No hurdle too high for Cavs
By Jay Jenkins
Published: May 24, 2008

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Virginia’s baseball team has a new favorite sound — or lack thereof.

After Michael Schwimer successfully retired Florida State phenom Buster Posey on a liner to short in the ninth inning, a hush fell over the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.

Florida State, clearly the fan favorite and ranked fourth in the country, had been humbled in stunning fashion.

Virginia, thanks to several game-changing circus catches by right fielder David Coleman and the newfound ability to deliver a clutch hit, upended the Seminoles 5-3 remaining undefeated in Bracket B at the ACC baseball tournament.

Top-ranked North Carolina’s 2-0 victory over Wake Forest late Friday night puts UVa in the title game regardless of the result of today’s game between the Cavaliers and the Demon Deacons. UVa will face the winner of today’s game between Miami and N.C. State on Sunday at 1 p.m., if Clemson upsets Georgia Tech at 10 a.m. If Georgia Tech wins, Miami advances to the title game.

“All year long we were searching for our identity and maybe down here now we are starting to find ourselves a little bit and getting some big wins,” said Virginia coach Brian O’Connor. “Obviously, this is another big win for us.

“We are sitting here now, 2-0 in the tournament, and it is obviously where you want to be as a coach and as a team.”

Virginia (38-19) slapped out 11 hits in the contest, pitched effectively on the mound with runners on base and weathered a 53-minute lightning delay in the middle of the contest to register the win against the nation’s leading offense.

Jacob Thompson, the school’s all-time wins leader, set the tone early as he scattered five hits and allowed just two earned runs over five innings.

Thompson (6-4) did not, however, survive the lengthy delay and did not attempt to talk O’Connor out of his decision to go to the bullpen.

“I didn’t give him the opportunity to,” O’Connor said. “It was the best thing for our team and the best thing for the player.”

Staked to a 4-2 lead after the Cavaliers scored a lone run in the fifth after the delay, reliever Matt Packer used 40 pitches to effectively scatter four hits over three runs.

Packer, who sports an ACC-best 1.29 ERA, did allow a run in the seventh on an RBI groundout by Jason Stidham.

Virginia answered — shortstop Greg Miclat, who also drove in a run in the Cavaliers’ three-run third inning on a sac fly, delivered an RBI single to right that allowed Franco Valdes to score a split-second before the ball arrived at the plate, giving the Cavaliers a 5-3 lead.

“Obviously, to have a two-run lead against a team like Florida State makes a big difference,” O’Connor said. “You can manage differently, be a little bit more aggressive on the mound.

“One run is not enough in this league. You have to capitalize on every opportunity you get. Fortunately, it was enough to get the win.”

The complexion of the game changed completely in the eighth.

After Packer allowed a leadoff single to Jack Rye, Florida State’s Dennis Guinn mashed an offering into the gap in right-center. Miraculously, Coleman emerged from out of the picture to make a diving catch.

“That was just a great catch,” said FSU coach Mike Martin. “Dennis hit the heck out of it and Coleman just made a tremendous play.”

Coleman added: “I just ran for it and I looked up and I was able to lay out and make the catch.”

It was not Coleman’s first highlight-reel play of the evening.

In the fourth, Florida State third baseman Stuart Tapley lifted a fly ball down the line in right field that appeared headed for the first row of seats. Once again, Coleman emerged at the last second to make a catch that sent him into the stands.

Florida State (47-10) scored a run on the play as the runner tagged from third and appeared to plate another as Tommy Oravetz attempted to score from second. The umpires, however, ruled that the play was dead after Coleman left the field, allowing the runners to advance one base each.

“I was just trying to get to the ball and all of a sudden the wall came up,” Coleman said. “I didn’t know it was there, I didn’t hear anything, and all of a sudden my legs got taken out from under me and I was in the seats.

“It was early in the game and I thought we needed the out to get some momentum and I really didn’t think about throwing. I tried to get back into play so I put my leg back into the field and threw it in.”

Thanks to both plays, O’Connor summoned Schwimer from the bullpen in the top-half of the ninth.

Schwimer sandwiched a pair of strikeouts around a walk before retiring Posey, who entered hitting .471 on the season, on the liner to Miclat.

“It is just no question that the team in the other dugout deserved to win,” Martin said of the Cavaliers. “They played solid baseball, got great pitching, made quality pitches when they needed to … and every time we had a chance, they would do something quality, whether it was an outstanding pitch or a key hit.”

Virginia will close out pool play today at 8 p.m. against Wake Forest. O’Connor will start left-hander Jeff Lorick on the mound, holding ace Pat McAnaney until Sunday’s title game.

