Big East leaders talking quietly
By Norm Wood
Daily Press
Published May 19, 2003

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Though none of the Big East's athletic directors addressed specifics stemming from Sunday's session of the conference's annual spring meetings, preserving the current status of the conference may still be an uphill battle.

Athletic directors from the eight Big East football universities and Connecticut met for more than four hours Sunday morning at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club. The Atlantic Coast Conference's pursuit of Big East members Miami, Boston College and Syracuse was among the primary topics.

Without those three, the remaining Big East football programs, especially Virginia Tech, lose stature.

"We're in a win-win situation," Boston College football coach Tom O'Brien said, referring to the Eagles' Big East-ACC option. "We're like Miami. We'll be OK. It's the other (Big East) guys I feel for. I'd like to see us stay together, but I don't see it happening."

Virginia Tech athletic director Jim Weaver and others worked Sunday to make it happen.

"We had good dialogue (Sunday) morning, that's all I'm going to say," Weaver said. "Really, there's nothing else I can say at this point because I don't know anything. It will continue (today) and, quite honestly, I think it will continue after we leave here. I don't think any decision will be reached during the course of these meetings."

Prior to the meetings, Weaver expressed doubt that ACC membership would benefit Syracuse financially. The Orangemen have an ideal travel situation and an established track record of academic and athletic success in the Big East.

Speculation had Weaver aligning with Syracuse AD Jake Crouthamel to save Big East football. If Syracuse balked, the theory went, Miami and Boston College would stay.

"I have no idea where that came from," said Crouthamel, who deferred specifics of Sunday's meetings to Miami AD Paul Dee. "When we've had an opportunity to gather all the information necessary to give us an opportunity to make a decision, that's when it will be made."

The nine-member ACC hopes to expand to 12, gain a foothold in the Northeast, and upgrade its football with Miami. But if Syracuse declines its invitation, the ACC could turn to Pittsburgh.

Like Boston College, Pittsburgh represents a metropolitan television market in the Northeast. Plus, Pittsburgh offers new basketball and football facilities, along with an attractive setting for students due to a new on-campus medical facility.

Miami remains the centerpiece to the saga. Several ADs indicated Sunday that Miami has kept an open mind in meetings, but Miami officials may still have concerns about revenue sharing and conference travel. Dee advocates 12-team conferences and the subsequent league championship game, but he wouldn't reveal whether possible Big East expansion was discussed Sunday.

"We had very productive discussions," Dee said. "They went very well, as one would expect with colleagues. Everything is going well. There's no conclusions at this time. We're going to continue our discussions (today), but the discussions (Sunday) went very well."

Big East basketball coaches are scheduled to meet this morning. Commissioner Mike Tranghese is scheduled to address media this afternoon.
 

Conference's football ADs meet for 4 hours
Big East optimistic,but still must wait

Rutgers athletic director Robert Mulcahy says Miami has not made any demands of the Big East, and acknowledges open dialogue.

By MARK BERMAN
THE ROANOKE TIMES

   PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - The Big East's future remains cloudy, but the picture should clear up in a few weeks.

    The athletic directors of the Big East football schools met for about four hours Sunday. The league could lose Miami, Syracuse and Boston College to the ACC, which voted Friday to begin formal talks with the trio. The Big East hopes to persuade Miami to stay put, thereby keeping the other schools as well.

    If the league made Miami an offer it couldn't refuse Sunday and ended the defection threat, it wasn't evident from the moods or words of the athletic directors after the meeting at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club.

    "We had good dialogue. We're going to continue it," Virginia Tech athletic director Jim Weaver said. "The discussions, you just keep going. ... I'm not getting into specifics because it's a process that is ongoing and we're going to continue talking.

    "I don't believe there's going to be any decisions made here in Ponte Vedra because we're all going to have to go back and get with our presidents."

    Rutgers athletic director Robert Mulcahy said it was too early to say whether the league would be able to come to an agreement. He said it won't be long before the league should know whether the three schools are leaving.

    "Everybody's resolved it's got to be sooner rather than later. I would say in the next few weeks," Mulcahy said.

