In Final, Virginia Lacrosse Team Has Eye on Victory and Legacy
By PETE THAMEL

PHILADELPHIA, May 28 — The Virginia men's lacrosse team is 16-0, is seeded No. 1 in the N.C.A.A. Division I tournament and is a substantial favorite against unseeded Massachusetts in the national title game Monday. The Cavaliers have already been compared to the 1990 Syracuse team, perhaps the sport's greatest college team.

Dom Starsia, the Cavaliers' coach, says he knows his team is on the cusp of a special legacy. But that does not mean he has to acknowledge it.

"I've thought about it," he said. "But I try not to think about it."

Heading into the national semifinals, Princeton Coach Bill Tierney made the comparison to the 1990 Syracuse team, which featured the dominant Gait brothers, Gary and Paul, and won the national final, 21-9.

That Syracuse team went 13-0, won its games by an average of more than 11 goals and only once beat a team by fewer than five goals. (It also had its title vacated because the N.C.A.A. ruled it had used an ineligible player.) Virginia has won its games by an average of more than eight goals and had only one close call, a 7-6 victory at Princeton.

Although Syracuse might have been more impressive statistically in 1990, the sport has changed drastically in the past 16 years. Lacrosse participation has grown around the country, leading to more parity in the college game.

With his face still flushed from the blowout loss on Saturday, Syracuse Coach John Desko, an assistant coach on that 1990 Orange team, said the comparison was apt.

"As far as how they're dominating and what they're doing, I can see the analogy," he said. "Again, I'm not sure that I see a Gary or Paul Gait out there. But I think as far as their team strength and what they've accomplished offensively and defensively, they're a very impressive lacrosse team."

The seniors who will lead Virginia in the final have taken an intriguing road to this point. They won the national title as freshmen, had a losing record as sophomores and lost to Johns Hopkins in the semifinals in overtime last year after taking a lead with 12.9 seconds remaining in regulation.

The Cavaliers senior Matt Ward scored that goal, only to watch Hopkins win the ensuing face-off, tie the score and win in overtime. Ward, Virginia's leading scorer this year, is one of the Cavaliers' eight all-Americans. But Virginia's strength, unlike Syracuse's in 1990, is not star power. Instead, the Cavaliers have an impressive depth of talent.

"Usually an offense has one go-to guy," Syracuse goalie Peter Coluccini said. "Virginia has four or five of those guys. Just to know that each guy on their team is dangerous as the next is disheartening as a goalie."

And if those players come through Monday, Starsia and the Cavaliers can embrace their place in history.

IN MY OPINION | SHANNON RYAN
Duke casts long shadow on final 4
Scandal generates as much talk as championship
Knight Ridder

PHILADELPHIA - While Virginia lacrosse coach Dom Starsia tries to make the Cavaliers the first undefeated NCAA men's lacrosse champions this weekend, he realizes most people in the country have been hearing about lacrosse for other reasons.

The rape allegations against three Duke lacrosse players dominated headlines and TV networks this spring and prompted the school to suspend the remainder of the Blue Devils' season. The news rattled the close-knit college lacrosse community and caused the casual observer to link the scandal with the sport.

That's why Starsia looked forward to the NCAA final four in Philadelphia on Saturday as a chance to boost lacrosse's image nearly as much as he does for a run at a championship.

"This spring, this other event got everyone's attention outside lacrosse," Starsia said. "Lacrosse and those events were used in same sentence a lot. It'll be nice to pull everyone's attention back on the field and show people the good qualities."

Unseeded Massachusetts upset second-seeded Maryland, and No. 1 Virginia beat No. 5 Syracuse on Saturday.

Duke, which lost in the championship last season to Johns Hopkins, will be conspicuously missing from the tournament this weekend. That fact probably will draw as much notice as the teams competing.

Many players and coaches said the scandal at Duke unfairly painted a broad picture of lacrosse and reinforced stereotypes about the athletes.

"Lacrosse was always represented as a private-school, rich-kid sport," said Maryland coach Dave Cottle. "They were seen as private-school products who became successful businessmen, and there was some envy there. Now, instead ... they're portrayed as spoiled kids."

Bob Carpenter, the publisher of Inside Lacrosse Magazine, played at Duke, graduating in 1996, and wrote an editorial recently encouraging fans to enthusiastically support lacrosse at the final four. He did not want lacrosse to suffer a "black eye" because of the allegations.

"A lot of people said the Duke situation will cast a negative cloud over it and keep people from coming," he said over the phone this week. "I think it will be the exact opposite. They're so ready to enjoy what is great about the game."

The players hope to provide that.

"This Duke fiasco has (held) the national attention," said Virginia junior Foster Gilbert. "To have the final four in front of a big crowd and on national TV, it definitely helps the sport."