 

Seminoles upset by Virginia at ACC Tournament
FSU's tournament in jeopardy after loss to Virginia
By Steve Ellis
DEMOCRAT SENIOR WRITER

JACKSONVILLE — Mike Martin made certain to offer a literal tip of the cap to Virginia as Friday night's post-game news conference reached a merciful conclusion for the veteran coach.

Words of praise were certainly in order for No. 6 seed Virginia, especially run-robbing right fielder David Coleman.

But a 5-3 loss that put No. 2 seed FSU on the brink of being denied a spot in Sunday's ACC championship game was just as much about the Seminoles blowing opportunities. The Seminoles went 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine runners.

Starting Virginia pitcher Jacob Thompson, roughed up for seven runs on 11 hits against FSU in early April, was — in Dennis Guinn's assessment — hittable again. But Thompson looked unbeatable early in striking out FSU's first three batters on a night where nine hits could have been enough for the Seminoles but were not.

Consequently, FSU (47-10 and 24-6 in the ACC regular season) needed Wake Forest to upset North Carolina in the late Friday night game to make FSU's game against UNC today mean anything.

"It's kind of weird," Martin said. "You lose one game after winning 24 in the regular season, and you could be history,"

Although FSU swept Virginia during the regular season, the Cavaliers gave the Seminoles notice of what to expect during opening action on Wednesday when they defeated the nation's No. 1 team, North Carolina, in extra innings.

The Seminoles fell behind 3-1 as it did in its tournament-opening win over Wake Forest. And after chipping away at that lead, FSU trailed 5-3 entering the eighth. Each time, Virginia's Coleman defused a potentially big inning with spectacular catches.

The first came with FSU behind 3-1 in the fourth with Tony Delmonico on third and Tommy Oravetz at second. Coleman went tumbling into the stands to make a catch and the two Seminoles tagged and scored. Oravetz, though, was sent back to third.

"They got the call right," Martin said. "Once a guy goes into the stands, he's basically out of play and everybody moves up a base."

After striking first on Tony Delmonico's RBI double in the second, Virginia responded with three runs the next inning to set up that first lead. Two singles, including one that went off starting pitcher Ryan Strauss' glove and into shallow left field set up an run-scoring sacrifice fly from Greg Miclat. Two infield grounders, neither one a hit, put Virginia up 3-1 after three.

FSU and Virginia exchanged runs in the middle innings and then again in the seventh. FSU scored on Jason Stidham's groundout while Virginia reached Bo O'Dell for a run, the only one he gave up in 32/3 innings of relief.

An inning later, the left-handed Coleman was tumbling on the turf at the Baseball Grounds in Jacksonville with the ball firmly in his glove. It took away a potential RBI double away from Guinn.

"That's just this game," said Buster Posey who lined out in the ninth for FSU's final out. "Some nights you get the breaks and some nights you don't."

 

Baseball Knocks Off No. 3 Florida State, Clinches Title Game Berth
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 05/23/2008

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Virginia earned its second-consecutive win over a top-5 team Friday, as the Cavaliers defeated No. 3 Florida State, 5-3, at the 2008 ACC Baseball Championship at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. The win, which clinches Virginia's spot in the championship game Sunday, came two nights after Virginia upset No. 1 North Carolina, 8-7 in extra innings.

The Seminoles (47-10), who entered with the nation’s most wins, are the tournament’s No. 2 seed, while Virginia (38-19) holds the No. 6 seed. The Cavaliers, who will make their fourth championship game appearance and first since 2005, are looking to become just the third No. 6 seed in tournament history to advance to the championship game. UVa won the tournament title in 1996.

UVa is 2-0 in Pool B and clinched a berth in the championship game at 1 p.m. Sunday after North Carolina's 2-0 win Friday night vs. Wake Forest. The Cavaliers next play the No. 7-seeded Demon Deacons at 8 p.m. Saturday. The game will be televised by SportSouth and SUN Sports, while the radio broadcast is available on WINA (1070-AM).

Virginia’s Jacob Thompson (Jr., Danville, Va.) went five innings, allowing two earned runs, five hits and two walks while striking out six. He improved to 6-4 this season as he increased his school-record career win total to 27. ACC ERA leader Matt Packer (So., Germantown, Tenn.) worked the next three innings before Michael Schwimer (Sr., Alexandria, Va.) pitched the ninth to earn his ACC-best 13th save.

