Three Cavaliers picked in draft
By JERRY RATCLIFFE
Daily Progress sports editor
There were some anxious moments for Antwoine Womack, Chris Luzar and Monsanto
Pope on Sunday afternoon when the trio of University of Virginia football
players were all taken in the second day of the NFL draft.
Luzar, a big tight end from Williamsburg, was selected in the draft’s fourth
round, the 118th pick overall, by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Pope, a standout on
UVa’s defensive line, was taken in the seventh round, 231st overall, by the
Denver Broncos. Womack, coming off his second major injury of the season, also
sweated it out until the seventh round before being picked by the Super Bowl
champion New England Patriots.
Several other Cavaliers were bypassed in the draft but are hoping to come up
with free agent deals with teams, including: wide receiver Tavon Mason;
offensive linemen Jermese Jones, Josh Lawson and Evan Routzahn; defensive
linemen Lube Stamenich and Darryl Sanders; fullback Tyree Foreman; linebacker
John Duckett; safety Devon Simmons; kicker David Greene and punter Mike Abrams.
“This means a lot to me,” Womack said. “There are a lot of players out
there who thought they were going to get drafted and just wanted a chance. [The
seventh round] may not be the best round to be picked in, but it’s an honor to
say you were drafted and to see your name come up on the TV screen. It’s a
dream come true, a goal of mine.”
Womack suffered a fractured leg in UVa’s season opener at Wisconsin but worked
his way back to play against Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Penn State at the
end of the season. He closed out his career with 31 rushes for 153 yards in the
Cavaliers’ upset over Penn State.
He gained 2,207 yards and 13 TDs over his college career and was named first
team All-ACC as a junior.
Womack suffered a more serious injury in January, tearing his left ACL, during
an appearance in the Gridiron Classic all-star game in Florida. His injury
typically takes six to eight months of rehab.
“I’m only three-and-a-half months after my surgery,” he said Sunday night.
“But doctors tell me I’m a fast healer and I’m working hard to get
back.”
While the injury prevented him from participating in the NFL Combine, he went to
a make-up session the first week of April for thorough physical examinations. In
addition, he visited the Patriots a week-and-a-half ago and Womack said the
coaches there “seemed real interested in me.”
Part of that stemmed from the fact that UVa coach Al Groh and New England coach
Bill Belichick have a long history.
“[Belichick] said he liked my style of play and he talked to Coach Groh, who
said a lot of nice things about me,” Womack said. “About six teams were
talking to me, but I knew that New England was interested. I knew someone would
bring me in, let me get healthy and give me a shot.”
Patriots scouts timed Womack’s 40-yard dash in 4.46. In addition he bench
pressed 385 pounds.
While Womack is recuperating from his latest injury, he will attend New
England’s mini-camp starting Thursday. He will eventually compete for a roster
spot with three current Patriots running backs: starter Antowain Smith, Kevin
Faulk and J.R. Redmond.
“I think it’s a good situation for me to be in,” Womack said. “I feel
like when I’m 100 percent that I can compete with anybody. It’s good being
picked by the Super Bowl champs. Now, I need to get me a ring.”
Luzar was the first Virginia player taken in the draft, giving the Cavaliers two
tight ends selected over the last two years. Western Albemarle product Billy
Baber was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2001 pool.
The 6-foot-7 Luzar was UVa’s second-leading receiver last season, hauling in
33 passes for 380 yards (11.5 per catch).
“It’s a dream come true for me,” Luzar said. “It’s something I’ve
wanted ever since I was a little kid. Playing in the NFL has always been a
dream. I didn’t care who drafted me. Jacksonville is just fine.”
Luzar will attend the Jags’ mini-camp beginning Thursday and even though he
doesn’t know a lot about the team, he is looking forward to being reunited
with three former Cavaliers on the Jacksonville roster: linebackers Wali Rainer
and Donny Green and fullback Patrick Washington.
“I played with all three of those guys during my career, so it will be nice
working with them again,” said Luzar, who was one of 17 tight ends taken
through the mid-sixth round in a very deep class for his position.
“Coach [Tom] Coughlin called and congratulated me on being one of his draft
choices and it was like nothing I’ve ever felt before,” Luzar said. “I was
kind of speechless.”
Coughlin said that Luzar fit into the type of players his organization was
looking for in the draft.
