Are You Ready for Some Football?
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/16/2010
By Jeff White

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- "All right, 1-6. It's football time now."

That was Mike London's message to No. 16, rising sophomore Javanti Sparrow, punctuated by a pat on the cornerback's helmet. But UVa's new coach could have been talking to any of the 90-some players stretching on the practice field closest to the McCue Center.

The season-opener against the University of Richmond is still about six months away, but Monday afternoon marked the first opportunity for London and his assistants to be on the field with all of the Cavaliers' returning players.

After dismissing Al Groh, UVa hired London in early December. Since then he's spent untold hours hiring his staff, pitching his program to high school prospects, putting together a playbook, and meeting with alumni and fans.

"Now we do the football part of it," London said before the first of Virginia's 15 spring practices, "so I'm ready to go."

The Cavaliers' first seven practices, including a March 27 intrasquad scrimmage at Old Dominion University, are open to the public. Practice No. 2 is Wednesday, starting at 3:50 p.m. and the team again will be in helmets and shorts.

Until the pads are on, London said, "I want to see how guys are moving, running, how the quarterbacks throw, how we run our routes, things you have to be really good at if you're going to go on.

"We're excited about evaluating these guys, because before we just [watched them in the strength-and-conditioning program]. Now we get to do some football things with them."

The Wahoos finished 3-9 in 2009, their ninth season under Groh. Starters return at several positions, but practice performance will determine who ends up on the first team, London said.

"It's wide open," he said. "It's a clean slate. A lot of these guys, with the whole aspect of changing the culture, a lot of these guys have second opportunities here. A lot of guys have had opportunities that maybe they didn't take advantage of ... They have a new lease on life, so we'll see how they perform."

Of the players who worked at quarterback Monday -- Marc Verica, Ross Metheny, Michael Strauss and Quintin Hunter -- only Verica has taken a snap in a college game.

So Verica, who'll be a fifth-year senior in the fall, started the spring atop the depth chart. But he'll have to play well to stay there.

"I want to see the best quarterback earn the job and take it and run with it," London said, "whether it's Marc or anybody else. So it's a wide-open approach. He's been the guy who's been taking snaps. We'll see what happens. But all those quarterbacks know, you're going to be evaluated daily, and we'll see how you perform."

London, head coach at UR in 2008 and '09, had two stints as an assistant under Groh, so he's spent plenty of the time on UVa's practice fields. Not until Monday, however, had he been out there as the man in charge.

"It's kind of a surreal experience," London said.

VOICE OF EXPERIENCE: Verica, who started nine games for UVa in 2008, backed up Jameel Sewell for most of last season. On a team that will be dominated by underclassmen this fall, Verica stands out.

"I've tried to embrace my role as an older guy and as a leader on this team and in this locker room," Verica said after practice Monday. "I think I've taken it to another level, maybe, with the vocal presence. I think I've become more vocal.

"I'm the only quarterback with any playing experience, so I think people respond to that and look to that, because I've been there before. I'm just trying to set a good example for the younger players."

MAN IN THE MIDDLE: Starting center Jack Shields' decision not to return for his final season at UVa created an opportunity for Anthony Mihota, who'll be a redshirt junior in the fall.

Mihota backed up Shields in 2008 and '09.

"It's like you gotta pay your dues," Mihota said after practice Monday. "I feel like I got better every year. And so it's finally my turn, so it's time for me to step up."

With Shields injured, Mihota started and went the whole way against Virginia Tech in the 2008 regular-season finale at Lane Stadium.

"I felt like I did as well as I could have," said Mihota, who's from Fredericksburg. "It was a great game to play in. I had a lot of fun. I never heard that many people boo us when we came on the field before.

"It was nice getting a taste of it for Virginia Tech, but I'm ready to get back out there."

Mihota, who's listed at 6-4, 270 pounds, had not resigned himself to more reserve duty in 2010.

"I've always thought I had a shot, so if [Shields] was here or he wasn't here, I was still going to battle for the spot," Mihota said.

MAN ON THE MOVE: At Orange County High, Quintin Hunter played several positions, including quarterback, tailback, wideout and defensive back.

As a true freshman at UVa last season, he played receiver and caught one pass for 13 yards. He's back at QB this spring, though the change may not be permanent.

"Quintin is probably a multi-purpose athlete right now, and I think the quarterback position is one he wants to try out at," London said. "We'll see if he can handle that the things that are required to be a good quarterback. If he can, he'll stay there. If not, then we'll put him in a position where he can help us.

"With most of these guys, I kind of asked them where they wanted to be. Some of them moved to different positions to help serve on the show team or scout team last year. Some of them played the position in high school. In the concept of having a clean slate, a lot of these guys just wanted an opportunity to be evaluated at [another] position. So that's where they're going to start out, and later on we'll see whether or not we move them to somewhere else."

CHOW DOWN: Since he shifted from safety to outside linebacker, Ausar Walcott's life has changed.

"I don't gotta watch what I eat now," he said Monday.

As a redshirt freshman in 2009, the 6-4 Walcott played exclusively on special teams. Under London, the Cavaliers have switched from a 3-4 scheme to the 4-3 on defense. Walcott has the size and speed to be a prototypical outside linebacker in the 4-3.

