Rubeor, Cavs gain sweet redemption
Largest quarterfinal crowd watches U.Va advance to semifinal
Sunday, May 18, 2008 - 12:07 AM

U.VA. 8, MARYLAND 7 (OT)
NCAA men's lacrosse
Quarterfinals:Virginia vs. Syracuse or Notre Dame in Foxborough, Mass.
When:Saturday, noon or 2:30 p.m.

By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Second chances don't always come along, especially for seniors playing in an NCAA tournament. But Ben Rubeor got an opportunity to redeem himself in overtime yesterday, and the University of Virginia lacrosse star didn't squander it.

About 30 seconds into the four-minute extra period, a Maryland defender stripped the ball out of Rubeor's stick. The Terrapins took possession, and had they converted at the other end, Rubeor's storied college career would have ended in crushing fashion. But second-seeded U.Va. got the ball back, and its three-time all-ACC attackman did the rest.

With 31 seconds left in OT, Rubeor bounced a shot through the legs of midfielder Bryan Holmes and past goalie Jason Carter, giving Virginia an 8-7 victory before 17,017 fans at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium -- the largest crowd to witness an NCAA lacrosse quarterfinal. Rubeor's third goal provided U.Va. (14-3) with its only lead.

"He's the definition of a clutch player," Cavaliers coach Dom Starsia said, "which I think is the nicest thing you can say about an athlete."

The Wahoos nearly prevailed in regulation. A 50-yard pass -- launched with 7 seconds left by U.Va. defenseman Ken Clausen -- led to a scrum from which teammate Peter Lamade emerged with the ball in front of the cage. Lamade's shot sailed over the crossbar, and Virginia headed to overtime for the fourth time this season.

U.Va. remains unbeaten in those games. Overall, these Cavaliers have won seven games by two or fewer goals. And now they head to the NCAA tournament's final four for the third time in four seasons. U.Va. will face No.3 seed Syracuse or No.6 seed Notre Dame in the semifinals Saturday at Foxborough, Mass.

Collegiate School graduate Bud Petit dazzled in goal for the Cavaliers yesterday, making 14 saves. Maryland (10-6) failed to score in the final 28 minutes, 9 seconds.

"I'm kind of speechless right now," said Petit, who did not become U.Va.'s starter until April 5.

Petit said he was "dry-heaving" at the start of overtime, so great were his nerves, but poise has defined U.Va. for most of this season. The Cavaliers trailed 7-4 after Maryland scored with 9:40 left in the third quarter, but Starsia's players never stopped believing.

"There was no real sense of panic at any point in the game," junior attackman Danny Glading said.

Glading's goal with 4:05 left in the third quarter started Virginia's comeback. Freshman midfielder Rhamel Bratton's goal about 90 seconds later made it 7-6. The Cavaliers finally drew even with 8:43 left in the fourth quarter, on a right-handed shot by the left-handed Rubeor.

The notion that this game might require overtime probably would have seemed absurd to anyone who saw Maryland outhit, outhustle and thoroughly outplay Virginia in the first half. The Terrapins picked up 19 of 21 ground balls and won 9 of 12 faceoffs, prompting some inspired oratory from Starsia at halftime.

"I haven't been that angry with my team in a long time," he said. "It's not part of my makeup so much to get after my guys. But the Terps were just beating us everywhere. . . . At halftime, I couldn't believe we were only down by two and had a chance to win the game."

In yesterday's second quarterfinal in Annapolis, defending NCAA champion Johns Hopkins, the No.5 seed, beat Navy 10-4. The victory was the Blue Jays' 35th consecutive over the Midshipmen, a streak that began in May 1975.

 

UVa Downs Maryland 8-7 in OT to Advance to Final Four
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 05/17/2008

ANNAPOLIS, MD—Ben Rubeor scored the game winner with 31 seconds remaining in overtime to lift Virginia to an 8-7 win over Maryland in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament this afternoon at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md.

The win is Virginia’s fourth overtime win of the season and its eighth win by one or two goals.

Rubeor scored Virginia’s last two goals of the game as the Cavaliers rallied from a three-goal deficit early in the second half to advance to the national semifinals for the third time in the last four seasons. The Cavaliers, 14-3 overall this season, face the winner of tomorrow’s Syracuse/Notre Dame quarterfinal match-up in the semifinals next Saturday (May 24) at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

Maryland scored the game’s first three goals and controlled play throughout much of the first half with big advantages in ground balls (19-2) and shots (26-11).

“I thought (the Terps) came out of the locker room at the beginning of the game and carried the play to us in every way,” said Virginia head coach Dom Starsia. “We’ve been in these situations throughout the season where we’ve been down and I have a group of guys that I think were confident throughout.”

Maryland freshman Grant Catalino opened the scoring by taking a pass from Max Ritz and beating goalie Bud Petit at the 9:14 mark of the opening quarter. The Terrapins, who won nine of 12 faceoffs in the first half, won the ensuing draw and scored 10 seconds later on Jeff Reynolds’ 19th goal of the season.

The Terps’ lead grew to 3-0 as longstick Brett Schmidt capitalized on a Cavalier turnover and caught Petit well out of the cage and put a shot into the net from approximately 30 yards out.

The Cavaliers went almost 10 minutes before taking their first shot and got on the board when Steve Giannone threw in a tough loose ball for his first goal in five games. They capitalized on just their second shot of the game as well as Danny Glading found Garrett Billings alone for a quick stick goal with 2:54 left in the quarter.