“I think the theme was that we wanted to bring people here who displayed
characteristics of toughness, focus, high work ethic and were good, solid
character people,” Coughlin said. “Without question, those things have to be
matched up with them being good football players.”
Pope, described as a late bloomer, emerged as a run-stuffing force his senior
season for Virginia, earning All-ACC honorable mention and tied the school
record for tackles by an interior lineman with 93 (59 solos). He also had five
sacks and nine stops for losses, including a fumble recovery. He started every
game at nose tackle in UVa’s 3-4 defense.
“Monsanto had a good meeting with Ray Rhodes [the Broncos’ defensive
coordinator] at the Combine,” said Pope’s agent, Ron Delduca. “He has a
chance to go there and compete for a spot in the interior line. A lot of teams
contacted us about him.”
Pope said he doesn’t know a lot about Denver’s defensive front but will get
indoctrinated during the team’s three-day mini-camp in early May.
“This is a great accomplishment for me,” Pope said. “It makes me believe I
did something right. There’s a lot of people from Hopewell who have had
opportunities and didn’t make the most of them. I feel blessed that I’ve
been given a chance.”
Pope said his conversation with Rhodes was more about life than football during
the February workouts.
“We had a nice little talk, about 45 minutes, but I didn’t think much about
it at the time,” Pope said. “It was more about families and not a lot about
football. It was more on the personal level.”
When he received the call from the Broncos on Sunday afternoon, Pope said he
talked with Rhodes, head coach Mike Shanahan and several of the position
coaches.
Blue Devils upset Cavs for crown
By JOHN GALINSKY
Daily Progress staff writer
DURHAM, N.C. — Sunday’s ACC championship game started with a sickening sight
for the Virginia men’s lacrosse team: Mark Koontz, trying to play with a torn
anterior cruciate ligament, crumpled to the turf in the fifth minute clutching
his left knee.
It ended with another disturbing scene for the top-seeded and top-ranked
Cavaliers: Duke’s players rushing the field at Koskinen Stadium, celebrating a
14-13 victory and their second straight conference championship.
All of which made for one miserable afternoon as far as UVa senior attackman
Conor Gill and his teammates were concerned.
“Obviously I’m disappointed in the outcome, but we deserved it,” Gill
said. “We played pretty terrible all over the place and Duke played well.”
Terrence Keaney won the game for the second-seeded Blue Devils (7-5) by scoring
the final two goals, the last on a diving shot with 39 seconds remaining. But it
was senior goalie A.J. Kincel who made the upset possible.
Coming off a 21-save performance in Friday’s 8-7 semifinal victory over
Maryland, the former St. Anne’s-Belfield standout made 15 more saves Sunday
and earned tournament MVP honors.
“We had an opportunity to see what our team is made of,” Kincel said.
“With our coaches and our seniors and our captains and our leadership, we had
what it takes to put it all together.”
The Cavaliers (9-2) broke down defensively and saw their eight-game winning
streak come to a halt. Their defense had played brilliantly in a 10-3 semifinal
triumph over North Carolina, but things got off to an ugly start when Koontz
fell to the ground and grabbed his knee while trying to defend Duke attackman
Alex Lieske.
After Lieske scored on the play, Koontz limped to the sideline and did not play
the rest of the game. By the end, his leg was heavily taped and he was leaning
on a crutch. In his absence, Virginia allowed its most goals since a 15-13 loss
to Syracuse on March 2.
“It was really unsettling to see it happen,” said UVa coach Dom Starsia.
“I think it did affect the defense, but I don’t think that’s a suitable
excuse. Losing Mark was a blow, but it shouldn’t have been anything that
changed the whole scope of the game for us.”
Lieske ended up with three goals and three assists, while midfielder Jimmy Regan
scored a career-high four goals for Duke. The Cavaliers seemed out of sync
without Koontz, a two-time All-American who played superbly on Friday after
tearing his ACL the previous weekend.
“Carolina did not test [Koontz]. We were going at him,” Duke coach Mike
Pressler said. “I hate to see what happened to the young man, but he was
already hurt. For us to not take advantage of that [would be] a disservice to
our guys. I feel sorry for Mark, but lacrosse, like football, is a contact
sport. Alex did what he was told and that’s the way it goes.”