When the story broke out of North Carolina, lacrosse teams found it hard to avoid.

Not only did Maryland and Virginia -- fellow members of the ACC -- have to shuffle their schedules once Duke ended its season, they also were forced to confront some sensitive issues.

"You couldn't ignore it, and we didn't try to," Starsia said.

Starsia said the scandal was such a distraction, it helped his team at Virginia fly under the radar to a perfect record.

"In the back of your mind you know there are a lot worse things than us losing a lacrosse game," Starsia said. "It kind of just helped us get through."

 

Virginia, UMass set for lacrosse final
RANDY PENNELL
Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA - As he sat in the crowd of the NCAA men's lacrosse championship in 1998, Massachusetts attackman Sean Morris swore that someday he would be back.

Now, after a long journey, he's got his chance.

Morris will lead unseeded UMass against undefeated Virginia - the tournament's top seed - Monday in the NCAA championships at Lincoln Financial Field.

Morris, the leading scorer for the Minutemen, was in eighth grade and had been playing for less than a year when he watched Princeton top Maryland for the title.

"I just sat in the crowd at Rutgers before I left and said, 'I'm playing in this,' he said. "In high school I never went back. Maybe it was just a matter of circumstance. But in college I said once I made it to this level I wasn't coming back until I was playing in it."

Morris took a circuitous route from the stands in 1998 to the field this season after sitting out a year due to a transfer. His first practice as a player at Rutgers came on Sept. 11, 2001, as fighter jets flashed overhead. A coaching change a few weeks later sent him in search of a new school. Then he lost a close friend to a drunken driving accident.

"It definitely keeps me afloat to know that things can go a lot worse than winning or losing a lacrosse game," Morris said.

He and the Minutemen (13-4) will have to overcome the No. 1 team in the country to capture the first men's lacrosse title in UMass history.

Virginia (16-0) features a dynamic, fast-paced offense that can score from practically anywhere on the field and has four players with 30 or more goals. Matt Ward leads the Cavaliers with 37 goals and 25 assists and Matt Poskay has scored 36 times.

"They're loaded top to bottom with guys who can shoot," UMass defenseman Jack Reid said.

The Minutemen have knocked off the second- and third-seeded teams in successive games, and that gives Virginia cause for concern.

"Ordinarily I'd tell you that I'd prefer to play someone new," Virginia coach Dom Starsia said. "It's a little refreshing, but it's a little scary at the same time."

UMass relies on a young defense that will surely be tested by Virginia's potent attack. The Minutemen start a freshman in goal and two sophomore defensemen.

The Minutemen were able to hold Maryland's Joe Walters without a point for just the third time in four years.

"They seem like a resilient group. Wise beyond their years, really," Starsia said of the UMass defenders.

The Cavaliers advanced to the final by beating Syracuse 17-10. Ward led the way with four goals and Garrett Billings had three.

"Every chance they get, they push it," UMass coach Greg Cannella said. "We'd like to keep them way under that 15 (goal per game average), but we might not have a choice in the matter."

Neither of last year's finalists made it to this year's final four, but for vastly different reasons.

Johns Hopkins, last year's champ, lost to Syracuse 13-12 in the quarterfinals.

Duke, last year's runner-up, had its season canceled following allegations that three team members raped a woman hired to strip at a team party. Coach Mike Pressler resigned in late March and three players have been charged in the case.

 

Sports Focus: Seeking A Perfect Finish
A legend in the making? Cavaliers will attempt to cap unbeaten season with national crown
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER May 29, 2006

PHILADELPHIA Over a three-year period that started in 1988, Syracuse University went 42-1 and won three NCAA titles in men's lacrosse. In 1990, the Orange romped 20-12 in the quarterfinals, 21-10 in the semifinals and 21-9 in the NCAA final, and many consider that the most dominant team of the sport's modern era.

John Desko, whose seventh season as Syracuse's coach ended Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field, was an SU assistant in 1990. Desko believes the 2006 Virginia Cavaliers also deserve to be mentioned among college lacrosse's legendary teams.

"That's a great compliment," U.Va. senior Matt Ward said. "It would be an incredible honor to be considered one of those teams."

To move into such elite company, of course, the Cavaliers must win today. At 1 p.m., in a game ESPN will televise, top-seeded U.Va. (16-0) meets unseeded Massachusetts (13-4) for the NCAA title at the Linc.

Virginia has won three NCAA championships in men's lacrosse - in 1972, 1999 and 2003 - but none of those teams finished unbeaten. These Cavaliers have outscored opponents by an average of 8.3 goals this season. They whipped Syracuse 20-15 during the regular season and 17-10 on Saturday.

"They're just a very dangerous team," Desko said.