The coaches "came to me about it and told me how I would fit there," Walcott said. "I was happy with it. As long as it's going to help the team."

There was always a chance, anyway, that Walcott would outgrow the safety position.

"I had to worry about lifting weights, not lifting too hard, because I'd blow up too fast," he said. "But now, since they made me an outside linebacker, it's a better decision for all of us."

Walcott said he weighs 225 pounds now and hopes to play at 230 in the fall.

Verica in another quarterback race
Media General News Service
Published: March 17, 2010
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nowBuzz up!

Welcome to Virginia spring football, where Marc Verica is involved in a quarterback competition.

OK, so maybe not everything has changed under new coach Mike London.

Verica is trying out a new role this time around, though — savvy veteran. Several quarterbacks are in the mix, but the senior is the only one with any playing experience.

“I’m just trying to set a good example for the younger guys,” he said Monday. “I’ve been here for, I guess this is my fifth year, and I’m just trying to put my head down and do things the right way.”

That meant spending time over spring break with offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, who has been teaching his pupils in the classroom all winter, but will now take those drills to the field for a month.

Along with Verica, redshirt freshman Ross Metheny took snaps on Monday, as did early-admission freshman Michael Strauss and former wide receiver Quintin Hunter, who last took meaningful snaps at Orange County High School. Riko Smalls is listed on the roster as a quarterback, but was not in attendance.

“The first thing you have to do is figure out how well they learn,” Lazor said. “Can they take the information you give them in the meeting room and apply it out on the field?

“Some guys will do that faster than others, and that’s an important part of being a quarterback, because that’s what you do every day — you meet, talk about plays, then go execute it. So how they do with that information on the practice field is going to be a little bit of a predictor of how they do in a game with it.”

London has promised only that the field will be wide open during the spring. He’s consistently said since taking the job that he believes Verica got a bad rap over the past few years because he’s been put in situations that were unfair to his skills.

The youngest member of the group is Strauss, who was slinging passes at high schoolers just a few months ago. UVa traditionally doesn’t take too many players who graduate early, but after visiting with Director of Athletics Craig Littlepage, Strauss was given a special exemption by proving his grades stacked up.

“It’s been good so far,” he said. “On the field, I mostly just follow Marc and see what he does. He’s been here and done that, so I just try to pick his brain and see what he’s doing.”

Also in the mix is Hunter. A former quarterback, he had been shifted to receiver. Before winter break, he paid a visit to London’s office and asked if he could try out at quarterback. London agreed.

“He’s a multi-purpose athlete right now,” the coach said. “The quarterback position is one I think he wants to try out at. So we’ll see if he can handle that and the things that are required to be a good quarterback — and if he can he’ll stay there.”

He managed to survive day one of Lazor’s drills — and if Monday was any indication, Lazor will be a hands-on coach who is very active with his players during workouts.

“He’s a professonal,” Verica said. “He’s very meticulous in how he approaches everything — he’s very attentive to detail. He’s got a good temperament to him and he’s even keel.”

As for the on-field performances, well, it was an opportunity to shake off the rust. Hunter might as well have spoken for the group when asked about his showing.

“At times I looked like a quarterback, at times I didn’t,” he said. “But I think I can get back in the rhythm of things.”

Virginia football experiences first Mike London practice

The players started to trickle out of the locker room around 3:30 p.m., and by the time Coach Mike London emerged onto the Cavaliers' practice fields, it was clear there was a new coach and a new era in Virginia football.

He has spent a good amount of time in the past few months meeting with fans and alumni, but Monday was his chance to start what he's in Charlottesville to do.

"It's good now that we get to the football part of it," London said.

London wore all new attire instead of the old sweatshirt former Al Groh preferred during practice. Music was still played, but not nearly as loud -- and no traces of Groh favorite Tom Petty. (Interesting side note: Marc Verica and Nick Jenkins were walking to class Monday when they heard someone playing Tom Petty. They looked at each other and laughed -- that's the practice soundtrack they're used to hearing.)

The shed along the sideline of the practice was painted orange to provide a new look. Some quick notes from the first practice...

- Sophomore Quintin Hunter was in a red jersey as a quarterback. He played quarterback in high school, but was a receiver last season.

"Quintin is probably a multipurpose athlete right now," London said. "Quarterback position is one he wants to try out at, and we'll see if he can handle that and the things required to be a good quarterback. If he can, he'll stay there. If he can't, we'll put him at a position he can help us."

London said he gave the option to most of the players about positions to play. It's all part of his emphasis of providing a fresh start for the players.

- Speaking of fresh starts, there were some number changes. Among those changes: Running back Torrey Mack No. 25 to No. 5, wide receiver Jared Green from No. 84 to No. 2, safety Rodney McLeod from No. 28 to No. 4, safety Corey Mosley from No. 40 to No. 7, running back Keith Payne from No. 32 to No. 22, fullback Terence Fells-Danzer from No. 50 to No. 34 and offensive tackle Hunter Steward from No. 78 to No. 76. (Clearly, the single-digit numbers were in demand)

- Wide receiver Javaris Brown and quarterback Riko Smalls were not present at practice. London did not offer specifics about missing players before practice other than saying, "There are a couple players that are not participating right now because of team rules and regulations. We'll see how they progress and what they do in order to get themselves back to where they need to be."