Glading tied the score at three in the final minute by taking a pass in front from Brian Carroll and scoring the extra-man goal.

Jeremy Sieverts had a hand in Maryland’s next two goals as the Terps regained a 2-goal lead at 5-3. He found Catalino open for his second goal of the game at the 13:29 mark and scored a short time later with a dodge from the top.

Rubeor trimmed the Cavaliers’ deficit to one with a goal from 12 yards out a minute and 29 seconds before halftime, but Maryland longstick Brian Farrell scored the first of his two goals 10 seconds later to give Maryland a 6-4 halftime lead.

“At halftime, I almost couldn’t believe that we were only down by two and still had a chance in the game,” Starsia said. “It wasn’t a very complicated halftime. We just were kind of getting guys’ attention to try to pick it up a little bit and get after them and doing the simple things that we talk about doing every single day.”

Farrell scored his second goal of the game just over five minutes into the second half following a Cavalier turnover. His goal at 9:40 of the third quarter was Maryland’s final goal of the game.

The Cavaliers began their comeback with a Glading goal late in the third quarter. Glading beat his defender one-on-one and sent a tough shot from the left side past goalie Jason Carter. Freshman Rhamel Bratton scored on a blistering shot from 15 yards a minute and a half later as Virginia trailed 7-6 heading into the fourth quarter.

Maryland looked to build on its lead early in the final period, but Travis Reed’s goal was waved off when the Cavaliers called for a push during the preceding loose ball scramble in front of the Cavalier goal.

Rubeor’s goal from seven yards away with 8:43 remaining knotted the score at 7-all and ultimately forced overtime.

Both teams have good scoring opportunities in the final minutes of regulation. Reed had an excellent chance to put the Terps ahead but his shot on the crease with 5:20 on the clock banged off the pipe. Carter made a nice save of a Shamel Bratton shot with four minutes to go to prevent the Cavaliers from taking the lead.

Maryland’s last chance in regulation was ended when Ryan Young threw a pass over a teammate’s head and out of bounds with seven seconds to play. The Cavaliers called timeout and on the reset Ken Clausen’s 50-yard pass in front of the Maryland crease was knocked around until Peter Lamade corralled the loose sphere and sent a shot just over the crossbar with one second left.

Rubeor was stripped by Bryn Holmes on Virginia’s first overtime possession, but regained possession as Max Pomper fielded a missed shot that was blocked out front. He passed the ball to Mike Timms who lofted a long pass down field. The Terrapins knocked the ball out of bounds with 1:13 remaining. Brian Carroll’s shot with 43 seconds left was high. On the restart, Rubeor used a Billings pick to lose his defender. His shot from six yards out managed to scoot between Holmes’ legs and past Carter to send the Cavaliers to their fourth overtime win of the season.

“It was the same play that we ran about a minute before, before I turned the ball over,” said Rubeor. “I was stripped by the short pole (Holmes) the first time I went on it but we like the match-up where Billings has the short pole covering him. I came off the pick and they switched at first, but then the short pole didn’t stay on me and I had an open look and put it on cage.”

“When Maryland called timeout on their end (with 3:16 left in overtime), at the end of the timeout before we broke the huddle, all I said to the team was, ‘let’s get Ben another chance,’” said Starsia. “We got that stop on defense and got it back down and he makes the play to win it.”

Petit was outstanding in goal and finished with 14 saves, the second-highest total of his career, to highlight a stout Virginia defensive performance. Garett Ince shook off a rough first half by winning five of six second-half faceoffs to help Virginia comeback in the second half.

After being outshot in the first half by 15 shots, Virginia outshot the Terps in the second half 24-14.

The trip to the national semifinals is the 19th in school history. Virginia won the national championship in 1972, ’99, 2003 and ’06.

Maryland 3-3-1-0-0—7 record: 10-6
Virginia 3-1-2-1-1—8 record: 14-3
att—NA

Scoring (G-A)— M: Grant Catalino 2-0, Brian Farrell 2-0, Jeremy Sieverts 1-2, Jeff Reynolds 1-0, Brett Schmidt 1-0, Bryn Holmes 0-1, Max Ritz 0-1. V: Ben Rubeor 3-0, Danny Glading 2-1, Garrett Billings 1-0, Rhamel Bratton 1-0, Steve Giannone 1-0, Brian Carroll 0-1.

Goalie Summary—M: Brian Phipps 30 mins., 3 saves, 4 goals allowed; Jason Carter 33:29 mins., 5 saves, 4 goals allowed. V: Bud Petit 63:29 mins., 14 saves, 7 goals allowed.

Shots: M—40, V—35
Ground Balls: M—36, V—22
Clearing: M—17x20, V—17x22
Faceoffs: M—11, V—8
Penalties: M—4-3:00, V—2-1:30
EMO: M—0x2, V—1x3

 

Cavs score late, advance
By Bill Wagner
Special to The Roanoke Times

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Ben Rubeor has scored a bunch of big goals during his illustrious four-year career at Virginia. None was bigger than the one he netted to bring an end to Saturday's NCAA men's lacrosse tournament quarterfinal.

Rubeor's third goal of the game with 31 seconds remaining in overtime lifted second-seeded Virginia to a thrilling 8-7 victory over Maryland before 17,017 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The senior attackman used a pick to get free and waltzed in from behind the cage to bounce a 5-yard shot past keeper Jason Carter to send the Cavaliers to the semifinals for the 18th time.

"Ben has been a leader in this program since the day he set foot on campus four years ago," Virginia coach Dom Starsia said. "Ben is the definition of a clutch player. We look to him at the end of close games, and he usually comes through."