Ryan Strauss (8-1) started for Florida State and was lifted after the game went into a 53-minute lightning delay in the fifth inning. He pitched four innings and gave up four earned runs, four hits and a walk while striking out three.

David Coleman (Fr., Richmond, Va.) recorded a career-high three hits and made two highlight-reel catches in one of his best games as a Cavalier. Jeremy Farrell (Jr., Westlake, Ohio) and Phil Gosselin (Fr., West Chester, Pa.) each added two hits as the Cavaliers racked up 11 hits. Dan Grovatt (Fr., Tabernacle, N.J.) added a double and two RBI. Tony Delmonico went 4-for-4 to lead the Seminoles.

Florida State scored first in the game, taking a second-inning lead on an RBI double by Delmonico.

Virginia came back to score three in the third inning. John Barr (Fr., Ivyland, Pa.) and Tyler Cannon (So., Pigeon Forge, Tenn.) hit consecutive singles to lead off and put the runners at first and third. Greg Miclat (Jr., Concord, N.C.) then lifted a sacrifice fly to plate Barr.

After a Coleman single, David Adams (Jr., Margate, Fla.) grounded to first baseman Dennis Guinn, who bobbled the ball and then tried to throw Cannon out at the plate. The throw was tardy and allowed Cannon to slide in safely and give UVa a 2-1 lead. One batter later, Grovatt grounded out to score Adams and push the advantage to 3-1.

The Seminoles scored a run in the fourth on a Stuart Tapley sacrifice fly. Coleman made a sensational catch on the play as he caught the ball in foul territory while running into the wall and then flipping into the stands.

Virginia tacked on a run in the fifth inning. Adams led off with a walk and following the lightning delay, he moved to third on a Jeremy Farrell (Jr., Westlake, Ohio) single. Grovatt then lofted a sacrifice fly to center to push the lead to 4-2.

FSU played small ball to get a run back in the seventh. Tapley led off with a single and moved to second on a wild pitch. A Tyler Holt groundout moved Tapley to third, and Jason Stidham brought the runner home with a groundout.

The Cavaliers got that run back in their half of the seventh, as Miclat hit a two-out single to right field to score Franco Valdes (So., Miami, Fla.).

In the eighth, the Seminoles put the leadoff man on before Guinn launched a deep flyball into right-center. Coleman tracked the ball down and made his second phenomenal catch to save extra bases and keep the lead in tact at 5-3.

Virginia's Starsia built his career at Brown
02:17 PM EDT on Friday, May 23, 2008
By JIM DONALDSON
Journal Sports Writer

The first Saturday in May was Lacrosse Alumni Weekend at Brown and, among the old Bears cheering from the sidelines as their alma mater beat perennial power Princeton, 6-5, for a share of the Ivy League title, was the captain of the 1974 team, Dom Starsia.
 
Who also happens to be the highly successful coach of the University of Virginia Cavaliers.

"I have a deep affection for Brown," he said. "Mike Goldberger [Brown's director of athletics] is one of my closest friends. Lars Tiffany [Brown's coach] played for me, and was a two-time captain for me."

The emotional ties to Brown, and to Providence, remain strong for Starsia, even 16 years after he left to go to Charlottesville.

Professionally, it was an easy decision for him to leave Brown, even though he had been coaching the Bears for 10 years and had won two Ivy League titles. At Virginia, he knew he could compete for the national championship every year.

At a farewell party for Starsia in the summer of 1992, a friend told him that the good news about his taking the job at U.Va. was that he could go to the Final Four every year. The bad news was that, if he didn't get to the Final Four, people would want to know why.

It's a question Starsia hasn't had to answer very often. He's won three NCAA titles at Virginia -- the most recent in 2006, when his Cavaliers were a perfect 17-0 and beat Massachusetts by eight goals in the championship game.

He also has lost twice in the title game, and is back in the Final Four again this year -- for the 10th time in 16 seasons. Virginia, the No. 2 seed, will take on third-seeded Syracuse on Saturday at noon at Gillette Stadium in the opening semifinal game, followed at 2:30 by No. 1-ranked Duke against defending champion and No. 5 seed Johns Hopkins. The championship game will be played Monday afternoon at 1 in Foxboro.

That's the sort of success Starsia hoped for -- and that Cavaliers fans expected -- when he was lured to U.Va. from Brown following the retirement of longtime Cavs coach Jim Adams.

Emotionally, however, it was a difficult move to make.

Starsia had spent his entire adult life at Brown. He had built a family, and a career, in Providence.