    Sunday's meeting included Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese, the eight current football members and future football member Connecticut. Pittsburgh was represented by a school vice president because its new AD has not yet started work.

    "We had a very productive meeting this morning and very good discussions, and they're going to continue" today, Miami athletic director Paul Dee said.

    "Everybody in there has an open mind," BC athletic director Gene DeFilippo said. "It was very positive dialogue, and we're going to keep going with it the rest of the week."

    Mulcahy said the group not involved with the ACC asked Sunday to hear from Miami, SU and BC. Those not wanted by the ACC then shared their side of things. Mulcahy said Miami has not made any demands to the Big East.

    Mulcahy said "all kinds of issues" were discussed Sunday, but the main topic was trying to figure out how to assure the stability of the league.

    "It was more a collective conversation of, 'How do we proceed to strengthen the league?'" Mulcahy said. "There's so many dynamics going on."

    Mulcahy said the schools discussed the ACC's projected financial picture and "how real the numbers are, how they're going to get the extra 30 million dollars."

    The ACC hopes that expanding from nine members to 12 will yield a lucrative regular-season football TV contract and a big payday from a football title game. Mulcahy is skeptical the ACC will strike it rich with ABC and ESPN.

    "With the economy we're in and the way the network is operating, with [parent company] Disney taking the money out of ESPN, all they're doing is cutting everybody's deal," Mulcahy said. "There's no competition [from other networks]. That's what's killing us."

    Weaver said football expansion wasn't discussed.

    "We're just talking right now about the current group of people that we have," Weaver said.

    Mulcahy remains concerned about the league's future.

    "The ... anxiety will be relieved when it's resolved, because there's so many forces at work in this thing, even outside the conference, that we just don't know," he said.

    The talks have done nothing to dissuade Weaver from thinking the Big East can accomplish its objective of staying together.

    "I remain optimistic," Weaver said.

    Likewise, Mulcahy said it does seem like Miami has one foot out the door.

    "At some point you have to take people at their word and face value. If they say they're not out the door, then you've got to believe they're not out the door," Mulcahy said.

    The ADs of the 14 Big East basketball schools will meet beginning today. The Big East men's and women's basketball coaches will hold separate meetings today.

    "Every day as it goes on is significant because it's an important issue," Weaver said.

Big East losses would tee off Tech coaches
"It's ultimately about how many TV sets you have," Bonnie Henrickson says of why the ACC wants Miami, Syracuse and BC over Tech.
By MARK BERMAN
THE ROANOKE TIMES

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - Virginia Tech women's basketball coach Bonnie Henrickson was in a golf foursome Sunday with Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese.
He was a bit distracted.

"He played pretty well, but he would be just kind of off. He drove by the red tees a couple times," Henrickson said with a laugh in her hotel room. "He kept apologizing and I said, 'Trust me, as much as I can possibly understand, I understand where you are mentally right now.'"

The Big East is in danger of losing Miami, Syracuse and Boston College to the ACC. If that happens and the Big East loses its Bowl Championship Series berth, Tech's football program would suffer a financial blow. Henrickson fears that would result in less money for her budget.

Thanks to football revenue, Tech was able last year to grant Henrickson's request for such items as chartered plane trips and higher salaries for assistant coaches.

"I respect what the success of football does for us financially," Henrickson said. "It's realistic that if it's a good situation for football, it's a good situation for women's basketball. If it's not a good situation for football, there are potential financial ramifications - and not just in football."

The men's and women's basketball coaches will hold separate meetings today, as will the Big East ADs. Henrickson and Tech men's basketball coach Seth Greenberg hope Miami stays put so the league can stay together.

Greenberg would hate to see Syracuse and BC no longer take part in Big East battles with longtime rivals such as Georgetown, Connecticut and St.John's.

"It would be sad to see some unbelievable traditional rivalries and opponents not be part of this thing. This league has a very rich tradition," Greenberg said as he walked to a league dinner. "It's amazing that so many schools could be affected by the decision of one. I would love for people to realize the grass isn't always greener on the other side and that change isn't always good."