Virginia won the opening face-off of overtime and called timeout to set up a play for Rubeor. It worked as designed with fellow attackman Garrett Billings setting a solid pick on defenseman Ryne Adolph that forced Maryland to switch. However, short stick defensive midfielder Bryn Holmes took the ball away from Rubeor.

After Maryland failed to score on its initial possession of overtime, Starsia chose to try the same play involving Rubeor. "I thought, 'Let's give Ben another chance with the ball,' '' he said.

This time, Adolph and Holmes seemed confused as to whether to switch and Rubeor was able to turn the corner and get to the front of the net unattended to score his first winning goal in the NCAA tournament.

"I wanted the ball a lot when overtime started. I wanted it even more after I got stripped by the short pole," said Rubeor, who now has 18 goals in 10 career playoff games.

Attackman Danny Glading scored two goals and dished off an assist for Virginia (14-3), which has now won four overtime contests this season. Goalie Bud Petit made 14 saves for the Cavaliers, who held the Terrapins scoreless in the fourth quarter and overtime.

"Virginia went to a zone and it took us by surprise," Maryland coach Dave Cottle said. "We were a little tentative on offense. We stood around a little too much."

Attackman Grant Catalino and long stick midfielder Brian Farrell scored two goals apiece for Maryland (10-6), which led 6-4 at halftime. The Terps dominated play during the initial 30 minutes, winning 19 of 21 ground balls and 5 of 7 face-offs.

"Maryland came out hard and carried the play to us in every way," said Starsia, who took his team to task in the locker room at intermission. "I haven't been that angry with my team in a long time. At halftime, I couldn't believe we were only down by two and still in the game."

Maryland attackman Travis Reed appeared to score the opening goal of the third period, but it was disallowed because he was ruled to have stepped in the crease. Rubeor wound up scoring the lone goal of the fourth quarter to tie the score at seven.

Midfielder Jeremy Sieverts totaled a goal and two assists for Maryland, which won the important possession categories of face-offs (11-8) and ground balls (36-22).

However, the Terrapins only managed to put 21 of 40 shots on goal.

"I thought our kids really played for the name on the front of the jersey instead of the name on the back today. They hustled and really played their tails off," Cottle said. "If we could change one thing, we would change our shooting. We would shoot a little harder, a little smarter and a little more accurately."
 

UM scores 1 in 2nd half; Cavs' Rubeor gets winner; UVa. rallies with final 4 goals; Hopkins shuts down Navy
By Todd Karpovich | Special to The Sun
May 18, 2008

Maryland executed a nearly perfect game plan against Virginia in yesterday's NCAA tournament quarterfinal, containing the Cavaliers' high-powered attack, winning most ground balls and controlling the majority of faceoffs.

Maryland's offense, however, sputtered at several critical moments and could not take advantage of opportunities to pull away from the Cavaliers. Virginia eventually won when Ben Rubeor scored with 31 seconds left in the first overtime to give the second-seeded Cavaliers an 8-7 victory in front of an announced 7,017 - a quarterfinal attendance record - at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

"This team improved as much as any team I have ever been around," Maryland coach Dave Cottle said. "We have a tremendous future. This hurts a little bit because we were in a position to win the game. We played our tails off."

The Cavaliers, who are shooting for their fourth national championship since 1999, play the winner of today's game between Syracuse and Notre Dame.

Virginia entered the game with the fourth-best scoring offense in the nation, averaging 13.19 goals. The Cavaliers were held well below that average, but they still got enough from their trio of talented attackmen to get away with a victory.

Rubeor (Loyola) led Virginia with three goals, Danny Glading added two and Garrett Billings scored one. Freshman Grant Catalino and Brian Farrell (Boys' Latin) each scored twice for the Terps. Maryland won 11 of 19 faceoffs and controlled 36 ground balls, compared with 22 for Virginia.

"It's been really great experience this year, and I didn't really expect us to do this well," Catalino said. "It's great we got some experience under our belt, and we can carry it to the next four years."

Eighth-ranked Maryland (10-6) got the start it was looking for when Catalino and Jeff Reynolds (Calvert Hall) scored 10 seconds apart for a 2-0 lead with 9:04 left in the first quarter. Brett Schmidt caught Virginia goalie Bud Petit (14 saves) out of the crease and fired a shot into the open net from 28 yards out for a three-goal cushion.

The Terps entered the game 9-0 when leading after the first quarter, but the Cavaliers (14-3) put a quick end to their momentum as Steve Giannone, Billings and Glading scored the game's next three goals to tie the score at 3 at the end of the first quarter.

"A credit to the Terps first and foremost. I thought they came out and carried the play to us in every way," Virginia coach Dom Starsia said. "I haven't been that angry at my team in a long time. It's not so much in my makeup to get after the guys, but the Terps were just beating us everywhere. I couldn't believe we were only down by two [at halftime] and still had a chance in the game."

Jason Carter started the second half in goal for Maryland in place of Brian Phipps, who had three saves in the opening two quarters. Maryland led 6-4 at halftime and increased its lead to 7-4 on a goal by Farrell with 9:40 left in the third quarter.

Virginia's offense finally began to click near the end of the third quarter, and back-to-back goals by Glading and Rhamel Bratton cut the Terps' margin to 7-6 with 2:39 left in the third.

Rubeor, however, scored the biggest goals of the game, tying the score at 7 with 8:43 left in regulation and then scoring the winner in overtime, capping a streak of four straight goals for the Cavaliers.