- Tight end Joe Torchia was in an arm sling at practice while recovering from a shoulder injury. Matt Conrath did not practice as he recovers from getting a bone removed from his foot this summer.

- In attendance at practice: Jameel Sewell, Mikell Simpson, Tristan Spurlock and Jontel Evans.

By Zach Berman


 

Offseason Attrition Possible in Men's Hoops
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/16/2010
March 16, 2010
1:28 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Of the scholarship players who were in uniform for UVa at the ACC men's basketball tournament last week, seven have eligibility remaining: guards Jontel Evans, Sammy Zeglinski, Mustapha Farrakhan and Jeff Jones, forwards Mike Scott and Tristan Spurlock, and center Assane Sene.

Don't be shocked if not all return in 2010-11.

"Every year I've coached I've had kids that have transferred, for numbers of different reasons," Tony Bennett said on his radio show Monday night.

Sometimes the issue was playing time, Bennett said. Sometimes it was style of play. In other cases players wanted to be closer to home.

"The player has to decide: 'Do I see myself fitting in?'" Bennett told UVa's radio team of Dave Koehn and Cory Alexander.

"That's important. I think those are all things you have to consider. But you gotta tell kids, again, 'This is what I think is best,' and then kids have to decide, and you make educated decisions."

Virginia's season ended Friday in Greensboro, N.C., with a quarterfinal loss to top-seeded Duke. The Wahoos, who were 10-18 in 2008-09, finished 15-16 in their first year under Bennett.

"There's some stages or phases to building a program, and we're certainly in the initial one," Bennett told reporters in Greensboro.

"But I think some things revealed themselves as the season [went on] ... The first year belongs to the players in the program, the existing players. Then you make your evaluations after, and then move forward."

The key, Bennett said, is finding players who'll embrace the expectations established by the coaching staff.

Now that the season is over, Bennett said, he'll meet with each of his returning players, starting this week. He did the same thing at Washington State, where he spent six seasons, the last three as head coach, before coming to UVa last spring.

"The way I do it is, I share with the players my honest appraisal of where I see them, what they need to improve on, the things that I like about them," Bennett said Monday night. "And I don't paint any rosy picture. I just say this is where I see it, and this is the direction of this program, and this is what I want. And say, 'If this is something you're excited about, I want you to be a part of it. If this isn't something you're bought into, we'll help you [find another school.]'

"If I were a player, I would want to a coach to just say, 'This is where I see you for the future. This is where I see your opportunities.'"

It's impossible to predict how many shots or minutes a player will get the next season, Bennett said, "but I think you owe it to each young man to say, 'This is what I see,' and not sugar-coat it. I think that's so important, and I think you have to be real and honest and genuine, and there's hard decisions to be made. And there's gotta be standards in this program, things that won't be compromised, that they'll understand, that have been laid out as we've been through this year, and hopefully that carries us on.

"I will always respect young men. I'll never disrespect them, but they'll be pushed, and they'll always know where they stand in my eyes."

Five players signed in November -- guards Joe Harris and K.T. Harrell, forward Akil Mitchell and big men Will Regan and James Johnson -- and UVa's coaching staff has continued to pursue recruits who could join the program in 2010-11.

The late signing period begins next month.

-- Jeff White

Assane Sene: "I'm coming back"

Virginia center Assane Sene was not featured in Coach Tony Bennett's rotation the way he was under former coach Dave Leitao, but the Cavaliers' sophomore center is returning to Virginia and is excited about next season.

"I'm coming back," Sene said, outlining plans of what he must improve upon. Sene's minutes dipped from 17.3 minutes per game in 2008-09 to 12.6 minutes per game this season. He averaged only 12.6 minutes per game, scoring 1.6 points with 3.6 rebounds.

Sene often hurt the offense by his struggles both catching and, if he caught a pass, finishing after the catch.

"I need to work on my strength," Sene said. "Focus on my offensive game. I got a lot to work on. I'm just going to take my time, think about step by step, what I need to do to get better. I know I need to get better. I'm just going to focus on that."

Complicating Sene's role on the team is the addition of two big men onto the roster. Sene did not log significant minutes this season when Virginia lacked interior players, and the Cavaliers add James Johnson and WIll Regan next season. Both are expected to play early, with Johnson likely a featured part of the rotation.

"I'm not like those players who get jealous of other players," Sene said. "I'm just going to do my thing, play hard, do what coach wants me to do. At the same time, I'm going to show him I really want to play. I don't want to sit on the bench."

By Zach Berman

 

Harris named Mr. Basketball Chelan player joins long list of Washington state greats
By Corey Voegele
World sports writer
Tuesday, March 16, 2010

CHELAN — One of the same words that has been used to describe him throughout his career is the one Joe Harris chose to describe his latest honor.

“It’s awesome,” the Chelan senior said of being named the state’s Mr. Basketball.

The award, from the Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association, is presented each year to the state’s top player, regardless of school classification.

“That’s unreal to me,” Harris said. “It’s a tremendous honor, with all of the great players there are in the state right now. I was very proud to be recognized.”

