Virginia learning from this season's rebirth
By Andrew Joyner / Daily Progress staff writer
May 23, 2005

BALTIMORE - Perhaps it was the precise game that put them physically in the Final Four that the Virginia men’s lacrosse team needed mentally to assure themselves they deserved to be there.

The Cavaliers’ 10-8 victory over Navy on Saturday earned them a meeting with top-seeded Johns Hopkins in next week’s NCAA Semifinals in Philadelphia. It also allowed them to put behind them a 5-8 campaign of a year ago that had them watching the Final Four on television. For a group of players, many of whom won a national title two years ago, they almost needed this kind of victory in this kind of game to indeed put last season’s memories in the vault for good.

“It was a classic lacrosse game. There were times when the style of the game is meaningful. For us, for it to be a close game throughout and to be punched in the mouth a few times and to make a few mistakes was something we needed in a way,” Virginia coach Dom Starsia said. “It was too close for my taste but the end result and the way the game unfolded I think was perfect for us.”

Starsia has preached all season of a “rebirth” for his program. He frequently mentions how practice began last fall with a new slate for everyone involved. There was little dissecting of the 2004 campaign but instead any enthusiasm to simply begin a new season.

Still, despite the 10-3 record they carried into Saturday’s quarterfinals, the Cavaliers still probably needed a face-to-face meeting with their past in order to proceed to their future.

The Navy game provided that as Virginia led by three goals, found itself tied and then notched the critical winning goal all within about a 12-minute time frame.

“It’s unbelievable. It’s been a long 20 months or so. It’s been very long. Coming from last year and then getting back to this point, we’ve been waiting a really long time,” said senior attackman John Christmas, who had a goal and two assists against Navy. “We were fortunate to win this game today and I’m just really proud of everyone out here because we left it all on the line. It was a battle and we prevailed.”

In a microcosmic perspective of Virginia’s maturation process this season, it was the midfield, an area maligned often last season that outshone the more heralded attack.

Juniors Matt Poskay and Kyle Dixon combined for five goals while sophomore Drew Thompson notched the game winner with 5:21 left in the game.

“I think Drew Thompson, Kyle Dixon and Matt Poskay are all a year older if nothing else compared to a year ago,” Starsia said. “Clearly, they’re in position when they are starting to make some plays and you need that from your midfield, especially in the playoffs.”

Wildcats shred Cavs
Northwestern caps 21-0 season in title game
By Andrew Joyner / Daily Progress staff writer
May 22, 2005

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - After winning a national title a year ago by chasing the team that ended its previous season, the Virginia women’s lacrosse team could not shake the one team that pursued it this season.

Northwestern, whose last loss was to Virginia in the NCAA Quarterfinals last season, capped a perfect 21-0 season by defeating the Cavaliers, 13-10, in the NCAA Championship game at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium.

“This is unbelievable. This is an amazing group of girls and this has been so special to be part of,” Northwestern coach Kelly Amonte Hiller said.

Kristen Kjellman had five goals for Northwestern, whose only other NCAA title until Sunday came in men’s fencing in 1941. Northwestern is also the first program outside of the Eastern Time zone to win the NCAA women’s lacrosse crown.

Sarah Albrecht added three goals and Aly Josephs finished with two for the Wildcats while goalie Ashley Gersuk had eight saves.

Virginia (17-5) was making its third straight appearance in the title game. The Cavaliers lost to Princeton in overtime in the 2003 title game and then avenged that loss by defeating the Tigers last year for the championship.

As for capturing the title against Virginia, the Wildcats didn’t grasp at revenge as the top motivating factor for Sunday’s victory.

“I think we knew they were a very good team and the defending champions and it always feels good to beat a team like that,” said Kjellman, who was named tournament MVP.

Added Gersuk: “Of course we thought about Virginia but it was more about focusing on ourselves.”