"As a team, we talked all week about wanting to spend one more week together," Rubeor said. "We came out here, and although we did not play our best game, we did earn it."

It was the third game between Maryland and Virginia this season. The Terps beat the Cavaliers, then ranked No. 1, 13-7, during the regular season, and Virginia avenged that loss by beating Maryland, 11-8, in the semifinals of the ACC tournament.

 

Cavaliers bounce their way to Boston
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: May 18, 2008

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — When Saturday’s quarterfinals game of the NCAA men’s lacrosse tournament crept into overtime, only one team was smiling.

Deadlocked at seven with Maryland, Virginia coach Dom Starsia looked around the Cavaliers’ huddle and noticed that everyone had a smile on their face. Perhaps it was confidence showing through. The Cavs had won all three of their previous overtime games this season and had displayed a penchant for success in tight, late-game situations.

No wonder Starsia felt comfortable with the situation.

Just as their recent history suggested, the Cavaliers prevailed, taking an 8-7 sudden-death victory over the Terrapins when senior attackman Ben Rubeor scored on a bounce shot with 31 seconds remaining in the four-minute extra period. Rubeor supplied most of the overtime drama, having turned the ball over only a couple of minutes before, only to redeem himself and send Virginia to next weekend’s Final Four at Gillette Stadium outside Boston.

“I think we were very intent on what we had to do to make a play,” Starsia said of the overtime huddle. “We talked about winning a ground ball or winning the opening faceoff to give us an opportunity.”

That’s exactly what UVa did, taking the opening faceoff and setting up the high-scoring Rubeor for a potential winning play. But he turned it over with 3:16 remaining, giving the seventh-seeded Terps a chance for the win.

Maryland called a timeout to set its strategy and Starsia made a pointed statement to his squad.

“All I said to the team was, ‘Let’s give Ben another chance with the ball,’” Starsia recalled. “We got that stop and got it back down and made the play to win.”

Virginia made that stop with 1:13 on the clock, digging out the ball with midfielder Max Pomper making a long pass downfield. Middie Kevin Carroll’s shot was wide with 43 seconds to go, but Rubeor saved the day.

“It was the same play that we ran about a minute before when I turned the ball over,” Rubeor explained, cracking a smile.

He could afford to, having rode to UVa’s rescue once again, scoring his third goal of the game.

“I was stripped by the short goal the first time I went on it, but we liked the matchup where [Virginia attackman Garrett] Billings had a short goal covering him and I came off the pick,” Rubeor said. “They switched at first, but then the short goal didn’t stay on me, and I had an open look and put it in the cage.”

The goal was the second-seeded Cavaliers’ only lead of the game, having overcome a 3-0 deficit managing to knot the score at 3-3 and eventually 7-7 on another Rubeor shot with 8:43 remaining in regulation.

Virginia actually had an unexpected Hail Mary opportunity at the end of regulation when Maryland turned it over and the Cavaliers called time out with seven seconds to go. They would start the play from 60 yards away from the net.

The following sequence revealed as much about Virginia’s calm demeanor than any other play.

During that time out, Starsia turned to assistant Marc Van Arsdale, who usually handles the offensive strategy.

“I asked Marc, ‘You got something? And he said, ‘Yeah, I got something.’ So, I said, ‘OK, you talk.’”

Ken Clausen threw the ball in and Pete Lamade zipped a shot that sailed just over the cage.

When the team returned to the huddle to start the overtime, the first thing Starsia said to his team was, “Well, that was a better option than mine.”

The coach wasn’t in such a good mood earlier in the game as the Cavs quickly fell behind 3-0, managed to draw even at the end of the first quarter and then trailed 6-4 at the half.

Just as had been the case in the first of the three meetings with Maryland this season, the Terps were taking it to the Cavaliers in every phase of the game.

“I haven’t been that angry at my team in a long time,” Starsia said. “It’s not in my nature to get after my guys so much. At halftime I almost couldn’t believe that we were only down by two and still had a chance to win.”

Maryland had the edge in every statistical category at the half, including 19-2 in groundballs, shots on goal (14-7), faceoffs, turnovers — you name it.

Starsia made sure he regained his team’s attention at halftime and the Cavaliers never panicked. Instead, they came back with a fury, cutting the Terps lead from 7-4 to 7-6 on goals by Danny Glading and Rhamel Bratton. Virginia also seemed to take Maryland by surprise with using some zone defense in the second half.

The Terps also failed to take advantage of their early lead. Up 5-3 with nearly 11 minutes left in the first half, they would score only two more goals the rest of the game, a span of 45 minutes.

“We stayed patient all day and that was the key,” said Glading, who finished with two goals and an assist. “When we have a tendency to push, we get forced into making some mistakes.

“We made a point to remain calm and we knew that if we were going to come back, we were going to have to do it one goal at a time,” Glading said. “There was no panic on our end and I think that helped us to climb back into the game.”

Virginia, now 14-3 on the season, had won overtime games against Syracuse, Johns Hopkins and North Carolina (in which the Cavs also trailed by three goals twice), and had won close decisions in at least three other games, including last week’s 10-9 win over UMBC in the NCAA opening round. Maryland, which ended the season 10-6, including two of its three meetings against UVa, had lost its only regular season overtime contest.

“This one just hurts a little bit because we were in a position to win this game,” said Maryland coach Dave Cottle, visibly distraught with the loss. “No one gave us much of a shot coming into the game. If you look at the stats we played awfully hard. We just held Virginia to eight goals, seven in regulation. That’s a pretty good job.”