The ACC voted Friday to hold formal talks with Miami, SU and BC. Henrickson realizes why the ACC preferred SU and BC to Tech.

"I don't think you can look at Virginia Tech in that scenario and say it's not a good product. It is - other than the TV market," she said. "That decision can't possibly be based on football or the depth and success of our athletic department; we're as good as we've ever been and certainly have the potential to get better. It's ultimately about how many TV sets you have."

Greenberg figures the Big East can find worthy men's basketball teams to replace the trio. The hitch is that schools such as Louisville and Cincinnati may not want to join the Big East if it doesn't keep its BCS berth. Greenberg hopes the stature of Tech's football program would help the league keep the berth.

"We could win the national championship this year and be in pretty good shape," he said. "When you've got one of the best football teams in the country, you would think that's a school that's going to garner a great deal of respect."

 

U.Va. marches into semifinals
Turnovers mar quarterfinal triumph
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER May 19, 2003
MEN'S LACROSSE
VIRGINIA 12 GEORGETOWN 7
NEXT:
Vs. Maryland in semifinals, Saturday, 2:15 p.m., Baltimore

TOWSON, Md. - On an afternoon when the University of Virginia women's lacrosse team lost in the NCAA championship game, the U.Va. men stayed in the chase for a national title.

In the second game of a doubleheader at Towson University's Minnegan Field, second-seeded Virginia whipped Georgetown 12-7 yesterday to advance to the NCAA semifinals for the second straight season, fourth time in five years.

A crowd of 5,136 witnessed the first meeting between these schools in men's lacrosse. It wasn't particularly competitive - or crisp, as the teams combined for 53 turnovers. Virginia accounted for 24 of them.

"I don't think it was a work of art out there today," U.Va. coach Dom Starsia said, "but I was really pleased with the effort overall. I thought we battled the whole time."

The Cavaliers (13-2) took the lead for good with 13:11 left in the second quarter when John Christmas' unassisted goal made it 4-3. They led 7-3 at halftime and 12-6 after three quarters. Junior midfielder Walid Hajj, who led the Hoyas (11-4) with three goals, closed out the scoring when he beat U.Va. goalie Tillman Johnson with 8:06 remaining.

Johnson played brilliantly, recording 16 saves, several of them spectacular.

"If he's not the best goalie in the country, he's pretty close to it," Georgetown coach Dave Urick said.

Christmas, a sophomore attackman, finished with a team-high three goals. Senior midfielder A.J. Shannon scored two goals, and seven other Cavaliers had one apiece, including freshman attackman Matt Ward, who also contributed a game-high three assists.

All three of Christmas' goals were unassisted.

"He's quicker than I am, which is a mouthful," said a deadpan Urick, who has eaten well since his days as a star linebacker at Cortland State. "And he's a tough kid. He brings it hard to the goal. He's about as subtle as a sledgehammer."

U.Va. will meet third-seeded Maryland (12-3) in the NCAA semifinals Saturday around 2:15 p.m. at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. Top-seeded Johns Hopkins takes on defending national champion Syracuse at 11:30 a.m. The'Cuse is the only team to beat Hopkins this season.

Maryland and Virginia have met, too. The Terrapins outscored the Cavaliers 5-0 in the second quarter March29 and held on to win 8-7 at Klockner Stadium.

"I didn't think we played our best game when we played Maryland," U.Va.'s All-America midfielder, senior Chris Rotelli, said yesterday. "I didn't think we showed them the kind of team we are on either side of the ball, defense and offense, and I think we look forward to playing them again and playing our best game and seeing what happens."

Georgetown sophomore Andy Corno, one of the nation's premier faceoff specialists, took 16 of 23 draws from Virginia sophomore Jack deVilliers. The Hoyas, however, couldn't capitalize on their statistical dominance. After Mike Hammer's goal made it 3-3 with 14 seconds left in the opening quarter, Georgetown didn't score again until the 7:59 mark of the third.

"We seemed to be on top of things at the defensive end," Starsia said. "We were always a step ahead."