Initially, Virginia’s offense picked up the slack. The Cavaliers scored on
five of their first six shots and led 8-7 at the half. Freshman attackman John
Christmas finished with three goals, while Joe Yevoli, Billy Glading and A.J.
Shannon each had two.
Duke took its first lead by scoring the final three goals of the third quarter.
Regan’s fourth goal early in the final period made it 12-10.
“That was the best we shot all year,” said Pressler, whose team entered the
tournament with the ACC’s worst offense, averaging fewer than 10 goals per
game.
Still, the Cavaliers weren’t done. They have been at their best in the fourth
quarter all season, and it looked like they would stage a dramatic comeback.
Christmas raced past defenseman Michael Ferrari for a stuff shot and Shannon
tied the game with a 10-yard rocket into the left corner.
Christmas then put Virginia in front, 13-12, with another unassisted goal with
4:56 remaining. This time, however, the strong finish belonged to the Blue
Devils.
Keaney ripped a 12-yard shot past goalie Tillman Johnson with 2:12 left, tying
the game. Duke then controlled the ensuing faceoff — it won 18 of 29 draws —
and appeared content to wait for a last shot, passing the ball around without
attacking the cage.
Keaney held the ball behind the net as Duke called a play for midfielder Kevin
Caccese, who couldn’t shake free from his defender. So Keaney took matters
into his own hands. He burst past UVa defensive middie Nick Russo and launched
himself from the side of the cage. Somehow, he kept his 6-foot-5 body from
landing in the crease while scoring the game-winner.
“There aren’t too many guys in our sport who can do that,” Pressler said.
“Terrance is a special athlete.”
| Patriots give Womack a shot |
| New England chooses Antwoine Womack, Jacksonville picks Chris Luzar and Denver takes Monsanto Pope. |
| By
DOUG DOUGHTY THE ROANOKE TIMES |
The NFL Draft was not unlike Antwoine Womack's final Virginia football season. All of the satisfaction came at the end. Womack, in the process of rehabilitating a torn anterior cruciate ligament, was selected by the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots in the seventh and last round Sunday. Womack was the third of three Cavaliers chosen. Tight end Chris Luzar went to Jacksonville in the fourth round and nose tackle Monsanto Pope was the seventh-round pick of the Denver Broncos. Guard Evan Routzahn, who was not drafted, signed a free-agent contract with the Indianapolis Colts. Womack led the ACC in rushing in 2000, when he was named first-team All-ACC, but he suffered a broken ankle in the opening game of 2001 and did not return until the 10th of 12 UVa games. Although he appeared to be rounding into form when he rushed for 153 yards against Penn State in the season finale, Womack incurred another setback when he suffered a torn ACL in the Gridiron Classic, an all-star game in Florida. Womack's reaction upon learning he had been drafted? "That it was a chance to get me a ring," he said. "It wasn't too much of a surprise to me because I had visited there and they had told me they were interested. Even if I hadn't been drafted, that's where I think I would have ended up." Although free agents can pick the situation that best suits them, Womack's agent said it is a rare free agent who commands a $20,000 bonus. Signing bonuses for drafted players start around $25,000, agent Alvin Keels said. New England's tailback is Antowain Smith - in fact, Womack was originally listed as Antwoine Smith in early wire reports Sunday - and there are known backups in Kevin Faulk and J.R. Redmond. "I'm just playing this day by day," said Womack, who might surface on the physically-unable-to perform list, which would allow him to rehabilitate his injured knee for the first six weeks of the season. Nobody was surprised when no Virginia player was selected in the first three rounds Saturday and Luzar was just beginning to settle into an afternoon of draft watching when he received a call from Jacksonville around noon - 30 seconds before his name appeared on ESPN2. "It's all a matter of who likes you and it only takes one," said Luzar, who was the ninth tight end chosen. "I think I helped myself at the [NFL Scouting] Combine, but I can't say I'm sure about anything." Luzar arrived at Virginia in 1997 as a 6-foot-7, 215-pounder who was so light that he was used as a wide receiver as late as the 1999 season. Although he now weighs between 265 and 270, he runs 40 yards in 4.75 seconds - only a slight increase from 4.70 as a freshman. "I think that's what people noticed at the combine," he said. "I think I showed that I was a lot faster than people thought. Most of the scouts had me down for 4.9." Luzar also benefitted from a year in the pro-style offense favored by first-year UVa coach Al Groh and offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave. Luzar had more receptions as a senior (33) than in his first three years combined (20). He became the second UVa tight end in as many years to go first among UVa draftees, joining Billy Baber, a fifth-round choice in 2001. Baber was the only Cavaliers' player drafted last year. Denver made sure that Luzar wasn't alone when it drafted Pope with the 20th pick in the seventh round and 231st overall. Some publications had projected him as a sixth-round pick, but agent Ron Delduca said there were questions about one of Pope's shoulders and a knee. "He fell about where we expected," Delduca said. "Monsanto had a nice talk with Ray Rhodes, the Broncos' defensive coordinator, at the combine. It always helps to feel like they know you." |
U.VA. NOTES
Tom Hagan, who also plans to play baseball at U.Va., is a senior at Roanoke's Cave Spring High. He attended Saturday's festivities but had to be content with watching.