Harris joins an impressive list of Mr. Basketball award winners. The previous three winners are all playing Division I basketball, and 2006 winner Spencer Hawes would be, too, if he hadn’t left school early for the NBA.

Before Harris joins them in the college ranks, there is the matter of finishing high school.

“I’m definitely trying to focus on school as much as I can,” he said. “But it’s my senior year and you tend to procrastinate.”

Harris will be attending summer school at the University of Virginia, where he’s headed on a basketball scholarship under coach Tony Bennett, so he won’t have much of a summer vacation.

“I start (summer) school on the 14th (of June), and I leave on the 12th, so I have one day between when I graduate and when I leave,” he said. “I’m getting pretty excited.”

WIBCA All-State Game

Harris and fellow Chelan High School senior Mat Engstrom have been selected to play in the 2010 Cloud 9 WIBCA All-State Game at Mountlake Terrace High School on Saturday.

There they’ll run into a couple of familiar opponents in Ephrata’s Patrick Simon and Ross Buchert, who will be suiting up for the 2A all-state squad.

Eastmont’s Malachi Roberts has been named to the 4A all-state team.

The 1A all-stars will take on the 2A all-stars at 2 p.m. The 1B vs. 2B game is at noon, and the 3A vs. 4A game is at 4 p.m.
 

For Immediate Release
March 16, 2010
Women's Lacrosse Contact: Amanda McClure

No. 6 Virginia Heads to No. 18 William & Mary for Midweek Contest Cavaliers 1-0 against in-state rivals this season

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The No. 6 Virginia women’s lacrosse team will open a two-game road swing this week at No. 18 William & Mary on Wednesday. The Cavaliers will face the Tribe at 7 p.m. in Williamsburg, Va. William & Mary will mark the fifth-consecutive nationally ranked team the Cavaliers have faced this season, and the sixth in Virginia’s seven contests. Live statistics for the game will be available on VirginiaSports.com.

The Cavaliers are coming off a huge upset win over previously undefeated No. 3 North Carolina at home on Saturday. Led by redshirt sophomore Ainsley Baker’s five goals and game-winner in overtime, Virginia overcame an early five-goal deficit in the game and held on for the
13-12 win.

Virginia (4-2) is led this season by senior All-American Kaitlin Duff’s
14 goals. Three Cavaliers – senior Caity Whiteley, sophomore Charlie Finnigan and sophomore Julie Gardner – have each tallied 11 goals, while sophomore Josie Owen has distributed a team-high 10 assists.

Defensively, Duff has caused a team-high 10 turnovers, while senior All-American Brittany Kalkstein ranks second nationally with 37 draw controls and has collected a team-best 10 ground balls.

In the cage, redshirt junior Lauren Benner has earned two-straight wins and is allowing 9.52 goals per game.

William & Mary (3-2) is led by Mary Zulty’s 15 goals and six assists, while Molly Wannen has scored 10 times and won a team-best 22 draw controls. Ashley Holofcener has dished out 12 assists, while Sarah Jonson has collected 25 ground balls and caused 15 turnovers.

Tribe goalie Emily Geary is allowing 13.55 goals per game, while stopping .407 percent of shots faced.

In the all-time series between the two programs, the Cavaliers are 26-17-1, with the two meeting every year since 1976. William & Mary was Virginia’s first-ever varsity game, with the Tribe winning, 10-7, in Charlottesville in 1976.

With a 12-7-1 record on the road against the Tribe, the Cavaliers have not dropped a game in Williamsburg since their 2001 season opener.
Virginia has won the last eight-straight games in the series and holds an overall record of 14-1 against William & Mary, under head coach Julie Myers.

Against in-state opponents this season, the Cavaliers are 1-0, as they defeated Richmond, 17-8, at the UHall Turf Field on Feb. 24.

Virginia will conclude its two-game road swing on Saturday afternoon, as the Cavaliers head to No. 13 Princeton for a noon contest.

 

Carroll Leads No. 1 Virginia With Five Goals in Victory Over Vermont
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/16/2010

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Brian Carroll scored a game high and equaled a career best with five goals as the No. 1 Virginia Cavaliers (7-0) cruised to an 18-7 triumph over the visiting Vermont Catamounts (1-5) Tuesday night inside Klöckner Stadium.
Virginia now has a 23-game winning streak going back to 2001 in regular-season mid-week games, including a 15-7 triumph at Mount St. Mary's on Feb. 23 and a 20-6 victory over VMI on March 9. Virginia is also 25-1 all-time in night games at Klöckner Stadium, losing a 6 p.m. game to Duke in 2008, 19-9.

"It felt like a bit of a predictable pattern, but you must give Vermont credit," said Virginia head coach Dom Starsia. "They came in with a pattern and they played hard. With them playing the zone early in the game, it forced us to be more patient than we wanted to be. You don't get control of the game as early as you would like to and so it tends to be a little frustrating, but we just kept chipping away at it."

Virginia outshot Vermont 55-32, while only scoring 18 times, becoming a point of concern for Starsia.

"We didn't shoot particularly well," said Starsia. "I was frustrated because the balls weren't going in, but I felt we were getting good shots. We just weren't making good shots. We could have had six more goals in the first half that we just didn't get. We had some really good looks at the cage, but we just didn't make good shots. It was a workmanlike effort. It would have really been something if we were particularly inspired tonight, but we worked at it and got the W."