 

Virginia doesn't let semifinal shot slip though fingers
Despite 24 turnovers, Cavs defeat Georgetown, 12-7
By Gary Lambrecht
Sun Staff
Originally published May 19, 2003

Virginia was not at its sharpest yesterday, but the Georgetown Hoyas could do little to prevent the Cavaliers from advancing to another final four round of the NCAA men's lacrosse tournament.
The Cavaliers had problems in the faceoff circle and holding onto the ball, but second-seeded Virginia used scoring balance, one-on-one athleticism and dominant defense to dispatch Georgetown, 12-7, before 5,136 in a quarterfinal at Towson University Stadium.

The victory sends Virginia (13-2) into familiar territory. The Cavaliers, who will face third-seeded Maryland on Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium, will play in their second consecutive final four, their fourth in the past five seasons and their seventh during the 11-year tenure of coach Dom Starsia.

Virginia, which tied a school record for most victories in one season, did not take the smoothest step to get there. The Cavaliers lost the game's first six faceoffs, failed to control 16 of 23 overall and committed 24 turnovers against a physical Georgetown defense. Still, the Hoyas (11-4) could not match the talent Virginia threw at them.

Sophomore attackman John Christmas had three goals to lead the Cavaliers, who had eight players open their scoring and nine players score overall. Midfielder A.J. Shannon finished with two goals. Attackman Matt Ward added one goal and three of Virginia's five assists.

Defensively, Virginia took Georgetown's attack out of the action and held the Hoyas scoreless for 22:15 in the middle of the game. Midfielder Walid Hajj (McDonogh) led Georgetown with three goals, and the Hoyas needed one goal each from defenseman Dave Paolisso and long-stick midfielder Brodie Merrill just to hang around.

Virginia goalkeeper Tillman Johnson punctuated the effort with 15 saves. The Hoyas did not help their cause with 29 turnovers.

"It wasn't a work of art, although the effort was there. We were a little tight early in the game, but I like the way we settled down," said Starsia, whose team last won the NCAA title in 1999 and lost to Maryland on March 29 by an 8-7 count. "I'd like to see us exercise a little more patience and a little more poise, but we've played some very good lacrosse. I hope our best one is still out there."

Georgetown has relied heavily on its defense all year, and the Hoyas applied man-to-man pressure by extending their unit far away from the goal yesterday. Yet the Hoyas could not counter the quickness and slashing ability of players such as Christmas, Shannon and senior midfielder Chris Rotelli, who had one goal and one assist.

"[Virginia] has so much individual talent. Any one of those guys can dodge to the goal, not just to feed, but to shoot," said Georgetown defenseman Pat Collins, who did an admirable job guarding the 5-foot-9 Christmas. "You can't take anyone lightly. You've got to be able to slide. They ram it right down your throat."

The teams played to a 3-3 tie, before the Cavaliers asserted themselves by taking a 7-3 halftime lead with four unanswered goals in the second quarter. Second-unit midfielder Kyle Dixon and Shannon began the third period with goals to push Virginia in front 9-3 with 8:33 to go.

The Hoyas showed some heart when Paolisso and Merrill scored nine seconds apart to cut the margin to 9-5 with 7:50 left in the quarter. But Johnson followed with a great save of a low, hard shot by midfielder Brice Queener, and Christmas answered with his second goal to make it 10-5 with 6:09 left in the third. Twenty-five seconds later, Johnson saved another close-in shot from Queener, and the Cavaliers were never threatened after that.

"It seemed like we had to work a heck of a lot harder to get to the back of the net than [Virginia] did," said Georgetown coach Dave Urick, who tipped his hat to Johnson. "If he's not the best goalie in the country, he's pretty close to it."
 

Big East Directors Slow Miami Momentum
By EDDIE PELLS : AP Sports Writer
May 18, 2003 : 4:49 pm ET

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Big East Conference athletic directors gave the impression Sunday that they had slowed Miami's momentum to leave the league.

It was a small victory for the Big East leaders, who are gathered for five days of meetings and will take any kind of victory in efforts to save their beleaguered conference.

