds after a Virginia timeout.

The goal wasn't enough to halt the Tar Heels' streak though, as North Carolina extended its lead to five with back-to-back goals by the 23:37 mark.

Finnigan responded for Virginia, notching two-unanswered scores of her own, before North Carolina found the back of the net for a seventh time, at 15:18.

Two more from Virginia – the first from Baker and the second from Owen, assisted on by Whiteley – pulled the Cavaliers within two, 5-7, with 12:26 remaining in the half.

Carolina tallied their final goal of the half at 5:45, before the Cavaliers rattled off three straight – all unassisted from Duff, Whiteley and Baker – sending the teams into the intermission with an even 8-8 score.

The Tar Heels started the scoring in the second half, firing a shot into cage 2:14 into play. Less than one minute later, Duff caused a turnover and raced down the field before finishing off the play by winning a one-on-one battle with UNC goalie Logan Ripley at the 26:49 mark.

Finnigan tacked on another score for the Cavaliers at 21:49, giving Virginia it's first lead of the game, 10-9, prompting Carolina to make a goalie change.

Baker took advantage of the situation for the Cavaliers less than 10 minutes into the second half, firing her fourth goal into the net, but Carolina reverted back to its starting keeper. Gardner then notched her first goal of the game, converting a free position shot at 15:29, giving Virginia a 12-9 lead.

The Cavaliers' streak was broken at with 13:58 on the clock, as Carolina strung together three-straight goals to knot the score at 12 with 6:15 to play. As time wound down, both defenses stepped up in the final minute, forcing an overtime period.

Virginia won the opening draw, but had a shot blocked before redshirt junior Lauren Benner stepped up in cage for the Cavaliers, stopping North Carolina's attempt to score.

Baker then found the back of the net for a fifth time, almost two minutes into overtime, to give the Cavaliers the advantage. As time expired, Benner came up with her sixth save of the contest to secure the victory for the Cavaliers, while sophomore Annie Taylor scooped up the ground ball and cleared it from Virginia's defensive end.

Kalkstein anchored the defense causing three turnovers and scooping up three ground balls. She also won five draw controls, while Owen won three. Junior Liz Downs also had two caused turnovers for Virginia, while the win in cage gives Benner her second-straight of the season.

On Wednesday, the Cavaliers will travel to No. 18 William & Mary for a midweek contest with their in-state rival. Game time is slated for 7:00 p.m.

London's first Virginia football team starts spring practice Monday
By Norm Wood  |  247-4642
March 14, 2010

Prior to returning to the Commonwealth in January, Virginia defensive coordinator Jim Reid remembered a side of Mike London he used to see every day in meeting rooms at the University of Richmond.

When Reid was the head coach at Richmond, and London was the Spiders' outside linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator in 1995 and '96, Reid recalled London being the quiet guy who would sit in coaches' meetings and wait for everybody else to speak before offering his own opinion. Yet, whenever London opened his mouth, Reid knew something important was coming out.

The value of London's ideas hasn't changed, according to Reid, but London's approach is a little different these days. As U.Va. prepares to open its first spring football practice Monday with London as head coach, there are no doubts about who will have the first and last word on all decisions.

"I think it's a great quality of humility when people wait their turn to speak," said Reid, who spent the last two seasons as the outside linebackers coach for the Miami Dolphins.

"I can remember vividly I used to have to drag things out of him. I'd say 'Mike, what do you think about this?' Then, every time he would give me a response, it was terrific. I encouraged him to speak up in meetings. … Now, he's the one telling (his assistant coaches) the same thing.

"Every morning, when we have our meetings at 8 o'clock, he has a typed agenda that he hands out to every coach. He's incredibly well-organized. We follow it all to the letter. So, believe me, he has no problems getting his point across."

After three months of doing nothing but talking to recruits, boosters, alumni, coaches, players, community leaders, reporters, mail deliverers, grocery store cashiers, well-wishers, naysayers and anybody else who might be interested in listening to the new guy in town, London is ready to use his other senses this spring to determine exactly what he has on his team.

"The first priority for me is the players," said London, a Bethel High graduate. "It's always about the players. I spent a lot of time talking to the players, assessing their abilities academically and athletically. As a staff, we spent a lot of time going over depth, positions and skill level. Outside of actually having spring practice, we've had winter workouts and lifts. We've met with them academically. We've class-checked. They've come over and sat in the office and just talked.

"The time that I spend doing the other things, like the meet-and-greets (with fans) and all that, that's just the extra stuff. I want to take care of the players first. I don't feel like I'm at any disadvantage or deficit in terms of knowing what's going on with the players."

Reid is in charge of transitioning U.Va.'s defense from a 3-4 alignment to a 4-3. Bill Lazor, the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, will have his hands full implementing his pro-style offense with quarterbacks Marc Verica, Ross Metheny and true freshman Michael Strauss, a January enrollee.

There are question marks at running back, where Torrey Mack, Perry Jones, Raynard Horne and Keith Payne will get most of the looks this spring in preparation to replace U.Va.'s top four rushers, all of whom were gone after last season. Dominique Wallace will miss the spring while he recovers from off-season foot surgery.