The Cavaliers move on to next weekend’s Final Four semifinals game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. On Saturday, Virginia will face the winner of today’s quarterfinal matchup between No. 3 Syracuse and No. 6 Notre Dame in Ithaca, N.Y. The championship game is set for Monday, May 26 at 1 p.m.

Fifth-seeded Johns Hopkins the host, unseeded Navy 10-4, in yesterday’s other quarterfinal game at Annapolis, which attracted an NCAA quarterfinals record crowd of 17,007 for the doubleheader.

Groundballs

UVa’s first shot of the game was a good one, a goal by Steve Giannone with 5:41 showing in the first quarter. ...The Cavaliers won by scoring their second-fewest goals in a game this season (they scored seven in a loss to the Terps on March 29). ...Glading’s two goals marked the ninth game this season he has scored multiple goals. ...An apparent Maryland goal at the 13:57 mark of the fourth quarter was waved off by game officials, who ruled that a Terrapin player was on the crease when the ball crossed the goal line. ... “Words can’t describe how I feel,” said a choked up Maryland sophomore Brian Farrell (two goals) after the loss. “We played our hearts out.”

Rubeor brings UVa back from the dead
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: May 18, 2008

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Beware of Ben Rubeor, Virginia’s star goal producer on a Cavalier lacrosse team headed back to the Final Four.

Don’t let his shaggy-haired, preppy looks or his academic demeanor fool you. Instead, it just disguises the fire in his belly that surfaces during athletic competition.

And how.

Coach Dom Starsia can testify to Rubeor’s fiery athletic personality, a trait that has popped up ever since he walked into the program four years ago. The Wahoo senior almost willed his team past Maryland in Saturday’s quarterfinals match. A couple of his goals didn’t hurt either.

“He is one of those guys that leads on the field and in the classroom and in every which way,” Starsia said of Rubeor after the 8-7 overtime nail-biter, in which the veteran attackman scored three goals, including the tying and winning shots. “There was a big hole there in the beginning of the year with him hurt. We were able to win some games, but you could feel his absence.

“Especially as Ben has gotten stronger late in the season, we have looked toward him,” Starsia emphasized. “I think everybody looks over their should at Ben when times are tough. He is the definition of a clutch player and I think that’s the nicest thing you can say about a player.”

Rubeor, a candidate for the Tewaaraton Trophy (college lacrosse’s equivalent to the Heisman), is like a rolling ball of butcher knives in the face of tough defenses. That’s why when he turned the ball over early in the sudden death extra period against the Terps, he couldn’t wait to make amends. He did just that with 31 seconds to play in the first overtime to send Maryland packing.

He thrives on situations like that. He wanted to be in that position. Just ask him.

“I wanted [that scenario] a lot more when overtime started, and even more when I got stripped by that short goal,” Rubeor said. “I’m looking for the shot first, but at the same time, they were sliding pretty quickly all game. The opening presented itself and it was one of those things.”

Rubeor got a taste of the national championship in 2006 when he was one of the team’s most emotional leaders even though he was only a sophomore. He wouldn’t accept anything less than getting another shot this season, especially in the wake of last year’s surprising first-round exit at the hands of a less-talented Delaware team.

Starsia pointed out his leader’s makeup earlier this week before coming to Annapolis for the quarterfinals. He noted how Rubeor was playing with an urgency that only a senior can exhibit, and how Rubeor had talked to his teammates about staying together, playing as long as they possibly could.

That fire exploded a few weeks ago when Virginia was losing to No. 1 Duke for the second time and Rubeor couldn’t take the way the Cavaliers were getting hammered.

“It was one of those huddles in the latter stages of the Duke game that I had to put my arms around him because he was screaming,” Starsia said.

Virginia lost, but the Cavs mounted enough of a rally to let the Blue Devils know they were around.

It’s part of Rubeor’s nature to leave nothing on the field. Sometimes Starsia has to monitor the situation because he knows that the senior might not be able to control his emotions.

In a play late in last week’s UMBC game, with UVa holding a slim one-goal lead, Rubeor was chasing a Retrievers’ defenseman up the sideline and running right there alongside of him was Starsia, screaming, “Don’t foul this kid, Ben, don’t foul him.”

“I knew he was going to whack him,” Starsia chuckled. “I could see it in his eyes. Luckily he heard me and didn’t foul him.”

Same situation after Rubeor got stripped for the turnover in overtime against Maryland on Saturday. The coach wasn’t yelling, but he hoped his star player would avoid the penalty box.

Rubeor calmly kept his composure and instead of getting mad, Rubeor got even, scoring the winning goal, the 12th time in his last 13 games he has scored multiple times.

Thank goodness there’s a wild man in there somewhere, but Rubeor can easily make the transition to mild-mannered academician when the situation arises, like after being asked what getting back to the Final Four means to him.

“We’ve all waited a long time for this,” he said in reference to the gap in between Final Four visits. “It’s something, especially being a senior now, that I really have an appreciation for. I can speak for everyone on the team that there’s an added excitement when you get this opportunity.”

Now, it’s on to Foxboro and a shot for the program’s second national title in three years.

Like Starsia said, “With Ben on your team, you’ve got to like your chances.”