Leading U.Va. is a group of seniors that includes Ward, defenseman Michael Culver and midfielders Kyle Dixon, Matt Poskay and J.J. Morrissey. These seniors have, in the words of sophomore attackman Ben Rubeor, been through the "highest of highs and lowest of highs" in lacrosse during their careers at U.Va.

In 2003, when they were freshmen, Virginia won the NCAA championship in Baltimore. When they were sophomores, the team staggered to a 5-8 finish and failed to make the NCAA tourney. When they were juniors, they led U.Va. back to the NCAA's final four in this city but suffered a devastating semifinal loss to eventual champion Johns Hopkins. The Blue Jays forced overtime with a near-miraculous goal in the final seconds of regulation.

"This year, I think we have the senior leadership that's going to take us over the edge," Dixon said.

In the media's coverage of college lacrosse this season, the criminal allegations against Duke players have overshadowed U.Va.'s dominance. That hasn't hurt his team, Virginia coach Dom Starsia said.

"I have not felt any burden of added pressure as the season has gone on," Starsia said. "I really think with all the developments of the late spring [at Duke], we kind of slipped under the radar screen a little bit. . . . All of the sudden the [regular] season was over, and we were undefeated, but it never felt like it was building from the beginning to the end."

Starsia, a New York native who grew up on Long Island, attended Brown University, where he played football and lacrosse. That the Minutemen have advanced to the NCAA title game for the first time bodes well for a sport whose popularity is surging at the youth and high school levels.

"Absolutely," Starsia said. "UMass has got a lot of New England players on it. I'm an old New England guy myself, and I'm proud for UMass to be in the national championship game. I think it is good for the game."

As the Cavaliers prepared for their trip to Philadelphia, Ward said, they often repeated this phrase: "Two more days together." By beating the 'Cuse on Saturday, U.Va.'s players postponed until the last possible moment the close of what may be recalled as the greatest season in their program's history.

"This is a group that just enjoys each other's company and appreciates that we've got a couple more days together," Starsia said Saturday.

 

Goliath, meet David
Cavs know better than to overlook unseded UMass
By Whitelaw Reid / Daily Progress staff writer
May 29, 2006

PHILADELPHIA - When Massachusetts upset Maryland in the NCAA semifinals on Saturday, the UMass players threw their gloves and any equipment they could find into the air. They raced to the middle of Lincoln Financial Field and formed something of a mosh pit.

Some 2 ½ hours later, Virginia’s celebration was more mellow.

As the final whistle sounded in UVa’s 17-10 semifinal win over Syracuse, players walked calmly toward the center of the field and exchanged some fist bumps. Virginia coach Dom Starsia clapped from the sideline.

It wasn’t that UVa players weren’t satisfied with their performance. They just knew that there was still unfinished business.

Therein lies the rub heading into today’s NCAA Championship game between Virginia and Massachusetts.

UMass seems just happy to be here. Virginia will need a team meeting with Dr. Phil first thing Tuesday morning if they don’t leave the City of Brotherly Love with the school’s fourth national championship.

UVa players know that nobody will care about their spectacular season - they’re currently 16-0 - if they don’t close things out with a victory.

That’s why they’re not about to overlook UMass, despite the fact that the Minutemen are unseeded. Despite the fact that the Minutemen lost during the regular season to two teams who UVa beat rather easily (Georgetown and Syracuse).

“I think this UMass team is a great team, one of the two best teams in the country right now,” said Virginia senior J.J. Morrissey. “We wouldn’t think that we’re better because we’re undefeated or the No. 1 seed.”

Virginia coach Dom Starsia was extremely impressed by UMass’ performance against Maryland. In that game, the Minutemen completely shut down All-Americans Joe Walters and Bill McGlone. Neither player scored a point.

“The confidence and disdain that they demonstrated on defense for Maryland was shocking,” Starsia said. “UMass just didn’t give a hoot. They just went after Maryland. You have to give them a lot of credit for that.

“They’re a team that’s playing with a lot of confidence and is on a roll. They have a truly outstanding player at almost every key spot on the field.”

One of the players who came up huge for UMass against Maryland was goalie Doc Schneider. The freshman had 15 saves, including seven in the final quarter.

“He didn’t play like a freshman,” said Virginia senior Matt Ward. “He was all over the place. We’re just going to have to take our shots one at a time and get our best opportunities. He was very impressive and made some incredible saves.”

Just like in its win over Syracuse when it pummeled goalie Peter Coluccini, Starsia said his team will try and rattle Schneider early.

Ward said UMass’ defense against Maryland was impressive - but not impressive enough to alter anything Virginia does on offense.

“We’re not the type of team to sit back and let the defense dictate our play,” Ward said. “We won’t be afraid to take chances and try and get on them early, but it will be a very difficult task.”