Vermont started things on a goal from Geoff Worley with 10:30 left in the opening quarter on a pass from Liam Thomas, giving the Catamounts the early 1-0 lead. The goal was of the man-up variety after Steele Stanwick (Baltimore, Md.) was flagged for offsides 30 seconds early. The goal was scored as the sophomore was released.

Virginia then rattled off a 12-2 run that went into the third quarter, helping the Cavaliers take a commanding 12-3 lead. Carroll (Towson, Md.) scored four of his game-high five goals during the run and it was his score with 6:44 remaining in the third quarter that capped the streak.

Chris Bocklet (South Salem, N.Y.), Connor English (Manhasset, N.Y.) and Chris LaPierre (Medford, N.J.) all scored two goals, while Shamel Bratton (Huntington Station, N.Y.) and Tim Fuchs (Merrick, N.Y.) each tallied a goal.

Thomas and Garrett Virtue each scored for Vermont in the midst of the UVa run. Thomas came on a Worley pass to end the first quarter scoring for both teams, while Virtue started the second quarter scoring with an unassisted score 2:03 into the period.

Virtue scored his second goal with 5:36 left in the third quarter, ending the UVa run. However, Bocklet scored back-to-back goals to push the Cavaliers' advantage up to 10 goals, 14-4.

Derek Lichtfuss ended the third quarter scoring with a goal with 2:04 remaining in the period on a Drew Philie pass, cutting Vermont's deficit to single digits, 14-5.

LaPierre ended up taking a ground ball the length of the field and stamping home another UVa score 58 seconds into the final quarter, pushing UVa's lead back to 10 goals, 15-5. The Virginia score started a 4-1 Cavalier run that was capped by their final score with 5:49 left in the final quarter on Fuchs' second goal of the game, via LaPierre assist.

Vermont finished its scoring like it started the game, with a goal from Worley with 3:48 left in the game. The Catamounts beat the UVa defense and Worley secured the goal during a one-on-one situation with back-up UVa goalie Rob Fortunato (Essex Fells, N.J.)

Carroll scored five goals on six shots to pace the UVa offense. Ken Clausen (Downington, Pa.) and Bray Malphrus (Chevy Chase, Md.) spearheaded the UVa defense that forced Vermont to commit 18 turnovers. Both Clausen and Malphrus caused three apiece.

Worley paced Vermont in the losing effort with two goals and two assists. Virtue also added two scores.

Virginia hits the road again on Sunday when it travels to Towson. The game is slated for noon and will be broadcast in the Charlottesville area on WINA AM 1070 with John Freeman calling the action. The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU and in the Baltimore region on WMAR.

Vermont 2-1-2-2-7
Virginia 4-4-6-4-18
Att-1229

Scoring (G-A) - Vermont: Geoff Worley 2-2, Garrett Virtue 2-0, Drew Philie 1-2, Liam Thomas 1-1, Derek Lichtfuss 1-0 Virginia: Brian Carroll 5-0, Chris Bocklet 4-0, Chris LaPierre 3-2, Connor English 2-0, Tim Fuchs 2-0, Shamel Bratton 1-3, Matt Kugler 1-0, Steele Stanwick 0-3, John Haldy 0-2, Ken Clausen 0-1, Nick O'Reilly 0-1, Matt White 0-1.

Goalie Summary - Vermont: David Barton 38:50 mins., 11 saves, 12 goals allowed; Alex Plavner 21:10 mins., 4 saves, 6 goals allowed Virginia: Adam Ghitelman 45:00 mins., 5 saves, 5 goals allowed, Rob Fortunato 14:24 mins., 6 saves, 2 goals allowed, Will Bolton :36 mins., 2 saves, 0 goal allowed

Shots: Vermont-32, Virginia-55

Ground Balls: Vermont-34, Virginia-45

Clearing: Vermont-15x21, Virginia-20x21

Faceoffs: Vermont-9, Virginia-20

Penalties: Vermont-4-3:30, Virginia-5-4:00

EMO: Vermont-2x4, Virginia-2x3
 

Another go-around
Jack Bird, Cavalier Daily Sports Editor
Men's Lacrosse / Sports
March 17, 2010 0

I recently interviewed Craig Littlepage, the University’s athletic director. Following our conversation, he asked me what my two favorite moments of Virginia sports had been during my four years here. Without having to think very much, I knew the number one moment was the seven-overtime game the Virginia men’s lacrosse team won against Maryland in 2009. As I searched my memories for my next most favorite moment, I realized that the team’s entire 2009 season was packed with great games, plays and athletes. It seemed like the entire 15-3 season was full of narrow, but exciting, one-goal and overtime wins. If it wasn’t the seven-overtime Maryland game, it was the one goal win against Johns Hopkins on the road. Or the 11-10 victory against North Carolina in Giants Stadium.
And then there’s also the 13-12 nail-biter the Cavaliers stole from then-No. 1 Syracuse at the Carrier Dome.

Granted, the end of the season was a bit disappointing, but interestingly, I remember my biggest fear was that I may never see another season as exciting as that one I had seen for Virginia lacrosse.
I’m starting to think, though, that my fear may have been in vain.