 

Smallish Attackman Gives Virginia a Boost
By PETE THAMEL
Published: May 18, 2008

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Virginia Coach Dom Starsia freely acknowledges that his star attackman, Ben Rubeor, is not a physical specimen.
Rubeor, a senior, is generously listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 177 pounds. Even if those numbers were not inflated, Rubeor would be considered small.
But like so many great players, Rubeor has a presence that transcends size. He showed that resplendently in an N.C.A.A. lacrosse quarterfinal Saturday, scoring on a left-handed bounce shot with 31 seconds left in overtime to give the No. 2-seeded Cavaliers an 8-7 victory over No. 7 Maryland.
“He’s the definition of a clutch player, which I think is the nicest thing you can say about an athlete,” Starsia said.
Rubeor’s goal lifted Virginia to its third national semifinal berth in the past four seasons and bailed out the Cavaliers after a sloppy and generally unimpressive game. Virginia will play the winner of Sunday’s game between No. 3 Syracuse and No. 6 Notre Dame next Saturday in Foxborough, Mass. Johns Hopkins, which beat Navy, 10-4, will play the winner between No. 1 Duke and unseeded Ohio State.
Rubeor’s winning goal nearly did not happen. Early in overtime, he was stripped of the ball by Maryland’s Bryn Holmes, a short-stick midfielder. When Maryland called a timeout and Virginia broke its huddle on the sideline, Starsia made a point to say that the Cavaliers needed to get the ball back to give Rubeor another chance.
“That meant a lot to me,” Rubeor said. “I don’t know if I could stomach to have my career end like that.”
Starsia had reason to believe in Rubeor, who had a game-high three goals. When Rubeor got his second opportunity, he delivered. He streaked around the back of the cage and found an opening from seven yards out. He bounced the shot past Maryland goalkeeper Jason Carter, and several Terrapins collapsed to the turf.
Maryland did not trail until the winning goal. The Terrapins dominated the first half, picking up 19 of 21 ground balls and winning 9 of 12 face-offs.
Maryland scored only once in the second half, and that came from the long-stick defenseman Brian Farrell. Virginia switched to a zone in the second half, a look it rarely shows, and Maryland Coach Dave Cottle said his young team stood around too much. The Terrapins, who led at halftime, 6-4, had a fourth-quarter goal by Travis Reed erased because of a crease violation. Reed later drilled a shot off a post from point-blank range.
With 38 seconds left in regulation and the game tied, Maryland could not get within 15 yards of the cage, and Ryan Young threw the ball away.
“This hurt a little bit because we were in position to win this game,” Cottle said. “We played our tails off.”
The record crowd of 17,017, which smashed the previous record for an N.C.A.A. quarterfinal by nearly 5,000, saw Virginia score the game’s final four goals.
Rubeor tied the game midway through the fourth quarter, then won it in overtime.
In the end, despite his size, he and the Cavaliers stood tall.

U.Va.'s Devvarman distinguished himself
Sunday, May 18, 2008 - 12:07 AM

U.VA. VS. BAYLOR
NCAA team quarterfinals
Today:in Tulsa, Okla.

By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTESVILLE So there he was, in a second-floor room at the historic Rotunda last month, waiting to speak to University of Virginia officials, including President John T. Casteen III and the men and women who form the school's board of visitors.

On the tennis court, Somdev Devvarman radiates confidence. He didn't feel as sure of himself on this spring day.

"Very intimidating," Devvarman recalled with a smile. "I was standing in front of, basically, all the people who run the University of Virginia. So it wasn't like the most comfortable moment I've ever had. But they were exceptionally friendly. They were very nice, very warm, and it was one of the most cool experiences I've ever had."

Devvarman, the reigning NCAA singles champion, need not have worried about his performance before the assembled VIPs.

"He was great," Casteen said yesterday.

That comes as no surprise. Devvarman, who's from Chennai, India, has represented U.Va. well throughout his four years there. He'll graduate today with a bachelor's degree in sociology, though he won't be on the Lawn to celebrate with his classmates. Devvarman and the other Cavaliers are in Tulsa, Okla., for the NCAA team tournament. Top-seeded Virginia plays Baylor in the quarterfinals this afternoon.

Devvarman packed for a long stay in Tulsa. The NCAA singles and doubles championships follow the team tourney, and they won't conclude until May 26. Devvarman could leave Tulsa with three NCAA titles. Yet tennis doesn't define him.

"While it is wonderful how Somdev has distinguished himself playing tennis, it is important to note how he has distinguished himself as a person," Casteen wrote in an e-mail to The Times-Dispatch. "Somdev's sportsmanship on the court is something that has made him a standout -- and for that the board was especially appreciative."

Devvarman enrolled at U.Va. in 2004, along with such classmates as Chris Long, Sean Singletary and Ben Rubeor.

"Some of the best athletes this school has ever seen," Virginia men's tennis coach Brian Boland said.

Even in that elite company, Devvarman has stood out. He recently was the choice of U.Va. coaches as the school's top male athlete for 2007-08, beating out Long (football), Singletary (basketball) and Rubeor (lacrosse), among others.

"I'm good friends with all of them," Devvarman said, "and to get that award definitely meant a lot to me, especially to get it over such great athletes, such great guys."

Devvarman is friends, it seems, with virtually everyone he meets at U.Va., athlete or not. Boland laughs when he describes walking with Devvarman on the school grounds.

"He's a rock star," Boland said. "He's the kind of person everybody wants to be around. Somdev's just one of those people, with his personality and how friendly he is, he lifts the spirits of those around him."

Devvarman said: "I really enjoy building relationships with people. . . . I've been fortunate enough to be in the situation I am, and I try to make the most of it, try to meet as many people as I can, because it's just such a fun experience."