Cary Chasney had six goals for Virginia (17-5) and Tyler Leachman had two. Chasney’s six goals tied a NCAA Championship game record. Amy Appelt, the leading scorer in school history, finished with a goal and two assists.

“What a difference a couple of days make. Two nights ago we were here excited for today’s opportunity. … Unfortunately, we didn’t play a very complete game,” Myers said. “Give credit to Northwestern. They came out to play today and were physically dominant at times.”

The teams combined for a frenetic first-half pace with neither gaining more than a goal advantage at any point. With a score by Kristen Boege with 58.5 seconds left in the first half, the Wildcats led 8-7 at intermission.

However, Northwestern held onto the lead at the break after UVa was stripped of an equalizing goal.

Right before the halftime horn, Leachman took a feed from teammate Kate Breslin and fired a shot into the Northwestern goal that was later ruled too late by game officials.

The Cavaliers very next shot on goal at the beginning of the second half that also found the net was also disallowed.

Less than a minute into the second half, Appelt rolled to the cage and placed a shot past Northwestern goalie Ashley Gersuk. Appelt, however, was called for an offensive foul.

“Obviously those were two big plays. You go into halftime thinking you have tied the game but then it’s called off,” Appelt said. “Those are things you have to overlook though and we didn’t overlook them today and it got the best of us.”

On the ensuing possession, Albrecht scored to lift the Wildcats to the 9-7 lead.

It was clearly the game’s seminal moment as the Cavaliers never got within two goals for the rest of the game.

Albrecht added another goal moments later for the 10-7 lead. Following that goal, Myers pulled starting goalie Ginger Miles and replaced her with Kendall McBrearty. At the time, Miles had notched just one save. For the game, the duo combined for just two saves.

“Two saves,” said an exasperated Myers when asked about her decision to change goalies and the play in net overall.

The Wildcats ultimately pushed the advantage to 13-8 with 5:53 left in the contest on a goal by Josephs.

Chasney attempted a rally for the Cavaliers with two late goals but the Cavaliers could get no closer as they were then forced to watch the same celebration they experienced just a year before at the final horn.

When asked about her and her teammates’ contributions in terms of making three straight finals and winning last year’s title, Appelt tried to be as reflective as she could be.

“I think it shows that we had great players all around and we were willing to work hard and if you do those things you play in that final game,” Appelt said.

Bruins upset Cavaliers, 4-1
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
May 22, 2005

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - When Virginia dropped the crucial doubles point to UCLA and fell behind 1-0 early in the NCAA Men’s Tennis Championship team matches Sunday afternoon, the Cavaliers knew they had to buckle down.

Instead, the seventh-seeded Bruins took the momentum and rode it to a 4-1 upset over second-seeded Virginia in the NCAA Quarterfinals at Texas A&M’s Mitchell Tennis Center.

The loss ended a 16-match winning streak for the Cavaliers, 27-3 on the season and allowed UCLA, 25-3, to avenge an earlier defeat to Virginia in the National Indoors in February.

“When we lost that doubles point we realized we had to go to war and I think that’s what everyone did,” UVa’s Darrin Cohen said.

UCLA swept through all three doubles matches with victories, which was a blow to the UVa cause. Virginia is 43-1 when winning the doubles point over the last two seasons, with that lone loss coming against Ohio State in last season’s NCAA Sweet 16 battle in Tulsa.

“I think the doubles point was the absolute key,” Virginia coach Brian Boland said. “When we get the doubles point, it’s pretty tough for the opponent to take four points from us. It’s not easy to get four singles wins over us.”

With that said, the Bruins and Wahoos, the only two teams in the country with five players each ranked in singles, went to battle.

Competing in 95 degree temperatures and an even higher heat index and court temperatures, the Pac-10 co-champions quickly took a 2-0 lead when seventh-seeded Luben Pampoulov ousted 12th-seeded Doug Stewart in No. 1 singles, 6-1, 6-2.

It wasn’t the best of days for UVa’s Stewart, a junior, who also dropped the No. 3 doubles match along with partner Darrin Cohen to Pampoulov and Chris Lam by an 8-1 count.