When the Atlantic Coast Conference offered to talk expansion with Big East programs Miami, Syracuse and Boston College on Friday, many people thought the Hurricanes would have a decision as soon as Monday, and the other schools would quickly follow.

To hear the Big East folks tell it, however, that timeline doesn't look like it will hold.

"Nothing's going to be decided this week, nothing's going to be decided next week," said Pittsburgh executive vice chancellor Jerry Cochran, attending in place of new AD Jeff Long. "I don't think it will drag on forever. I would hope between now and the end of next month, we'll have a better sense of where we are."

One plausible deadline would be June 30. After that date, the fine for leaving by the start of the 2004-05 athletic year -- July 1, 2004 on the Big East calendar -- would double from $1 million to $2 million.

Athletic directors, including Miami's Paul Dee, emerged from the three-hour meeting and termed the discussions productive. None, however, gave details of the first formal get-together of ADs from the Big East's nine football schools, including Connecticut, since the ACC's proposal went public.

"Sure, I have hope," Rutgers athletic director Robert Mulcahy said. "I think the one thing that was made clear was that Miami came in here today with a totally open mind and they have not closed it."

On Saturday, Dee made it clear that he felt the 12-team superconference was the wave of the future in college sports. A three-team ACC expansion would bring that league up to 12.

One suggestion Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese is expected to propose is an expansion move of his own to give his league 12 football-playing members. Such a move might also involve dropping Providence, Georgetown, Seton Hall, St. John's and Villanova, five Big East schools that only play basketball.

Notre Dame is also a Big East basketball member. The conference would love to include the Irish in football, but Notre Dame officials have consistently stated throughout this process that they have no plans to change their independent status.

Connecticut will begin playing Big East football in 2005.

Virginia Tech athletic director Jim Weaver said the topic of adding teams didn't come up Sunday.

"We were just talking about the group of people we have," Weaver said.

Tranghese declined comment; he'll speak Monday at a news conference after athletic directors from all 14 schools meet.

Boston College AD Gene DeFilippo said Sunday's meeting was filled with "positive dialogue."

Dee, who Saturday said he would set no solid timeline for a decision, only answered a few questions before leaving Sunday.

"It was a very positive meeting," he said. "Discussions are going well."

 

Future in Miami's hands

5-19-03

By ROB DANIELS, Staff Writer
News & Record

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Miami athletics director Paul Dee is under orders from university president Donna Shalala to give the Big East "a fair hearing" at the league's ongoing meetings but will have considerable input on whether the school joins the ACC, an e-mail suggests.

Dee, an ardent proponent of 12-team conferences, and Shalala hold the key to the future of both leagues and perhaps several others. The ACC will soon begin formal expansion talks with Miami, Boston College and Syracuse. If Miami leaves the Big East, the others will follow and take the ACC to 12 members. The Big East would be left with five football-playing schools.

The e-mail, sent Thursday from West Virginia University president David Hardesty to Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese and others, suggests that if Miami has already decided to leave, Shalala hasn't let on.

"Donna and I talked between fund-raising appointments while she walked down the streets of New York," Hardesty wrote. "She said that she directed Paul to give us a fair hearing over the weekend. I got the distinct impression that Paul would be very influential in the decision. I don't think she understands the full ramifications of her decision. She may. But I tried."

Last week, Miami released a statement that said Shalala, a former U.S. Secretary of Education, hadn't decided. Many in academia suspect, however, that she is enamored with the academic reputation of the ACC's members, four of which are ranked among the nation's top 40 colleges in the most recent U.S. News & World Report survey. That same rankings system lists Miami in an alphabetical grouping of 75 "second-tier" institutions.

The athletics directors of the Big East football schools met for five hours Sunday at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club and weren't big on specifics.

"We just had very productive discussions," Dee said after emerging from the meeting. "They went very well, as one would expect with a group of colleagues. Everything is going well. There are no conclusions at this time. We're going to continue the discussions (today.) That's all I'm going to say."