Had Devvarman taken another path after high school in India -- he considered turning pro -- he never would have become the greatest tennis player in U.Va. history. But Devvarman's parents wanted him to get a college education, and Boland, on a recruiting trip to Chennai, proved persuasive, even if the local cuisine didn't suit the Cavaliers' coach.

In 2004-05, Devvarman was named ACC freshman of the year. As a sophomore, he advanced to the NCAA singles final. In 2007, he became the first men's tennis player in ACC history to win the NCAA singles title. Moreover, Devvarman and his best friend, classmate Treat Huey, reached the NCAA doubles semifinals and helped the Cavaliers advance to the NCAA team semifinals.

Devvarman, 5-11 and 163 pounds, has been ranked No.1 in singles throughout this season, and he hasn't disappointed. His singles record is 36-1. He and Huey are the nation's top-ranked doubles team, and unbeaten Virginia has been atop the team rankings all season.

No matter what happens in Tulsa, Devvarman will treasure his four years at U.Va., and he's in no hurry to leave Charlottesville. He plans to live there even after he turns pro this summer.

"This experience is just priceless, to be honest," Devvarman said. "I've gotten so much from the university, and I can only hope to give back as much as I've gotten."

 

Virginia drops series with GT
By Jay Jenkins
Published: May 18, 2008

The timing was completely off. The irony was eerily appropriate.

As fans filed out of Davenport Field on Saturday, a song written by AC/DC describing a road trip to Satan’s home blasted through the stadium’s speakers.

For now, however, Virginia’s baseball team sits clearly in postseason purgatory after completing the regular season by dropping the rubber game of the three-game series with No. 25 Georgia Tech, 9-7.

The Yellow Jackets (38-17, 16-14 ACC) dominated the middle-third of the game, slapped out 16 total hits and held off a late rally to secure the No. 5 seed in this week’s ACC Tournament. UVa

(36-19, 15-15) was relegated to the No. 6 seed and will face No. 2 Florida State, No. 3 North Carolina and No. 7 Wake Forest in pool play in Jacksonville, Fla.

“As we saw, Georgia Tech has a very good offensive ballclub and they took advantage of the opportunities we gave them, they crept out there to a pretty big lead and it was a lot to overcome,” said UVa coach Brian O’Connor. “I like the fight in our players to score four runs late, but we have to pitch better to have a chance to win this late in the season.”

Virginia starter Jacob Thompson, the school’s all-time wins leader, minimized early damage after being staked to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, but ran into a game-changing mess in the fifth inning after the Yellow Jackets had evened the score.

Georgia Tech’s Charlie Blackmon opened the frame with a leadoff single to center, took second on a fielding error and advanced to third on a wild pitch. After Thompson recorded his eighth and final strikeout, the junior right-hander walked Luke Murton on a full-count pitch.

With left-handed hitter Derek Dietrich coming up, O’Connor played the percentages and walked to the mound and took the ball from Thompson.

“Dietrich struck out in his first at-bat against him, but he hit a ball really hard in his second at-bat and Jacob was at about 90 pitches,” O’Connor said, “and I felt like if we were going to use Davis, that was the point in the ballgame to do it.”

Davis was shelled — the southpaw gave up four straight hits, allowed two both inherited runners to score and did not retire a batter.

“Neal just didn’t have his good stuff,” O’Connor said, “and he had a tough time getting them out.”

After Georgia Tech scored another run in the sixth against Virginia’s bullpen to go ahead 7-2, the Cavaliers’ offense attempted a rally and scored in the sixth, seventh and ninth innings.

But the Yellow Jackets padded their lead in the seventh with two runs off reliever Jeff Lorick, and Virginia hit into improbable double plays in the seventh and eighth innings.

The first double play, a rocketed line drive by junior David Adams to second base, came in what still managed to become a three-run frame.

“Part of me was like, ‘Heck yeah, I hit one hard,’” said Adams, who has not had a hit in six games. “But part of me was disappointed. I was not disappointed in myself but for the team. I let the team down.”

The play itself, as well as the baserunning blunder in the eighth when catcher Franco Valdes was doubled off first on a blooper that sailed into right field, summed up Virginia’s fortunes during its last nine league games, seven of which it has lost.

“When you are fighting from behind, those things can’t happen,” O’Connor said. “We typically run the bases very well, and those are a couple of mistakes in a ballgame that you need runs.”

Virginia’s final attempt at a rally produced a run on an RBI double from Jeremy Farrell in the ninth, but ended a batter later on a deep fly off the bat off Dan Grovatt that came 10 feet shy of tying the game.

For the game, Virginia had five doubles and 13 total hits in its second straight game with offensive production.

“Really, I felt like our approach was the best that it has been in about three weeks,” O’Connor said. “I think that is encouraging.”

While the ACC will not officially announce the schedule for the ACC Tournament until 3 p.m. today, multiple sources confirmed that Virginia would face North Carolina on Wednesday at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.

“It really doesn’t matter who we are going to play down there,” O’Connor said. “All I care about is the game we have on Wednesday. If we go out and play hard and fight like we did today and we get a good pitched ballgame, we will have a chance to win.”

 

Cavaliers Stage Huge Rally to Earn Berth to NCAA Championships
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 05/17/2008

Chattanooga, TN – The unranked Virginia men’s golf team staged a miraculous rally during the final round of the NCAA East Regional Championships to finish 10th and earn the final berth from the regional to the national championships. Virginia’s trip to the 30-team NCAAs at Purdue’s Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex is the program’s first since 2000. The tournament takes place May 28-31.