On the offensive line, tackle Landon Bradley has the potential to anchor a unit that must now replace tackle Will Barber and center Jack Shields, who quit playing in the off-season.

Depth and inexperience concerns at defensive tackle and outside linebacker will have to be addressed. Position changes, including moving Terence Fells-Danzer from linebacker to fullback, Cam Johnson from linebacker to defensive end and Ausar Walcott from free safety to linebacker, will be judged based on their long-term viability to the team.

Despite all the work and ongoing communication that must be done this spring to get U.Va. back on the right track, London apparently has gotten the idea through to his players about what he expects: academic excellence, athletic achievement and community service.

U.Va. defensive end Will Hill said he remembers first meeting London when London came to a camp at Lafayette High. Hill was a 10th-grader there, and his encounter with London was only momentary, but an impression was made.

"I remember I liked him right away," Hill said. "We didn't get to talk much, but I remember thinking he was honest and straightforward just from meeting him for a minute or two.

"Since he's been here, we haven't really talked much yet about football. It's mostly been about making ourselves better men off the field and doing good things in the community. He wants us to be well-rounded."

Thus far, in addition to Shields, the only two scholarship players from last season's team who still had eligibility left but won't return are offensive lineman Billy Cuffee and defensive lineman Buddy Ruff — possibly due to academic shortcomings.

"If players know you, and know who you are and what you stand for, a lot of times the players are the best recruiters," London said.

"The players are the best people within your own team that can say, 'You know what? I think something can happen here, something positive can happen.' So, the guys that are not going to be with us are the guys that are not going to be doing what I expect in the class and in the community. The guys that are staying — with position switches and the schemes and the system change — those guys feel like 'Maybe I have a new lease on life at another position.' When you add all that together, there's guarded optimism about what can occur here."

U.Va.‘s season was one long uphill battle
By MICHAEL PHILLIPS
Published: March 14, 2010
Updated: March 14, 2010

GREENSBORO, N.C. It was a season that gave the phrase "battle of attrition" a new meaning.
The University of Virginia men's basketball team finished with three fewer players than there were at the beginning. In between were suspensions and injuries, interspersed among highs and lows -- an eight-game winning streak and a nine-game losing streak.
Tony Bennett's first season as coach ended Friday with a 15-16 record, but the season was far from average. Bennett said that he'll take some time to review everything he learned this year and enter the offseason as a more knowledgeable coach.
"This year as a first-year coach I came in and observed and watched -- there were no changes made," he said. "Now it's about, where are we strong? Where do we need to improve? I'll certainly take stock of this year and ask what can I do better, or what can my staff do better to help this team?"
It can be tough to gain a big-picture perspective right as the season comes to an end, but Virginia's players gave it a try, reminiscing on the year that was.
It started, fittingly, with a depleted roster. Jamil Tucker was suspended for academic reasons and ultimately dismissed from the team. Assane Sene also missed the early games because of suspension, and Calvin Baker needed time to recover from a knee injury.
Early losses seemed to hint at a long season, as the Cavaliers fell on the road against South Florida and Auburn, and at home against Penn State.
A stretch of victories against weak opponents hardly seemed notable, but then the Cavs started the ACC season with a bang, defeating then-ranked Georgia Tech and Miami in the same week and rising to the top of the ACC standings.
"I thought we had the opportunity to do something real special this year," Mustapha Farrakhan said, saying the streak is something that will stick with the team. "We know it can be done. We know if we stick to what we've been taught, we can beat anybody."
That confidence started waning with an overtime loss to Wake Forest, followed by a close loss against Virginia Tech that appeared to sap momentum.
"We were right there in those games -- those were tough," Bennett said. "If we would have snuck one or two of those out, would it have been different? I've thought about that."
Close defeats ultimately became lopsided ones, and the team finished the regular season on a nine-game losing streak, the longest in four decades. The team also lost guard Sylven Landesberg and Baker in the final weeks of the season.
Forward Will Sherrill said that the team learned something about Bennett -- win or lose, he keeps the same mentality.
"He's probably the most consistent coach I've ever been around," he said. "His mindset is always the same, every day. He comes in every day focusing on the same principles, asking for the same things, and that really helps you."
With a losing record in the final tally, Virginia's season will not end in the NCAA or NIT tournaments. A lack of interest in other postseason events means that the season almost assuredly ended in Greensboro.
Bennett now turns his eye to the future. Landesberg reportedly is turning pro, forgoing his junior year of college. Freshman Tristan Spurlock will have to decide whether to transfer or stick out his college career in what is a less-than-ideal system for his talents.
On top of that, there are six freshmen as part of next year's class, a huge haul by college basketball standards. Given his year of experience, Bennett said he's better prepared for this offseason. He also had a message of optimism for the players in the season's final week.
"He said before you can win as a team, you have to lose as a team," freshman Jontel Evans said. "And certainly we're losing as a team this year, but hopefully there's something good in the future."