Efforts to reach Mark Pray, a spokesman for the Miami athletics department, late Sunday were unsuccessful.

Robert Mulcahy, AD at Rutgers, said anybody eagerly anticipating a resolution to the ACC-Big East situation will need patience.

"I think it's important people understand that Miami committed to being totally open about the process," Mulcahy said. "That's obviously why there will be no decisions reached this week. And I think Paul was very straightforward and very honest and I'm optimistic. I don't see people running around to break up the conference. What we're trying to do is figure out how to strengthen the conference."

Dee made it quite clear Saturday that he advocates 12-team conferences, as he believes the football championship games they spawn will be indispensable in the future. Asked if Big East expansion was discussed Sunday, Mulcahy said, "There were a lot of things discussed, and I'm not going to go into them.

"There was nothing (Dee) didn't expect, but there were things discussed today -- some by him, some by us - that caused everyone to think about the situation."

In a related matter, University of Pittsburgh chancellor Mark Nordenberg told Tranghese and Hardesty in an e-mail Thursday that an emissary of an ACC school contacted Pitt, a charter member of the Big East, about switching conferences. The interest was apparently fleeting; the following day, the ACC's presidents and chancellors voted 8-1 to begin talks with Miami, BC and Syracuse. A motion to consider Virginia Tech fell two votes short of the seven necessary for passage. ACC spokesman Brian Morrison said he didn't know if Pitt was discussed.

Nordenberg did not say who called him, but he did say the contact was unofficial and perhaps little more than one person's opinion that Pittsburgh would be a good fit.

"To be frank, I do not place much weight on the call - except to the extent that it may suggest the ACC is not so firm in its thinking, at least once it moves past Miami," he wrote. "In any event, we continue to be committed to working with you, and particularly because we have been in such regular contact on these matters in recent weeks, I thought that I should share this information."

Cavs Advance With a Flurry
Maryland Next Up in Semifinal; Hopkins to Face Syracuse
By Colin Fitzgibbons
Special to The Washington Post
Monday, May 19, 2003; Page D02

TOWSON, Md., May 18 -- Virginia chased Georgetown goaltender Rich D'Andrea with seven first-half goals, and forced his re-insertion after scoring four on backup Andrew Owen in the third quarter, on the way to a 12-7 win before 5,316 at Minnegan Field in an NCAA men's lacrosse quarterfinal game today.

The second-seeded Cavaliers (13-2) will advance to face Maryland in the semifinals at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Saturday. Virginia lost to Maryland, 8-7, on March 29 in the two teams' only meeting this season.

Top-seeded Johns Hopkins, which defeated Towson, 14-6, in the first game here today, will face defending champion Syracuse in the other semifinal.

"I don't think it was a work of art out there today," Virginia Coach Dom Starsia said. "I don't think things came easy to us for the most part."

Nine players scored for Virginia, led by sophomore attackman John Christmas, who had three goals. Five players scored during a six-goal run that spanned the second and third quarters, during which the Cavaliers broke open a tie game and took a 9-3 lead with 8 minutes 33 seconds left in the third quarter.

Freshman attackman Matt Ward (Landon) had one goal and three assists, senior midfielder A.J. Shannon had two goals and senior midfielder Chris Rotelli had one goal and one assist for Virginia.

"As long as we have more than the other team at the end of the day, I don't care where [the scoring] comes from, to be honest," Starsia said. "We're going to need those kinds of things though, when so much attention is paid to Chris [Rotelli] and John [Christmas] and Joe [Yevoli], and those guys. Those other people have to step in when those opportunities arise and cash in if we're going to be successful."

Georgetown junior midfielder Walid Hajj was the only player for the Hoyas (11-4) who had much success against Virginia goaltender Tillman Johnson (St. Mary's-Annapolis). Hajj had three goals against the all-American and senior attackman Mike Hammer, senior midfielder Phil Vincenti, sophomore long stick midfielder Brodie Merrill and sophomore attackman Dave Paolissoo (Centennial) also scored for the Hoyas.