Sean Johnson, who handled most of the punting this spring, will be on a Mormon mission next school year and won't play football at Virginia.
"We punted under a full rush 12 of the 15 practices, so we had plenty of punting under heavy duress as far as the protection is concerned," second-year coach Al Groh said.
Asked about rising junior Bryce Coffee, a candidate to replace second-team all-ACC punter Mike Abrams, Groh said: "Tom Hagan's going into training camp as the starter. That's what he was recruited for, and that's been the plan, and that's the way it's going to be."
Freshman Kurt Smith, the likely successor to field-goal kicker David Greene, went 4 for 6 in a drill Saturday, connecting from 33, 38, 41 and 47 yards. He missed from 28 and 38 yards. Later, in a scrimmage, Smith missed from 41 yards.
"He's got a lot of leg," Groh said. "That's not an issue. It's just confidence, consistency, accuracy."
PAYING TRIBUTE: About 400 people turned out Saturday night for a party honoring George Welsh, who retired in December 2000 as the winningest coach in ACC history. Former U.Va. players in attendance included Charles McDaniel, Shawn Moore, Terry Kirby, Patrick Kerney and Chris Slade. Ken Mack and Danny Wilmer were among the ex-Welsh assistants at the party.
BATTLE BREWING: When defensive end Chris Canty, who broke his leg recently, is healthy again, he'll get his starting job back, Groh said. Larry Simmons, the other starting end this spring, might have to fight keep his job.
Brennan Schmidt, who redshirted as a freshman last season, made "a pretty nice move here at the end," Groh said. "He's a high-motor player, and that's his game. He's not an imposing figure. He doesn't look like Chris Canty out there, he's not an overpowering figure, he's not a speed player."
But Schmidt, a graduate of DeMatha High in Maryland, plays "at a high level of competitive intensity, and that's the kind of personality that we're looking to develop on defense," Groh said. "Canty's got his job, but there's going to be competition at the other spot."
FULL SPEED AHEAD: Rising sophomore Dennis Haley, who fell out of favor with his coaches last season, started at outside linebacker Saturday and had three tackles, including a sack.
"That's the way the spring's been with Dennis: much better," Groh said. "He just has to concentrate on keeping that competitive gas pedal to the floor all the time. If he was NASCAR, he probably wouldn't be a driver who was driving full throttle through every turn unless the pit crew was talking to him."
ALL-NAME TEAM: The leading receiver Saturday was reserve Ottowa Anderson, who had four catches for 44 yards and teamed with quarterback Matt Schaub on a 20-yard touchdown. Anderson, who's from Norfolk, had 12 catches for 112 yards as a freshman in 2001.
"I thought I got . . . a lot better this spring, especially in blocking," Anderson said. "I've got Billy McMullen, who's an All-American, and Mike McGrew, who was the most improved player [on offense], in front of me. Just by being behind those two, I learned a lot." - Jeff White
Seniors Lead Duke Men, UNC Women
DURHAM, N.C., April 21 -- The Virginia men's and Maryland women's lacrosse teams entered their ACC tournament finals at Duke's Koskinen Stadium today lacking one component essential for success: seniors.
Top-seeded and top-ranked Virginia lost to No. 2 Duke, 14-13, before 4,106 on a goal by senior Terrence Keaney (St. Albans) with 39 seconds to play. Seniors on No. 2 North Carolina's women's team accounted for all but one of its goals in an 11-10 victory over the fourth-seeded Terrapins before 801.