On defense, Virginia’s main point of emphasis will be on trying to stop senior attackman Sean Morris. The Minutemen co-captain had three goals and an assist against Maryland.

However, he wasn’t facing Michael Culver. Virginia’s defensive ace has completely neutralized almost every player he’s been put on this year.

At this point, it doesn’t seem to matter to the UVa players who they are playing.

“Our team motto all year has been, ‘Harder,’” Morrissey said. “I think we just need to keep that going.”

GROUND BALLS: Virginia leads the all-time series 7-0. The schools have met just once in the NCAA Tournament - back in 1981. Virginia won that quarterfinal game 16-12. … Starsia on not having to play Maryland for a third time this season: “It’s a little bit refreshing but scary at the same time to be facing a team that you haven’t seen before.” … Virginia sophomore Ben Rubeor when asked about how people will look back on this year’s team years from now: “To be honest, I really don’t care how people look back on our team. I would just like to win the championship.” … UMass’ Morris is third in the nation in points (70) and tied for first in assists (37). … UMass is the first New England team to play in the national championship game after being just the third New England team to reach the Final Four, joining Yale (1990) and Brown (1994). … UMass coach Greg Cannella on Virginia: “All year they’ve been so consistent and are so unselfish as an offensive group. They share the ball. They have six guys with over 40 points, which is pretty impressive.”

 

Win or lose, these seniors are special
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
May 29, 2006

PHILADELPHIA -- Put aside for a moment that Dom Starsia has brought arguably the most potent offense in recent Division I lacrosse history to today’s national championship game.

Reserve your thoughts about Virginia being on the doorstep of finishing off perhaps the most dominant season in the history of the game, should the Cavaliers add UMass to their list of victims this afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field.

Look at this thing from a coach’s perspective, where statistics and winning streaks are just pretty things that could wrap up this impressive campaign in a bow. Dissect the anatomy of this Virginia lacrosse team as the veteran Starsia has, and there’s so much more.

Words can’t describe it

In fact, so much that even Starsia has trouble finding the exact words to define all the characteristics that brought the Wahoos to Philly in search of the school’s fourth NCAA Championship (sixth counting two USILA titles in pre-NCAA Tournament days).

Led by a group of seniors that have experienced most of the ups and downs that the sport has to offer in their four years, it’s a mature group that has allowed little to slip between the cracks.

Starsia giggled a bit on Sunday during interviews at the Philadelphia Eagles’ training facility just down the street from today’s game site when he remembered a story from earlier in the week.

No labels necessary

After a special graduation ceremony for the lacrosse team’s seniors on Monday, some of those players’ parents approached the UVa coach at a reception and tried their best to get Starsia to say that this is the most special group he has ever coached. Now, anyone who has ever tried to corner a coach into dubbing any player or any group of players as the best he’s had, probably hasn’t gotten very far.

Starsia joked with his players about it that very evening when they gathered as a group.

“I wouldn’t even care to try to figure that out,” said the coach.

Building to a crescendo

But he readily admits what this senior class has meant to getting Virginia back to the national championship game for the first time since they were wide-eyed freshmen in 2003.

“They’ve clearly been the core of this team,” Starsia said, pointing out that the mix of the seniors’ talent, maturity, drive and work ethic has made good chemistry with all the underclassmen in the program. “Clearly these seniors have all stirred this thing for us to be where we are right now.”

Starsia has two national titles at UVa and today marks the fifth time he has brought the Cavaliers to the championship game. He has taken notice of the differences in those teams over the years.

“There is a sense of presence about this group that I just think that the depth of experience, especially amongst the older guys, is probably a little bit unique when you consider that we’ve only had one losing season in the last 14 years,” the coach said.

That losing season was 2004, which followed the ’03 national championship, and the year when these seniors were sophomores.

“These seniors have gone from winning the championship as freshmen, to being 5-8 as sophomores, to playing in maybe the most exciting playoff game in a long time last year, to being back here again,” Starsia said. “You’ve got a bunch of guys that you feel like sort of know what’s required here and are willing to do it.”

The UVa coach can’t say that same thing about some of the other teams he has directed to the Final Four. Some of his teams that reached this level for the first time left it to anyone’s guess, even Starsia’s, as to how they would react to the situation.

Not the ’06 bunch.

There’s a certain calm about this team in how they approach preparation for a game, particularly a big game.

That was never more evident than in senior J.J. Morrissey’s comments Sunday when asked about the prospect of unbeaten and No. 1 seeded Virginia overlooking the unheralded Minutemen from UMass.

“We haven’t lost this year and it’s mostly because we have never taken an opponent lightly, never felt ourselves to be better than anyone else we’ve played,” Morrissey said.