"He's probably one of best in country," Hajj said of Johnson, who finished with 15 saves. "We were putting some shots in some good spots, but he was just coming up huge and it kind of shifted the momentum a little bit."

Georgetown, which came into the game ranked fifth in the nation in scoring defense, allowing only seven goals a game, gave up more than 10 goals for only the fourth time this season.

Virginia, which boasts the nation's fifth-ranked offense (12 goals per game), played the better game defensively, however, holding Georgetown scoreless for 22 minutes.

Once again, the Hoyas did not shoot the ball well, converting on 7 of 34 shots (20.5 percent); they came into the game shooting 21.3 percent.

The Cavaliers, which set a school record with 13 wins this season, will be making their fourth trip to the semifinals in the past five years.

They will have to face third-seeded Maryland, however, which held Virginia scoreless for more than 30 minutes in an 8-7 victory earlier this season.

"I didn't think we played our best game when we played Maryland; I don't think we showed them the kind of team we are, on either side of the ball," said Rotelli, who missed graduation ceremonies today in Charlottesville to play.

"I look forward to playing them again and playing our best game and seeing what happens."
 

Big East a league in limbo

By TONY BARNHART
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer

Virginia Advances to Final Four Following 12-7 win over Georgetown
Cavaliers tie school record with 13th win of the season.
May 18, 2003

Towson, Md. - Virginia used exceptional play on both ends of the field to defeat Georgetown 12-7 in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament this Sunday in Towson, Md. The Cavaliers tied a school record with their 13th win of the season and advance to the national semifinals where they'll face Maryland in the second semifinal game on Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium (formerly Ravens Stadium) in Baltimore.

"I am proud of our team today. I don't think it was a work of art overall," said Virginia head coach Dom Starsia. "There effort was always there. In someways I think the quarterfinal round is the most tension-packed round with the trip to the final four looming."

Highlighted by the stellar play of goalie Tillman Johnson, Virginia held the Hoyas scoreless for more than 22 minutes, while using a a six-goal run during that time to break a 3-all tie early in the second quarter and seize control. Virginia got balanaced scoring throughout the afternoon as nine different players found the back of the net. During the run that tipped the game in their favor, five different Cavaliers scored.

"As long as we have one more than the other team at the end of the day" I'm happy, said Starsia. The balanced scoring today "is certainly something we look for from our team."

John Christmas led the way for the Cavaliers with three goals. A.J. Shannon scored twice with both goals coming during the decisive six-goal run. Freshman Matt Ward added a career-high three assists, while scoring once.

Virginia jumped to an early 3-1 lead before the Hoyas drew even behind goals by Walid Hajj and Mike Hammer to close the first quarter.

Christmas scored what proved to be the winner 1:49 into the second quarter by beating goalie Rich D'Andrea off the right pipe from X. Freshman Matt Poskay scored 83 seconds later by knocking in a Christmas miss that hit the pipe. Shannon scored his first of the day at the 8:00 mark and Nathan Kenney closed the first half scoring 3:37 before halftime to build a 7-3 lead at the break.

"At halftime I felt we could defend them, especially from the midfield," said Starsia. "We seemed on top of things and always a step ahead, even when we gave up a couple of goals."

Freshman midfielder Kyle Dixon opened the second half scoring 1:29 after halftime and Shannon got his second on an extra-man situation as the lead grew to 9-3, the biggest of the afternoon.

The Hoyas used a mini-run as Dave Paolisso scored his first of the season midway through the third quarter. On the ensuing faceoff Andy Corno controlled the ball and passed quickly to Brodie Merrill who scored his first goal of the season nine seconds later to cut the lead to 9-5, but that's as close as the Hoyas would get.

Christmas and classmate Joe Yevoli scored back-to-back goals as the lead grew to six at 11-5. Georgetown's Phil Vincenti scored late in the third quarter but the Hoyas weren't able to get closer than five the rest of the way.

Maryland defeated Virginia 8-7 in Charlottesville earlier in the season. Since then the Cavaliers have won eight games in a row. This is the third time the teams have met in the NCAA Tournament. Maryland won both games in the quarterfinals, including a 10-9 win in College Park in the most recent meeting in 1997.
 