The Cavaliers entered Saturday’s final round in 16th place, nine shots out of 10th place. With play delayed more than two hours due to morning fog, the Cavaliers did not tee off until mid-afternoon at the same time the tournament’s leaders were completing their rounds. When Michigan State finished its morning round, the Spartans occupied 10th place at 1-under 851. It would take Virginia’s best round of the season to overtake the 24th-ranked Spartans.

That’s exactly what the Cavalier golfers combined to do. Virginia shot 8-under 276, the day’s second best score, and finished 10th in the 54-hole event at 3-under 849.

“The guys stepped up like they have done all spring,” said coach Bowen Sargent. “They knew they had to win the Cavalier Classic just to make the a regional and they did that. They knew they had to go out and have a really great day and they did it. They had great focus today.”

Virginia got off to an excellent start as the five UVa players combined for eight birdies over their first two holes. The Cavaliers made the turn at 6-under including 11 birdies. Freshman Will Collins, who led UVa in the final round with a 4-under 67 on the Council Fire Golf Club course, used an eagle on the 11th hole to move to 3-under and finally put UVa in the top 10.

“We talked about the fact the first couple of holes were some of the easiest on the course,” Sargent said. “We knew we had to get under par fast and they did it. The final three holes were the toughest on the course, so we felt if we could get off to a great start, and then hold on, we could get in.

“I told the guys that the teams playing in the morning had all the pressure on them. They were the leaders and they were battling to get in. We were a high seed and no one expected anything from us. I told them to go out and get some birdies and then we’ll add them up at the end and see if it is enough. Well, it was. They did great.”

The Cavaliers entered the regional tournament as the No. 22 seed. They are the highest seed from any of the three regional championships to advance to the NCAAs.

Collins was one of three UVa players to finish below par during the final round. Sophomores Steven Rojas and Kyle Stough both shot 2-under 69. Senior Greg Carlin shot even par 71 and Conrad Von Borsig had his best round of the three-day event with a 1-over 72.

“I walked with Will all day and he was amazing today,” Sargent said. “It was one of the best ball striking rounds I’ve ever seen. He chipped in on 17 for a birdie. At that point I thought it was our day, when something like that happens.”

Rojas finished 17th overall with a score of 4-under 209. Collins was 23rd at 210, Stough was 38th at 213, Carlin was 94th at 220 and Von Borsig finished 129th at 226.

Georgia, the top-seed in the tournament, was the only team to shoot better than UVa during the final round. The Bulldogs posted a final round score of 9-under 275 for a final team score of 41-under 811. Augusta State was second at 831, 21 shots behind Georgia.

Other teams advancing from the East Regional included UC-Irvine (836), Mississippi State (838), UAB (839), Auburn (840), Charlotte (844), East Tennessee State (845) and Middle Tennessee (846). There were five teams at the regional ranked in Golfstat’s top-30 that failed to advance to the NCAs including No. 7 South Carolina and No. 12 Duke.

Georgia’s Russell Henley and UAB’s Zach Sucher tied for first at 13-under 200.

Virginia will be joined at the NCAAs by ACC members Wake Forest and Clemson. The Demon Deacons won the Central Regional while Clemson was third in at the West Regional.

 

No. 9 Virginia Wraps Up Day One At South/Central Regionals
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 05/17/2008

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – No. 9 Virginia will have one boat in each of the grand finals of the South/Central Regionals, which continue Sunday in Oak Ridge, Tenn. In Saturday’s preliminary and semifinal races, Virginia won seven races including sweeps by the Varsity Four, Second Varsity Eight and Varsity Eight crews.

The Varsity Four crew (Cristine Candland, Diane Leigh, Allison Brennan, Nora Phillips, Schafer Bomstein) began the day by winning its preliminary heat in a time of 7:26.10 and followed up in the afternoon with a first-place finish and time of 7:35.50. Also advancing to Sunday’s grand final along with the Cavaliers is Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State, Minnesota and Clemson.

The Second Varsity Eight (Mary Eddy, Amanda Chase, Lauren Shook, Helen Tompkins, Marie Long, Claudia Blandford, Annie Bohlen, Adrienne Egge and Victoria Burke) also had two victories, first in its morning heat with a time of 6:36.2 and then in the afternoon semifinal with a time of 6:42.00. In Sunday’s grand final, UVa will be joined by Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Tennessee and Wisconsin.

The Varsity Eight (Caitlin Mixter, Jennifer Cromwell, Rebecca Ryall, Lauren Hutchins, Kelsie Chaudoin, Desiree Burns, Augusta Stratos, Bridget Wandelt, Katrin Sydlik) also had an impressive day, easily winning its morning heat (6:32.50) and edging ACC opponent Clemson in the semifinal for a first-place finish (6:31.00). Sunday’s Varsity Eight grand final will feature UVa, Wisconsin, Clemson, Michigan, Michigan State and Tennessee.

Also competing in grand finals on Sunday will be Virginia’s Novice Eight (Laura Hendrie, Susie Chalker, Christine Roper, Lauren Heimburg, Eleanor Giles, Jenn Lampen, Hannah Jenkins, Caroline Sweeny and Emily Farrior), which rowed to a first-place finish in its semifinal with a time of 7:09.80 and the Virginia “A” crew (Taylor Gilmore, Summers Nelson, Shalane Carlson, Mariana Lima and Pamela Baylor) in the Open Four grand final. The Open Four petite final, meanwhile, features the Virginia “B” crew (Sarah Pichardo, Colleen Beichert, Jessica Streufert, Hannah Jordan, Edidiong Umoh).