Seven-time defending NCAA champion Maryland (9-7) lost its first game in an ACC or NCAA tournament since Virginia defeated the Terrapins in the 1998 conference semifinals. The Terrapins started five freshmen today.
Virginia (9-2) lost one of its two starting seniors -- first-team all-American defender Mark Koontz -- five minutes into today's game after Koontz re-injured the anterior cruciate ligament he tore in his left knee in a win over Duke last week.
Koontz played about 50 minutes in a 10-3 win over North Carolina in the semifinals here Friday night. Today, Duke isolated senior attackman Alex Lieske against Koontz on one of its first possessions. Lieske quickly changed directions, and as Koontz fell, Lieske went around him and scored.
"We went into the game knowing we wanted to test [Koontz]," Duke Coach Mike Pressler said. "We ran him and changed directions. . . . North Carolina did not test him. They had a weakness and we went after it."
Virginia's other senior -- attackman Conor Gill -- finished with one assist. Duke senior defender Dan Hauber (Watkins Mill) harassed Gill into 0-for-6 shooting and four turnovers.
"We played terrible all over the place," Gill said.
Still, Virginia led 13-12 after a goal by freshman John Christmas with 4 minutes 56 seconds left. Duke tied the game at 13 on a goal by Keaney with 2:12 left.
On the Blue Devils' next possession, Keaney held the ball behind the goal when he heard Pressler call a play for junior midfielder Kevin Cassese.
"I think Virginia heard it too, because they went to Cassese immediately," Keaney said. "I saw my guy kind of relax. He was playing my right hand, I saw an opening and took it."
Christmas had three goals for Virginia. Senior Jimmy Regan had a career-high four goals and Keaney added two for Duke.
Today marked the Maryland women's fifth one-goal loss this year. The Terrapins trailed 11-7 following a goal by senior midfielder Christine McPike with 8:11 to play. But Maryland scored three straight goals, the last by sophomore Kelly Coppedge (St. Mary's-Annapolis) that made it 11-10 with 46 seconds left.
Terrapins freshman Acacia Walker (Annapolis) won the draw control and Maryland had a two-on-one fast break. But North Carolina freshman midfielder Gina Allen prevented senior attack Courtney Hobbs from shooting, and sophomore defender Meghan Kelly took the ball from Hobbs a few seconds later.
The five starting seniors on North Carolina (13-2) combined for 10 goals and 25 of 31 shots. North Carolina was out of timeouts during Maryland's run, and Coach Jenny Slingluff Levy credited her seniors with helping the team maintain its composure.
Coppedge had three goals and junior goaltender Alexis Venechanos had seven saves for Maryland. McPike had five goals and senior Kellie Thompson added three for North Carolina.
As spring football practice ended Saturday with the annual intra-squad spring game, Virginia cornerback Art Thomas let the fans know that he is quickly developing into a defensive playmaker. Thomas excited spectators by intercepting a pass from sophomore quarterback Matt Schaub and returning it 41 yards for a touchdown. Although the defense lost, 76-70, Thomas' touchdown return was the highlight in an otherwise uneventful scrimmage."
Matt just threw the ball a little behind Mike [McGrew], and I was able to break on it and score," Thomas said.
Thomas was named one of the most improved defensive players during spring practice, an honor Virginia coach Al Groh attributed to his increased self-confidence.
"Confidence is a result of demonstrated performance," Groh said. "Now he's got some plays on his resume, he's earned it, his confidence should be high."
Thomas and the secondary will need to step up next season as Virginia's defense remains a question mark. While the Cavaliers return a strong core of linebackers, Virginia lost all three of its defensive lineman to graduation. The Cavaliers will need a big contribution from the secondary if it hopes to be successful defensively.
"I think we have a lot of experience and a lot of cohesiveness," Thomas said. "We're going to use that this year and actually step up and make some plays."
Schaub and running back Marquis Weeks led the offensive effort. Schaub threw for 89 yards on 16 attempts and looked relaxed in the pocket while finding Kase Luzar for an early touchdown pass. He was the better of the two quarterbacks, as freshmen Marquis Hagans performed erratically, showing that he has yet to completely settle into the offense.
"There were a couple of balls that he threw that it was like 'Whoa, who threw that one?'" Groh said "And then a couple others he threw were like 'Gee, who through that one? Could it be the same guy?"