Virginia started out this season ranked No. 3 in the nation — and even that was a tenuous ranking.

I have spent just about every article about men’s lacrosse talking about Virginia’s attack line — or lack thereof. The Cavaliers lost two of the best attackmen in the country and replaced them with a freshman and a sophomore.

Their defense — though it consisted of high caliber individual talent — had trouble working as a team for much of the season.

On faceoffs, Chad Gaudet preformed well throughout 2009. But he was in his fifth year and so would have to be replaced by several relatively untested underclassmen.

I was skeptical of a No. 3 ranking. And with games against Syracuse, Cornell, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina and Johns Hopkins, I was expecting an up-and-down season, peppered with tough games.

Spring Break changed my mind. Virginia simply got it done. Just like last season.

From the time Spring Break started until yesterday night’s game, Virginia notched four wins. Two of them against top-10 teams.

Then-No. 1 Syracuse was, of course, the biggest test of the season for the Cavaliers, and — just like last season — it was a No. 1 versus No. 2 matchup. Just like last season, it came down to one goal. Just like last season, Virginia found itself up several goals in the waning second of regulation and had to hold on for a win. Good enough for a shiny new No. 1 ranking. Just like last season.

As impressive as the win against the Orange at Klöckner was, I was even more astounded by how well Virginia handled Cornell in Ithica. No. 8 Cornell. 12-4. What is so impressive about these wins is all the ways the Cavaliers are stepping up.

The defense: Virginia coach Dom Starsia has stressed that his defense must be solid to keep the team in games while the offense finds a new identity after the departure of Danny Glading and Garrett Billings. Against Syracuse, the Cavaliers held the Orange scoreless for almost two quarters and didn’t allow the first even strength goal until the very end of the third quarter. Against Cornell, they only allowed four goals. Enough said.

Faceoffs: Benincasa has stepped in for Virginia and is managing a .605 faceoff percentage. Good wing play is no doubt a contributing factor. But a won faceoff is a won faceoff.

Attack: Expected to be the weak spot of the team. Instead, the top three goal scorers on the team are attackmen.

Bratton: Which one, right? Well it seems they are both pretty good. Shamel spent most of the Syracuse on the sideline with a tender hamstring. Unfortunate because he scored four goals against the Orange during the previous season. I’m not sure if they switched jerseys or what, but Rhamel decided to have a breakout game and has netted four against Syracuse in 2010.

If history is any indicator, hold on to your hats for a pretty incredible lacrosse season. There are many great games ahead — I just hope that, unlike last season, the Cavaliers can go the distance.

Cavs crush Catamounts
By Whitey Reid
Published: March 17, 2010
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By Whitelaw Reid

wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250

Another Tuesday night. Another opponent beginning with the letter V. Another slaughter.

Top-ranked Virginia, behind a season-high five goals from senior Brian Carroll, hammered visiting Vermont, 18-7, in front of a crowd of 1,229 at Klockner Stadium. The victory came on the heels of a 20-6 shellacking of VMI the week before.

Since beating then-No. 1 Syracuse on March 7, Virginia (7-0) has won its last three games by an average of 7.8 goals. UVa, which easily took care of No. 8 Cornell over the weekend, would seem to be clicking on all cylinders.

But that’s not exactly true, according to Carroll.

“I wouldn’t say we’re where we want to be,” Carroll said. “I think we have a lot of room to improve. I like where we are at this point in the season, but we definitely have to keep improving if we’re going to be where we want to at the end of the year.”

Virginia outshot Vermont (1-5) 18-4 in the first quarter, but led only led 4-2 at the end of the stanza.

“Give Vermont credit,” said Virginia coach Dom Starsia, whose team plays at Towson on Sunday afternoon. “They came in with a plan and they played hard.

“Them playing a zone early in the game forced us to be more patient than we wanted to be, and so you don’t get control of the game as quickly as you’d like, which tends to be a little frustrating. But we just kept chipping away at it.”

The game started off in somewhat strange fashion. Virginia took an early penalty. Then, playing a man down, the Cavs gave up a goal to Vermont’s Geoff Worley.

Virginia scored four straight goals to go up 4-1 before Vermont answered with a pair to pull within a goal.

But UVa reeled off four consecutive goals — two by Connor English — to take an 8-3 lead into the break. Still, Starsia thought the margin should have been greater.

“Chris Bocklet, geez, Louise — he could have had six in the first half,” said Starsia, referring to the sophomore attack player. “We had some really good looks at the cage. We just didn’t make good shots.”

But in the second half the Wahoos found their groove, outscoring the Catamounts, 10-4.

For the game, Virginia outshot Vermont, 55-32, won 20 of 29 faceoffs and were a plus-11 in groundballs.

Carroll, who had been struggling with his shot, scored twice after the break.

“I’ve been getting a lot of looks this year,” Carroll said. “I just haven’t been hitting the cage.

“I thought tonight was really the first game this year where I was shooting well. Hopefully, it’s the start of something good.”

Bocklet added four goals for Virginia. Chris LaPierre chipped in with three. Steele Stanwick and Shamel Bratton each had three assists.