He wasn’t just saying that to be politically correct to the world of lacrosse, here on the sport’s grandest stage. Morrissey meant every word he said.

Anyone who has hung around this Cavalier team the past few months has quickly realized how unselfish this group really is, which is yet another reason that its offense has been so powerful. Anyone can score at any time, which puts tremendous pressure on defenses.

But it’s also evident that guys such as Matt Ward, Mike Culver, Matt Poskay, Matt Paquet, Doug Brody and Morrissey, have taken this thing about getting back to the championship game very seriously. They show up every day at practice ready to go to work and have created such a fun environment that Starsia has considered it a joy to show up.

“I don’t think this team is preoccupied with anything other than the quality of our own team effort,” Starsia said. “I think that’s the only thing that really matters right now. I know that’s a coach talking, but I believe it in my heart.”

This team has taken pride in its prowess, its unblemished record, its successes, but it hasn’t allowed its collective opinion of itself to swell to massive proportions.

“There’s more calm, a greater presence, a little bit more something than probably any team I’ve been here with before,” Starsia said.

Maybe that something that the coach stumbled over was the one word he has tried to avoid, the one that the group of parents attempted to get him to say last Monday.

Special.

The most special? That will be determined this afternoon.

 

Cavs staying at home
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
May 29, 2006

With a considerable amount of nervous energy floating through the clubhouse at Davenport Field on Sunday, Virginia’s baseball team waited and then waited some more.

News of running back Ricky Williams heading to play in the Canadian Football League and updates of the Indy 500 peppered ESPNews while the Cavaliers sat patiently.

The wait was well worth it.

For the second time in three years, UVa was one of 16 schools to be awarded a regional site in the 64-team NCAA Tournament.

When the announcement was official cheers from the players rang out and outfielder Tim Henry said that “everyone was pretty juiced up.”

UVa opens the four-team, double-elimination Charlottesville Regional on Friday at 3 p.m. against an opponent that will be determined today when the entire field is announced (12:30 p.m., ESPN). The other two teams in the regional will play at 7 p.m. at Davenport Field.

The regional winners advance to one of eight NCAA Super Regionals, which are scheduled for June 10-12 or 11-13 at campus sites, which will be announced next weekend.

“Being able to host a regional is a great reward for the work that we put in throughout the year,” said third-year Virginia coach Brian O’Connor. “This is a sign of where our program has come, to be chosen as a regional host site two out of the last three years. That puts us in great company. There are not very many people that do that.”

Two years ago, Virginia’s regional sold out and a mad scramble for tickets is expected again this week. The school is doing its part - additional temporary seats have been added and Virginia’s Athletic Ticket Office will be open today, despite the holiday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fans can also order tickers online at www.virginiasports.com.

The other 16 regional sites included three other ACC schools (Clemson, Georgia Tech and North Carolina), five SEC schools and three from the Big 12.

With numerous bids placed to host a regional, O’Connor knew that it was anything but a certainty. For the first time since 1975, no school from Florida will have a regional.

“You can see how competitive it is to host a regional,” O’Connor said. “I feel bad for a team like Notre Dame. They win the regular season and Big East Tournament, have the nation’s longest winning streak and they weren’t selected.

“There are going to be some people that feel left out.”

Hosting should give Virginia an obvious advantage to advance to a super regional. This season the Cavaliers were 31-3 at home and outscored opponents 289-77 while batting 143 points better than their opposition (.341 to .198).

“That’s why a majority of the teams that make it to super regionals and a majority of teams that make it to Omaha host regionals,” O’Connor said. “You have such an advantage playing in the comfort of your own stadium and in front of your own fans.”

O’Connor has no idea if Virginia will be one of the eight seeded teams in the bracket when the pairings are announced today, but he remains hopeful. The seeded teams have a leg up in hosting super regionals.

“I think the No. 1 team overall in the tournament is going to be Clemson,” O’Connor said, “and we went 3-0 against them. Maybe that carries some weight. You never know for sure, but there’s an outside shot.”

Regardless, O’Connor expects four teams in his regional that can win any game at any time.

“There is so much parity in college baseball that the No. 2 and No. 3 teams are going to be great teams and the 4 too. We got beat by the No. 4 in the first game two years ago in Princeton,” O’Connor said. “All the teams that are playing from here on out are good quality teams who won their tournaments or got an at-large bid because of what they did all year.”

Henry said the players are happy to play at home and “sleep in their own beds.”

Virginia was shipped to Oregon State last year, and, after a cross-country flight, the team went two-and-out, losing to St. John’s and Ohio State.

“It was definitely crazy going all the way to Oregon State,” Henry said. “That might of have had a factor in [our result].”

The players, most of whom will be playing in their first home regional, can hardly wait, Henry said.