Pampoulov did not play the No. 1 singles match in the February meeting because a pinched nerve in his neck. UCLA coach Billy Martin thought that his team could pull off the win without his prized senior, but that didn’t happen in the indoors match.

“I probably kicked myself a little bit afterwards because we lost 4-2 to Virginia then,” Martin said Sunday.

Still, Boland was confident his Cavaliers could prevail this time around, even down 2-0.

But the Bruins closed out another point quicker than expected at No. 5 singles when Alberton Francis beat UVa’s Marko Miklo 6-3, 6-4 for a huge 3-0 lead.

At the time of that setback, Virginia was even in two more singles matches (Rylan Rizza at No. 3, and Cohen at No. 6), led another (freshman Treat Huey was up 4-0 in the third set over UCLA’s Chris Lam), and trailed in the remaining match (freshman Somdev Devvarman trailed 2-1 in the third to UCLA’s 11th-seeded Benjamin Kohlloeffel).

Boland liked his chances because Rizza’s opponent, Kris Kwinta would have likely retired had Virginia held on a little longer and Huey then dismissed Lam 7-5, 1-6, 6-1.

Both Kwinta and Lam were cramping up in the Texas heat. Kwinta was carried off the court and taken to the hospital due to dehydration, but that happened only minutes after UCLA wrapped up the match.

The Bruins, leading 3-1, clinched the win when Kohlloeffel overwhelmed Devvarman at the No. 2 singles in three sets, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.

“It was a great college match,” said Boland, who couldn’t disguise his disappointment. “I never took a minute to think about a different outcome than a win. This one stinks pretty bad.”

UCLA’s Martin said that a chance to avenge the earlier loss got his team fired up. He agreed the doubles point was crucial, particularly with the brutally hot weather conditions.

“In this kind of weather, the doubles point makes a little more difference,” Martin said. “It’s a long way back in this kind of heat, especially if you have to win four singles matches. Virginia is a good, good team. There’s no doubt about it.”

Asked about the difference in the February match and Sunday’s rematch, Boland refused to pin the outcome on the presence of Pampoulov, who is 28-7 this season.

“I don’t know if there was a big difference,” Boland said. “UCLA was good then and they’re good now. There was different conditions. But I think both teams improved a great deal since then.

“You come to play the National Championships and it’s the bounce of the ball a few times,” Boland said. “A few points here, a few there, the doubles point and maybe something changes. But if you’re looking for me to say they didn’t play their No. 1 [in February], certainly that may have made a difference, but in both cases they were good matches. Both times it could have gone either way.”

Boland said that Devvarman’s singles match got away from Virginia a lot quicker than he expected and accounted the loss to sophomore Kohlloeffel’s experience. The UCLA No. 2 man is 40-7 on the season in singles and considered one of the top dozen players in the country.

“There’s no excuses,” Boland said. “UCLA beat us. But we’ll be back for sure. We’ll work harder.”

Boland is right. None of his singles or doubles players are seniors, so the Cavaliers’ expectations should be high for next season.

Meanwhile, four Virginia players will compete later this week in the NCAA individual singles and doubles tournaments at Texas A&M.

Stewart, making his third appearance in the NCAA Singles Championships, will be joined by Devvarman and Rizza. Rizza and partner Nick Meythaler are making their second straight appearance in the NCAA Doubles Championship.

Cavaliers fall in title game
Northwestern pulls away in second half en route to first championship
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
May 23, 2005
NCAA WOMEN'S LACROSSE FINAL
NORTHWESTERN 13 VIRGINIA 10

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- The last team to defeat Northwestern University in women's lacrosse was no match for the Wildcats yesterday.

En route to the national championship, Virginia beat Northwestern in last year's NCAA tournament quarterfinals. Fifty-three weeks later, top-seeded Northwestern exacted its revenge, whipping the Cavaliers 13-10 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium for its first NCAA title.