 

No. 1 Virginia Baseball Defeats William and Mary, 9-1
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/16/2010

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The top-ranked Virginia baseball team scored in each of the first five innings and received a strong pitching performance from a trio of hurlers in a 9-1 win over William and Mary Tuesday at Davenport Field. Will Roberts (So., Richmond, Va.), Chad O'Connor (R-Fr., Chesapeake, Va.) and Shane Halley (So., Burke, Va.) combined to scatter four hits while striking out 13 Tribe batters.
Roberts (2-0) overcame some early control problems to pitch six strong innings. He allowed an earned run, four hits and five walks while tying a career high with eight strikeouts. O'Connor and Halley combined to retire the final nine batters in order.

Cole Shain (1-1) took the loss for William and Mary after allowing four runs (two earned), seven hits and four walks. He struck out two.

Virginia (13-3) finished with 14 hits. Dan Grovatt (Jr., Tabernacle, N.J.) continued his torrid hitting of late, going 3-for-3 with a double and two RBI. John Barr (Jr., Ivyland, Pa.) went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI, while John Hicks (So., Sandy Hook, Va.) also had three hits. Tyler Cannon (Sr., Pigeon Forge, Tenn.), playing in his 200th career game, went 2-for-5 with a two-run triple.

William and Mary (9-6) took advantage of some early Roberts wildness to score a run in the first inning. Derrick Osteen drew a one-out walk, then moved to third on consecutive wild pitches. He scored on a Tadd Bower groundout to second base.

UVa countered with a run in its half of the first. Phil Gosselin (Jr., West Chester, Pa.) walked to lead off and moved to third after back-to-back singles by Cannon and Grovatt. He scored on when Steven Proscia (So., Suffern, N.Y.) grounded into a fielder's choice.

In the second, Stephen Bruno (Fr., Audubon, N.J.) was hit by a pitch with one out. Gosselin then walked and both runners moved up a base when right fielder Derek Lowe dropped Cannon's fly ball. Grovatt followed with a sacrifice fly to score Bruno.

UVa added a run in the third. With one out, Hicks and Barr hit back-to-back singles. Kenny Swab (Jr., Kernersville, N.C.) reached and the runners advanced one base when Lowe dropped Swab's fly ball. Bruno then hit a sac fly to push the UVa lead to 3-1.

The Cavaliers posted a run in the fourth when Grovatt hit a one-out double down the right-field line and advanced to third when Lowe misplayed the ball for an error. Two batters later, Hicks singled to score Grovatt.

After four straight innings of scoring one run, UVa broke loose for five in the fifth against William and Mary reliever R.J. Archer. Bruno reached on an error to lead off. Gosselin then walked and both runners scored when Cannon tripled down the right-field line. Grovatt followed with an RBI single, and Proscia then singled to right. Two outs later, Barr doubled deep to right-center to score Grovatt and Proscia and give UVa a 9-1 advantage.

Virginia travels to James Madison Wednesday for a 6 p.m. contest.


 

Cavs defeat Tribe after trailing early
Fourteen hits propel team to victory; Barr, Hicks, Grovatt tally three each
Andrew Seidman, Cavalier Daily Sports Editor
Sports
March 17, 2010 0

The difference between playing in Scott Stadium and Davenport Field became readily apparent for William & Mary’s R.J. Archer yesterday evening.

The senior quarterback who led the Tribe to a 26-14 upset of the Virginia football team Sept. 5 doubled as the school’s middle relief pitcher against the No. 1 Cavaliers (13-3) for the second time in seven days and was torched for a four-hit, five-run fifth inning that blew open a 4-1 ball game into a 9-1 Virginia rout.

The inning began when freshman designated hitter Stephen Bruno and junior second baseman Phil Gosselin reached base on an error and a walk, respectively. Senior shortstop Tyler Cannon then blasted a triple down the right-field line that caromed off the outfield wall and cleared the bases. After junior right fielder Dan Grovatt and sophomore third baseman Steven Proscia compiled back-to-back singles, sophomore first baseman John Hicks sent a rocket to center that soon would stir controversy for the umpiring crew.

Freshman Ryan Brown appeared to bobble and drop the fly ball and then threw infield for a double play that would have ended the inning and kept William & Mary (9-6) within a manageable five-run deficit. As the Tribe prepared to go to the plate, Virginia coach Brian O’Connor stormed onto the field in protest, arguing that Brown had in fact caught the fly ball. The catch would mean the Cavaliers had only two outs for the inning rather than three.

“One of the umpires made a call that [Brown] did drop the ball, and the other one made one that he caught the ball, so it was confusing to the base-runners on what to do,” O’Connor said. “But I believe they made the right decision — they got together and for the game they made the decision that was the best, and that was to rule it as a catch.”

Virginia immediately capitalized on the opportunity as junior left fielder John Barr hit a deep fly ball in the right center field gap to score both runners.

“It’s tough when you’re in the other dugout and that comes against you,” O’Connor said. “You’re off the field you feel like you got out of something and then Barr steps up and hits the ball in the gap. So fortunately, we took advantage of those opportunities in the game.”