Cavaliers Fall in National Championship Game to Princeton in Overtime 8-7
Tiffany Schummer has three caused turnovers; Lauri Kenis three caused turnovers and four ground balls
May 18, 2003
 

The Virginia Cavaliers (17-5) fell in overtime to the defending national champion Princeton Tigers (16-4) by a score of 8-7 in overtime in the national title game. Captains Tiffany Schummer and Lauri Kenis combined for seven caused turnovers and five ground balls while Lauren Aumiller had four assists and Cary Chasney had a hat trick to lead Virginia offensively. Andrea Pfeiffer had 10 saves as Virginia concluded their 2003 campaign as the national runners-up with a record of 17-5.

Virginia jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first seven minutes of the game behind three assists by Aumiller. Kenis caused a turnover and Schummer scooped up the ground ball and the Cavaliers set their attack. Aumiller fed an opposite post feed to Cary Chasney, who scored 4:24 into the game to put Virginia on top. Caitlin Banks won the ensuing draw and the Hoos got the ball upfield to Aumiller, who fed Chasney streaking down the left side of the field. Chasney unleashed a shot from the left side of the cage and scored one minute after her last goal to give the Hoos a 2-0 lead. Courtney Muller scrapped out a draw control on the next draw and the Virginia offense set up in their zone where Morgan Thalenberg cut to the front of the cage. Aumiller dumped the ball inside to her and Thalenberg scored, putting Virginia up 3-0 with 6:48 gone in the game, forcing the Tigers to take a timeout.

Princeton countered with a pair of goals from Theresa Sherry in a two-minute span to pull within one with 20:12 to play in the half.

The Tigers controlled the ball in their offensive zone but an errant pass went out to the restraining line and Chasney scooped up the ball and brought it upfield where Amy Appelt scored at the 10:04 mark to give Virginia a 4-2 lead. The teams switched possessions a couple of times before the Tigers capitalized on a turnover as Elizabeth Pillion bounced a shot into the cage with 3:16 to go before halftime, sending the teams to the break at 4-3.

An errant Princeton pass into the arc was picked up by Pfeiffer, and Virginia brought the ball upfield where Courtney Young quicksticked an Aumiller pass to the back of the net, stretching the Cavalier lead to 5-3. Princeton countered three inutes later as Pillion again scored for the Tigers.

Chasney won the next draw for Virginia and Banks took the ball to the cage and as she cut away, shot low past the keeper to put Virginia up by two again at 6-4 with 23:37 to play in regulation. The Tigers then tied the score on a pair of goals by Lindsey Biles in a span of 58 seconds, knotting the teams at 6-6 with 19:54 to go.

Virginia took the lead again as Kenis intercepted a pass at the top of the fan with one hand, and in the transition Chasney notched a goal, giving her a hat trick in the game and putting the Cavaliers up by one with 13:57 to go in regulation.

Princeton won the draw and took a series of shots on goal, but Pfeiffer held them at bay with a series of saves, and the Cavaliers were able to get the ball back where they attempted a stall with four minutes to play. A Cavalier turnover at the restraining line gave the ball back to the Tigers with just under two minutes to go, and Princeton scored on a fast break to tie the game with 1:39 to go in regulation.

Meredith Lazarus won the draw for the Cavaliers, but they were unable to score on the possession, sending the game into overtime.

In the extra session, Chasney won the opening draw but the Cavaliers did not get on the board and Princeton was able to get one shot on cage, but it was saved by Pfeiffer at the buzzer.

The Tigers won the draw in the second half of overtime and Sherry scored with 1:29 on the clock, the first time that Princeton had led in the game. The Tigers then won the ensuing draw and were able to run out the clock and claim the title.

Aumiller finished the game with four assists, giving her 100 points for the season, making her the first Virginia player and the fourth person in the history of Division I lacrosse to notch back-to-back 100-point seasons. Tiffany Schummer's four caused turnovers today extended her school record to 127 and gave her 52 for the season, the third-highest total in school history.