“We are pumped up to see which teams we play and who is in our regional. It’s going to be a couple of exciting days,” said Henry, an All-Region selection in ’04. “The last time we hosted, Charlottesville really got up for it. A lot of people learned about Virginia baseball during that regional.”

O’Connor hopes that happens again.

“That’s why I think it is so important to host a regional,” O’Connor said, “because I think it is such a great event and it gives you a great opportunity to build baseball in your community.”

 

Minutemen trying to hold on to glass slipper
By Whitelaw Reid / Daily Progress staff writer
May 29, 2006

PHILADELPHIA - In a way, it’s only fitting that Massachusetts - an unseeded team that nobody predicted to even make the Final Four - will be playing top-seeded Virginia for the NCAA championship today at Lincoln Financial Field.

After all, this is Rocky Balboa’s hometown.

At a press conference on Sunday afternoon at the Philadelphia Eagles training facility, UMass players certainly didn’t need to be reminded of their underdog status.

“Nobody said we could beat Cornell and nobody said we could beat Hofstra, and even more people said we couldn’t beat Maryland,” said UMass senior Jack Reid, referring to the Minutemen’s three tournament wins. “There are probably about three times as many saying we can’t beat Virginia.”

Reid may be right about that. It’s hard to imagine what a Las Vegas oddsmaker would think of UMass’ chances.

The Minutemen (13-4) are trying to become the first unseeded team to win an NCAA lacrosse title.

“We’re going to have to have a really good defensive effort,” said UMass goalie Doc Schneider. “They have unbelievable players all over the field.

“They have weapons all over the place. You can’t just single out one guy. We’re going to have to have a solid overall effort on all their players because they’re all threats.”

UMass’ path to the Final Four has been the most difficult of all time. The Minutemen are the first team in tournament history to beat three top-six seeds.

In the quarterfinals against Hofstra, UMass looked dead in the water. The Minutemen trailed by five goals with eight minutes left in the game before coming back to win in overtime, 11-10.

UMass had more of a workmanlike effort in its 8-5 win over Maryland in the semifinals. The Minutemen were edged in ground balls (35-28) and faceoffs (9-8), but received excellent play in goal from Schneider, who had 15 saves.

One of the keys for UMass against Virginia will be its success on faceoffs. Obviously, the fewer times UVa has the ball on offense, the better.

In its come-from-behind win over Hofstra, senior co-captain Jake Deane was instrumental, winning 20 of 25 faceoffs.

Deane said he expects “a battle” against Virginia’s faceoff aces, Drew Thompson, Charlie Glazer and Adam Fassnacht.

“Basically we’re just going to roll the ball out there and play, which is what I like to do,” Deane said. “It’s going to be hot and humid, but as a faceoff guy you just have to dig down and keep going.

“We’ve beaten [high seeds] in this tournament, so we have some confidence going into this game, but they’re a very good team and we know that they have a lot of weapons all over the field.”

Earlier in the season, UMass struggled with its confidence. The Minutemen lost to Georgetown, 8-6, and Syracuse, 12-7. Virginia easily defeated both of those teams.

However, since a 10-5 win in its final regular-season game versus Rutgers, things have started to click according to junior Dan Whipple.

“We’re starting to play 100 percent as a team, which we didn’t do much throughout the season,” Whipple said. “Our offense would play real well one game, then our defense would play real well, then our goalie would play real well.”

Today, Whipple knows his team will need to be clicking on every cylinder imaginable if it wants to take down the Apollo Creed of college lacrosse.

“We know we’re going to have to step it up to another level,” he said

 

UMass will break under UVa.'s pressure
Mike Preston

Philadelphia // The magic number in lacrosse on any level is eight. That's the number you want to reach or limit a team to as far as goals if you want to win most games.
Virginia is very much aware of the number eight. In 16 games this season, the top-ranked Cavaliers have allowed more than eight goals only five times, and they're still unbeaten. And that's why Virginia will beat Massachusetts today in the NCAA Division I championship at Lincoln Financial Field.

Forget all the pretty offensive stuff. The Cavaliers don't give up a lot of goals.

They take teams out of their offensive rhythm because they exert pressure from the back line to the midline. They are aggressive and relentless, and they have three defensemen who not only abuse attackmen, but they also take away their will to play against them.

Everyone has heard about Virginia's offense. Fans are now comparing the Cavaliers to the Syracuse teams of the late 1980s because of the precision shooting, the quick, hard passes and the constant motion. But next time, take a look in the back at the long poles held by Ricky Smith, Matt Kelly and Michael Culver. Virginia might have the nation's best defense as well.

"They believe in constant pressure," said Towson coach Tony Seaman. "No matter what you do, they don't change their game plan. They don't back off if they give up a goal or two. Their guys attack your offense. You can't hold the ball against them. The pressure puts you in an uncomfortable position during the entire game."