Indeed, the Cavalier bats were hot from the outset, as Virginia quickly overcame an early one-run deficit with seven hits and four runs off sophomore lefty Cole Shain, who had pitched five innings of two-hit, shut-out baseball in the Tribe’s 3-0 upset victory against then-No. 11 North Carolina in Chapel Hill Mar. 9.

“We found a way in the early part of the game to scratch across a few runs,” O’Connor said. “[Shain] was a left-handed pitcher that pitched in, pitched away, threw his change-up. He’s a guy that keeps you off balance.”

Shain, however, received little help from his defense, which — with four errors — allowed as many mistakes as the offense had hits. Three were attributed to right fielder Derek Lowe, whose errors included two botched fly balls that eventually led to Cavalier runs. As his counterpart for the Virginia team, Grovatt said he was not sure what may have thrown Lowe off his game.

“The sun’s actually in left field in our field, so I can’t tell you what his problem was,” Grovatt said.

But perhaps most impressive for Virginia was sophomore pitcher Will Roberts, who allowed just four hits and one run in six innings of work — his longest outing of the season. His eight strikeouts tied a career high, which he set in his debut performance as a Cavalier against the Tribe in Williamsburg last season. After tossing two wild pitches during the first inning, which led to a William & Mary run, Roberts settled in and was only truly threatened in the top half of the fourth. After retiring the first two batters, Roberts surrendered a double down the first baseline to sophomore Stephen Arcure and a walk to freshman Ryan Williams. The Tribe stole second and third, setting up a crucial two-out scenario for at-bat senior Chris Jensen, who had two runners in scoring position depending on his performance. Jensen worked the count to 3-and-2 until Roberts caught him looking with a slider.

“It was definitely a make-or-break pitch there,” Roberts said. “Just got the sign and committed to the pitch … There was a base open on first so it was kind of a perfect-or-foul situation, but luckily I got it across.”

After Roberts emerged from the next two innings unscathed, redshirt freshman Chad O’Connor came in for relief in the top of the seventh and pitched two innings, allowing zero base runners and striking out four batters in dominant fashion. Sophomore Shane Halley closed out the game in the ninth to seal the Cavaliers’ second win of the season against the Tribe.

Virginia resumes out-of-conference play tonight against James Madison in Harrisonburg. The Dukes opened the season with a three-game losing streak but have played .500 ball since then and will not be pushovers necessarily.

“JMU has a good ball club,” O’Connor said. “They were picked to win the CAA coming into the season — I know they’re a very offensive ball club. They’ve got a beautiful new stadium that we’re excited to go over there and play … Fortunately it’s St. Patrick’s day, so hopefully we’ll have a chance.”

Virginia rolls past W&M
By Jay Jenkins
Published: March 17, 2010
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William & Mary senior R.J. Archer ripped out the hearts of Virginia fans in September at Scott Stadium.

The UVa baseball team has helped ease that pain twice in a matter of seven days.

Top-ranked Virginia scored five runs off Archer in the fifth inning Tuesday to upend the Tribe 9-1 at Davenport Field as 1,815 watched on.

To the credit of Archer and the three other pitchers employed, the Tribe (9-6) did little defensively to help, committing four costly errors.

Virginia, which beat William & Mary 12-6 on the road on March 10, took full advantage of the miscues, using a 14-hit attack to score five unearned runs in the victory.

It was far from the contest that Virginia coach Brian O’Connor expected — William & Mary starter Cole Shain had limited No. 17 North Carolina to just two hits in five shutout innings a week prior in a 3-0 Tribe win.

“I was pleased,” O’Connor said. “We found a way early in the game to scratch across a few runs.

“Shain was a left-handed pitcher that pitched in, pitched away and threw his change-up to keep you off balance.

“We kept telling our hitters that we had to stay balanced to be able to hit that guy. Fortunately, we got enough runs.”

The Cavaliers scored lone runs in the first four innings against Shain, before breaking the game open when Archer, a former standout at Albemarle High, was inserted out of the bullpen.

It was more than enough support for sophomore Will Roberts, who had his most effective outing of the season and improved to 2-0.

Roberts pitched six full innings, scattering just four hits. But he was forced to pitch out of jams after walking five batters.

“I said at the start of the season that Will Roberts would be a big key for us,” O’Connor said. “That was absolutely the best he has thrown this year, but I don’t believe he is satisfied and I am not satisfied. He needs to be better. He had five walks tonight. He did a nice job pitching out of jams and he did an excellent job from that standpoint. He has improved every time that he has been out there.”

Roberts allowed the Tribe a run in the first that was fueled by a pair of wild pitches, but settled down as his slider picked up steam.

“I was pulled pretty quick in my last start against Dartmouth and I wanted to come back with a pretty strong start,” said Roberts, who lowered his ERA to 4.11. “It is not like me to walk five and I am going to have to make some adjustments next time I go out.”

Dan Grovatt paced the Cavaliers offensively, registering three hits, scoring twice and driving in a pair. John Hicks and John Barr also finished with three hits.

The margin could have been even greater, but Virginia stranded 18 runners on base.

The Cavaliers return to action today at James Madison. The contest starts at 6 p.m.

“They have a very offensive ball club and they have a new beautiful stadium,” O’Connor said. “We are looking forward to going over there to play. “Fortunately, it’s St. Patrick’s Day, so hopefully we have a chance.”