Schaub performed somewhat inconsistently himself but overall looked comfortable as the team leader.
"I feel that this is my team," Schaub said.
The same cannot be said for Weeks. As an influx of talented freshmen report to camp in July, players who have yet to make their mark on the program will find their depth-chart position in jeopardy. It was clear on Saturday that Weeks has no intentions of getting lost in the shuffle. He ran for 90 yards on 12 carries and showed a good mixture of speed and moves. On the longest play of the day, he bounced to the outside, gaining 22 yards and nearly breaking open a 50-yard touchdown run.
"He's done a good job," Groh said. "He's been more consistent. I think that with this talent level it looks like there's going to be ongoing competition."
While the spring game allowed the current Cavalier players to showcase their talents, the general mood surrounding the event was one of anticipation of better things to come. Groh has said many times that Virginia's greatness is in its future. Much of that future will materialize in late July as Virginia's 25-man recruiting class joins the team. Groh already announced on Saturday that incoming freshman Tom Hagan will begin training camp as the projected starter, and it is possible that at least 10 freshmen will see significant playing time next season.
"We're going to have 25 new players on the team on July 26," Groh said. "A lot of those players will probably be on the field [in our first game] on August 22."
DURHAM, N.C - Duke senior midfielder Terrence Keaney picked the right time to score his first two goals of the game. With two minutes and 12 seconds remaining in the ACC men's lacrosse championship, Keaney fired accurately past Virginia goalie Tillman Johnson to tie the game at 13 goals apiece. Then, with 39 seconds left, Kearney suddenly sprinted forward from his perch behind the Virginia net. Avoiding contact from the Virginia defense, he dove and slipped his shot past Johnson to give Duke the 14-13 victory and the ACC tournament championship in Duke's Koskinen Stadium yesterday.
For No. 12 Duke (7-5, 3-2 ACC), it was their second consecutive ACC championship. No. 1 Virginia (9-2, 4-1) failed to complete their undefeated run through the conference after finishing the regular season with a 3-0 record.
In the early going, it appeared Duke was sufficiently pleased just to be appearing in the tournament final as their lack of intensity and Virginia's hunger on offense led to a 4-1 Cavalier lead before most of the fans had even settled into their seats. Midfielder Billy Glading led the early charge, scooping a loose ball past Duke goaltender A.J. Kincel and then one-timing a pass from junior attacker A.J. Shannon for Virginia's first two goals.
The ease with which the Cavaliers scored early would not be indicative of the way this game would finish. Eventual tournament MVP Kincel would make 15 saves, including five clutch stops in the final quarter of play.
"Duke's defense just tightened up a little more," Shannon said. "They were making some nice plays. Kincel had some big saves in the game. Duke's defense tightened up when it had to and shut us down."
Kincel's saves and Duke's suddenly awakened offense would generate a rapid comeback for the Blue Devils. Though Duke did not earn its first lead of the game until taking a 11-10 edge in the closing seconds of the third quarter, they would never trail by more than two goals after tying the game at six. Duke's top performer on offense was senior Jimmy Regan who scored four goals and a career-high five points.
After Friday's semi-final game in which Johnson made 13 saves en route to a 10-3 win over North Carolina, on Sunday Johnson made 12 more saves but was not the impenetrable wall from the previous game.
"I actually thought in the first half they were scoring off the shots we wanted them to take," coach Dom Starsia said. "Tillman usually impacts a game more than he did today."
Virginia's usually stingy defense did not give Johnson their normal amount of help. Senior defenseman Mark Koontz would leave the game in the first quarter after re-injuring his left knee - he fell awkwardly to the ground as Duke attackman Alex Lieske netted the first of his three goals. Koontz has been playing with a torn ACL but still managed to lead the team with seven groundballs Friday.
"It was very unsettling to see [Koontz's injury] happen, but it's not a suitable excuse for our defense," Starsia said. "Losing Mark was a blow but shouldn't have made that much of a difference. We still had three guys on defense with experience."
The defense, though, was not Virginia's only unit to contribute a subpar performance. Virginia's offense also looked shaky and tentative at times. Freshman John Christmas scored three goals and added an assist, but the squad as a whole was slowed in the second half, scoring only five goals on 19 shots instead of eight goals on 17 shots in the first half.