Few teams have held up. Mighty Syracuse scored 15 goals against Virginia on March 4, and 10 in the semifinals Saturday, but the Orange was never a serious threat late in either game. Johns Hopkins and Princeton could only score six goals each, and Maryland combined for 10 in two losses.

Even in man-down situations, Virginia has held the opposition to a conversion rate of 20-for-72. The Minutemen can't handle this kind of pressure. They can't deal with the Cavaliers' superior athleticism on defense.

"They don't have a dominating defenseman, a Pat McCabe, like we had at Syracuse," said former Syracuse coach Roy Simmons Jr., "but they're solid and well-balanced."

OK, maybe Virginia doesn't have a McCabe, but the Cavaliers do have senior Michael Culver. He is athletic, smart and seldom gets caught out of position. He is the shutdown specialist. Need proof? Go ask Maryland attackman Joe Walters. While being blanketed by Culver in two games this season, the Terps' all-time leading scorer was held to zero goals and one assist. Culver has also shut down other top attackmen during the past two seasons, such as North Carolina's Jed Prossner and Albany's Merrick Thompson.

Culver will probably match up against Massachusetts' Sean Morris today. Morris has 33 goals and 37 assists this season. Now, he'll have Culver and big trouble. Advantage Cavaliers.

The Cavaliers are good at accepting roles. Smith has excellent stick skills, but also speed that allows him to run down ground balls. More importantly, he can get out on the break to start clears. Virginia has a clear percentage of .851 this season, and a lot of them have gone through Smith.

Kelly is only a freshman. He'll eventually become the prototype for Virginia players, who are some of the most athletic in the sport. Kelly starred in lacrosse and as a running back in football at New Trier high school near Kenilworth, Ill. He was offered several Big Ten football scholarships but opted to play lacrosse.

Go figure.

He'll get a little crazy with the stick every once in a while, which drives Virginia coach Dom Starsia nuts. But he'll eventually become a star once he gets through the first-year training period. The Cavaliers have one more piece to this defensive puzzle named Mike Timms. He's 6 feet 5, weighs 222 pounds and can run with any midfielder. Culver takes out the top attackman, and Timms takes out the top offensive middie.

That's impressive.

That's intimidating.

It's a super strong unit. Virginia can go into any game knowing it can gamble because it has enough firepower to create ample opportunities both offensively and defensively. But today against the Minutemen, it won't need to gamble much.

Though Massachusetts has been playing with great confidence, the Cavaliers will run up and down the field as usual. The Minutemen can't handle Virginia's offense, and they certainly can't handle the Cavaliers' defensive pressure. They wear teams down. They'll grind their way to the championship.

 

UMass on the defensive with No. 1 UVa. up next
By Gary Lambrecht
Sun reporter
Originally published May 29, 2006

PHILADELPHIA // Massachusetts senior All-American Jack Reid has led a bunch of inspired efforts by his team's defense this spring. Saturday's 8-5 takedown of No. 2 seed Maryland in the NCAA tournament semifinals, in which Reid sparked a unit that shut out Terps all-time leading scorer Joe Walters, is the latest example.

As unseeded UMass contemplates its first appearance in the national championship game today at Lincoln Financial Field, a road the Minutemen traveled by eliminating three of the tournament's top six seeds, Reid considered the monumental task at hand.

How will the Minutemen contain top-seeded, unbeaten Virginia? How will they limit an offense with so many weapons, so much unselfishness, so many ways to impose its will?

"They are loaded top to bottom with guys who can shoot, dodge, pass, make decisions with the ball," Reid said of the Cavaliers. "It's different from a lot of offenses, where you have one or two shooters, one or two ball carriers and a couple of role players. When their first midfield is out there, it's six of the most talented players in the country playing together. They have great chemistry.

"We've had good games against great teams we supposedly had no right to play against. It doesn't change for us [today]. We're all going to have to have a good day together."

The Minutemen (13-4) may need an extraordinary performance to hang close to Virginia, let alone upset the heavily favored Cavaliers. Virginia leads the NCAA with a 15.9-goal average, is averaging 17 goals in the tournament, and is as driven as it is talented.

Virginia is trying to become the first Division I champion to finish with a 17-0 record, and nothing suggests it will be denied, not even the tournament's feel-good story. The Minutemen, led by Reid, senior All-American attackman Sean Morris and senior faceoff ace Jake Deane, are a study in tenacity and blue-collar lacrosse.

Morris, the rugged scorer who started his UMass career after transferring from Rutgers without playing a game there, has guided an offense that has seen recent improvement from players such as freshman attackman Jim Connolly, and features a second midfield just as productive as the first.