The victory was the 21st straight for the Wildcats, who took the lead for good with 58 seconds left in the opening half. Sixth-seeded Virginia finished 17-5 after losing in the title game for the second time in three seasons. Northwestern became the first team from outside the Eastern time zone to capture an NCAA crown in women's lacrosse.

"Northwestern had a great year, as did Virginia," Cavaliers coach Julie Myers said. "It's just hard to end on a game like this."

In 10 seasons under Myers, U.Va. has reached the NCAA championship game six times, winning once.

One of the highest-scoring halves ever in an NCAA final ended with Northwestern ahead 8-7. The crowd of 4,634 had little reason then to believe the rest of the game wouldn't be closely contested as well, but the Wildcats dominated the final 30 minutes, rarely relinquishing possession of the ball.

About a minute into the second half, U.Va. All-American Amy Appelt scored on a shot that appeared to make it 8-8. But Appelt was called for an offensive foul on the play, nullifying the goal, and the Wildcats scored about 40 seconds later to make it 9-7. That marked the first time either team led by more than a goal, and Northwestern responded by applying more pressure.

After the Wildcats scored to make it 10-7 with 23:54 remaining, Myers replaced junior goalie Ginger Miles with freshman Kendall McBrearty. On an afternoon in which Northwestern's Ashley Gersuk sparkled in the cage, making eight saves, neither of U.Va.'s goalies distinguished herself. Each finished with one save.

"It's hard to win a championship game on two saves," Myers said.

Northwestern built its lead to 13-8 before Virginia rallied for two goals in the final 1:44.

Cary Chasney was a spectator during Virginia's postseason run in 2004, having suffered a season-ending injury in the second game. The senior midfielder from Towson played brilliantly this postseason. Against Northwestern, Chasney scored six times, tying the NCAA women's record for goals in a championship game.

Three Cavaliers -- Chasney, Appelt and junior midfielder Nikki Lieb -- made the all-tournament team. The tourney's MVP was Northwestern midfielder Kristen Kjellman, a sophomore who scored her team's first five goals yesterday.

 

Virginia Finishes 12th at the NCAA East Regional
Brad Tilley Tied for 16th
May 21, 2005

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The No. 17 seed Virginia concluded its season with a 12th-place finish at the 2005 NCAA Men's Golf East Regional on Saturday.

Fifth-seeded Wake Forest captured the team title from the field of 27 squads with a 17-under 835. Sixth-seeded Tennessee was second with a 15-under 837, while No. 1 seed Georgia finished third with a nine-under 843. The Cavaliers, who shot the best round of the day with a five-under 279, finished with a 853 (+1), just missing the cut. The top 10 teams now advance to the national championship to be held June 1-4 in Baltimore, Md.

"The guys came in and knew what they had to do today," UVa head coach Bowen Sargent said. "Obviously, we took care of business through 12 holes or so when we were nine-under. Unfortunately, 14, 16, and 18 were difficult holes. We made a couple of bogeys and that was the difference (in the outcome). That was a tough one to take."

Coastal Carolina's Dustin Johnson fired a seven-under 64 in the final round to take medalist honors with a 15-under 198. East Tennessee State's Rhys Davies followed by one stroke with a 14-under 199. Florida's Matt Every and Wake Forest's Sean Moore tied for third with a 10-under 203 apiece.

Junior Brad Tilley's (Chappaqua, N.Y.) paced UVa with a three-under 209 to tie for 16th. He fired a three-under 68 in the final round. Sophomore Daniel McGurk (Woodlands, Texas) tied for 25th with a one-under 212. Junior Carter Henderson (Nashville, Tenn.) tied for 39th with a 215 (+2) after firing a one-under 70 on the day. Senior Kevin O'Connell (Potomac, Md.) ended his collegiate career with a 220 (+7) after shooting an even 71. Freshman Greg Carlin (Kensington, Md.) rounded out the UVa scoring with a 230 (+17).