"It was a very disappointing result for our team," Starsia said. "We seemed to struggle to make plays. I thought we were tentative."
Losing its own conference championship is certainly a setback for this top-ranked Cavalier team but in no way precludes them from continuing their run toward the national title.
"I'm obviously disappointed in the outcome," senior attackman Conor Gill said. "The team played terribly. I could almost see this coming. We haven't been as sharp the past few weeks, but I think in the long run today is going to be good for us."
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Duke topples top dogs to repeat |
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By JIM FURLONG : The Herald-Sun Duke’s biggest player made the game’s biggest play. Terrence Keaney, a sturdy 6-5, 220-pound senior midfielder, scored the last two goals, including the game winner with 39 seconds remaining Sunday, to lift the No. 12 Blue Devils to a 14-13 upset over top-ranked Virginia in the championship game of the ACC men’s lacrosse tournament. Duke senior goalkeeper A.J. Kincel, who produced two exceptional performances in less than 44 hours, was voted tournament MVP. Kincel, who made 21 saves to lead an 8-7 overtime victory against Maryland in Friday night’s semifinals, made 15 saves Sunday to help stop the Cavaliers’ eight-game winning streak. An announced crowd of 4,106 at Koskinen Stadium watched the Blue Devils win back-to-back ACC titles for the first time in school history. "We’ve had some big wins around here in my 12 years at Duke,’’ Coach Mike Pressler said. "Winning an ACC tournament title, especially repeating and doing it on your home field, is incredible. I can’t remember a bigger win than this one. "I said to the team one day this week ‘To win this thing, we’ll have to give out 10 game balls,’ and actually we’re going to give out 11. We’re going to give one to every senior. Eleven of our 14 goals came from the senior class. "The credit goes to the senior class. It was not a coach’s game. The players had to fall back on their training ... They knew what was expected of them and they have to step up. This put us right back in the national picture and the NCAA tournament hunt.’’ The Blue Devils (7-5) avenged a 15-10 loss nine days ago at Virginia. Senior midfielder Jimmy Regan scored four goals and career-high five points Sunday. Senior attacker Alex Lieske added three goals and three assists. Keaney and senior Dan Chemotti each contributed two goals. "It is not an upset in our eyes,’’ Regan said. "We knew, if we played hard and if we played smart, we could beat this team. ... For us to win this tournament is just pure happiness.’’ The Blue Devils, after UVa jumped to a 4-1 lead, showed repeated resiliency and poise. Junior Kevin Cassese, the 2001 ACC men’s player of the year, fed Keaney for a 13-13 tie with 2:02 remaining. Duke won 18 of 29 faceoffs, including Cassese getting possession after the equalizer. The Blue Devils went to a stall to wait for the last shot. With less than a minute remaining, Keaney was isolated with a lone defender near the back line behind the UVa cage. He stood motionless for several seconds, twirling the ball in his stick. All of a sudden, he charged the net, accelerated and beat All-ACC goalkeeper Tillman Johnson. "The call was to go to Cassese [for the last shot],’’ Keaney said. "We were waiting for one shot because Virginia is very good in transition. ... My defender relaxed. He gave me a lane and I saw the opening.’’ The other Cavalier defenders were slow to react. "I think Terrence launched himself back of the goal and he ended up in front of the goal,’’ Pressler said. "That was the best we have shot this year, and against one of the top two or three goalies in the country. We shot smart.’’ Five minutes into the game, UVa All-American defender Mark Koontz, who has a torn ACL in his left knee and a broken left wrist, reinjured his leg and was forced to the sideline. "Losing Mark was a blow, but it shouldn’t have been anything that changed the whole scope of the game for us,’’ Virginia coach Dom Starsia. Duke’s Dan Hauber, an All-ACC defender, limited Cavalier senior Conor Gill, the ACC assist leader, to no goals and one assist. "I am, obviously, disappointed in the outcome, but we deserve it,’’ Gill said. "We played pretty terrible all over the place and Duke played well.’’ The Blue Devils led in shots 39-36 and ground balls 48-38. "Coming down here as the No. 1 team in the country and the No. 1 seed in the tournament, we played the way I saw Duke [men’s] basketball play in the playoffs,’’ Starsia said. "You are the top seed and there is a lot of pressure on. We played tentatively. We didn’t play with the kind of confidence and carefree attitude that we have been taking into games.’’ |