After lifting UMass on Saturday with three goals and an assist, Morris suggested the Minutemen can't afford to fall too far behind early against the scoring machine facing them. Spotting the Cavaliers a sizable lead, as UMass did in its first two tournament wins over Cornell and Hofstra, is not an option.

"We're going to have to get to [Virginia] in the first quarter to help our defense out," Morris said.

"Hopefully, we'll get someone on their hands to alter their shots a little bit," added UMass freshman goalie Doc Schneider, who had 15 saves against Maryland, but knows he will see quite an upgrade in the opposing offense today. "We're going to have to play fast and keep up with Virginia's offense, faster and better than we played on Saturday. They have weapons all over the place."

Led by senior attackman Matt Ward, the Cavaliers have seven scorers with at least 35 points. They have a tendency to put teams far behind early, having outscored their opponents in the first half 141-56. Only one decision - a 7-6 win at Princeton on March 12 - has been decided by fewer than four goals. Ten victories have been by at least seven goals.

And don't doubt the skill of the Virginia defense, which is responsible for initiating so much offense with aggressive, turnover-inducing play. The Cavaliers have allowed just 7.6 goals per game, despite giving up lots of cheap fourth-quarter goals in bench-clearing routs.

Virginia coach Dom Starsia offered glowing praise for the UMass defense but also marveled at his team's single-minded focus.

"The confidence and disdain they demonstrated on defense against Maryland was shocking. UMass just didn't give a hoot. They went after Maryland," Starsia said.

"There is a sense of presence with this [Virginia] group. They sort of know what's required, and they're willing to do it. There's a certain calm with this team. I don't think they're preoccupied with anything other than the quality of our team effort."
 

Fan's honey-do beer run pays off
A newlywed in search of refreshments winds up with the historic baseball.
SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS
May 29, 2006

SAN FRANCISCO -- Like the guy who hit No. 715, there is a lot of misinformation about the guy who caught it while waiting at the concession stand.

"There's a huge misconception," Andrew Morbitzer said. "People have said I was out buying a hot dog. I was buying beer and peanuts."

Whew. Glad he cleared that up. Commissioner Bud Selig has announced no plans to investigate.

In the meantime, Morbitzer gets to enjoy his 15 minutes of 715 fame. He was the lucky fan who caught Barry Bonds' milestone ball Sunday. Morbitzer, 38, was making a fourth-inning beer run because he had lost track of which Giants hitter was coming up.

He was in line at Big Guy's Barbecue when he heard the roar of the crowd. Morbitzer looked up to see the ball pouring over the roof like the sweetest raindrop he had ever seen. He grabbed it - one-handed - pulled it to his chest and began looking for the safe embrace of the San Francisco police officers on-hand to keep the peace.

Morbitzer, meanwhile, plans on keeping his piece. When asked what he would do with the coveted ball, the marketing director said, "Yet to be determined. Hold it tightly in my hands for a little while."

Morbitzer was at his first game of the season with his new wife, Megan. They were married over Labor Day weekend in Vail, Colo., in the bride's home state.

Having just polished off a cup of suds while sitting in their center field bleacher seats, Morbitzer volunteered to reload. Megan also wanted some snacks. The full order - two beers (at $7.75 each), a barbecue sandwich ($9.00) and a bag of peanuts ($4.25) would have cost $28.75.

"He was waiting in line for my peanuts," she said.

Instead, Morbitzer turned what will undoubtedly be a profit when Bonds hit a lottery ticket 445 feet just to the right of dead-center field. It eluded the hands of one man in center - no truth to the rumors that it was Marvin Benard - and fell out of the bleachers and on top of the row of concession stands.

Bill Greathouse, who is in charge of concessions at the ballpark, said Bonds has surprised and delighted a few of his paying customers before. He couldn't remember if anyone but Bonds had reached that distance - "If they're not Barry's, you tend not to remember them," he said.

Even Bonds had heard of the once-in-a-lifetime catch.

"It dropped right at him - that's all I heard," he said.

Greathouse recalled with clarity the 491-foot blast Bonds hit against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2002, a shot that shattered a condiment container. "We were on ESPN the next day holding up shards," he said.

No. 715, though, made no such mess. It nestled softly into the bare hand of Morbitzer, who had never caught a ball at a game before. So ended an arduous journey for Bonds (who had gone 24 plate appearances without a home run) and for Morbitzer (who was unable to score a key item at his first stop, Say Hey Sausage, and had to get in line again.)

"The one place wouldn't sell the barbecue sandwich and they told me to walk next door," he recalled. "As I walked up, I heard the roar, and saw everybody reaching into the air. The ball came over and I snagged it."

Morbitzer described himself as fan of Bonds, the city and the team. This was his first game of the year. He paid $17 apiece for two bleacher seats.