Although he came to Brown to play football, he fell in love with lacrosse as a freshman -- "I played in the first game I ever saw," he said -- and developed into a two-time all-Ivy defenseman, helping the Bears win the league title as a junior in 1973.

The captain of the team as a senior, Starsia became an assistant coach under Cliff Stevenson after graduation. In 1983, he was named head coach of the Bears and, over the next decade, took the team to the NCAA tournament five times, including three straight appearances from 1990 through 1992. His 1991 team was undefeated during the regular season and ranked as high as second in the country.

But he felt he could do even better at Virginia.

"When I used to tell recruits the weather in places like Chapel Hill was no different than in Providence, I lied," he chuckled. "I decided I'd built enough character shoveling snow off the roof [of Olney-Margolies Athletic Center] so we could practice on the artificial turf.

"I had just turned 40 [in 1992]. I wasn't having a midlife crisis, but I was ready for another adventure, professionally, in a different setting."

Except that his wife, Kristin, didn't want to leave Providence.

"When I mentioned to her that Jim Adams was retiring, she said: 'I hope you'll be very happy.' The implication was clear that, if I was going to Charlottesville, she wasn't going with me."

Starsia knew it was going to take some convincing.

"We had deep ties to Providence," he said. "A lot of friends."

They also had four young children -- two in gifted and talented programs, two others in special education.

"When I talked with the people at Virginia," he recalled, "it wasn't just about lacrosse. It was about whether the move was right for my family. When I flew down for an interview, they insisted that Krissy come along with me. When we saw the schools our kids would be attending, we knew it would be a good situation."

Starsia didn't know a thing about lacrosse when he arrived at Brown in the fall of 1970 as a wide receiver. He played freshman football, then was convinced to come out for lacrosse by his roommate, Dave White, a Mohawk Indian.

The game was invented by Indians, who referred to it as "the little brother of war." A history major at Brown, Starsia became interested in that aspect of the game, as well.

"I fell in love with it as soon as I started playing," he said.

Although he also played varsity football for two more years, Starsia said he "kept a lacrosse stick in my locker. I'd sit there and throw a ball off the wall. The football coaches hated it."

It was clear that he preferred catching, throwing and running with a lacrosse ball to doing the same things with a football.

While Starsia never looked back after giving up football, he maintains close ties to Brown and Providence.

Those connections have benefited him in recruiting. When the Cavaliers won the NCAA championship in 2003, their star player was Chris Rotelli, whose father, Peter, played freshman lacrosse with Starsia. Chris, who had been a standout at Moses Brown, was not only voted Player of the Year in Division I, but also was named Male Athlete of the Year in the Atlantic Coast Conference -- the first Cavalier to win that award since basketball star Ralph Sampson. Ben Rubeor, one of the leading scorers this season for the Cavs, is the son of Bob Rubeor, who was a lacrosse teammate of Starsia's at Brown. What's more, the manager of the U.Va. lacrosse team this year is Jade White, who's the daughter of Dave White, Starsia's former roommate.

"I loved being at Brown." Starsia said. "But I was ready for a new chapter in my life. I wanted to compete for the Final Four every year."



 

U.Va. coach doubles his pleasure with Bratton twins on the team
Saturday, May 24, 2008 - 12:06 AM

MEN'S LACROSSE
At Foxborough, Mass.
Today's semifinals:U.Va. vs Syracuse,noon, ESPN2; Duke vs. Johns Hopkins, 2:30, ESPN2

By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

The Bratton twins had barely begun the 12th grade at Huntington High on Long Island, N.Y., when they first appeared on the cover of Inside Lacrosse magazine. Their on-field feats already were legendary, but what made the story of Shamel and Rhamel especially compelling was the fact that they were African-Americans in an overwhelmingly white sport.

By the time the Brattons enrolled at the University of Virginia last summer, expectations in some corners of the lacrosse world had soared to ridiculous levels, fueled in part by highlights posted on YouTube.com.

Never mind that the transition to Division I lacrosse is particularly difficult for midfielders. Many believed the Brattons, with their blazing shots and rare blend of size, speed and quickness, were going to immediately revolutionize the sport. In three seasons on the Huntington varsity, the twins lost only once: in their final game.

"People thought we were going to be like the next Kyle Harrison our freshman year," Rhamel said with a smile, referring to the former Johns Hopkins great.

Shamel said: "I wasn't expecting anything like that. First off, I was just happy to get on the field. As a freshman, usually you kind of sit back and learn the game from the sideline and then pick it up your sophomore year, if you're lucky."

Second-seeded Virginia (14-3) faces third-seeded Syracuse (14-2) in the NCAA semifinals today in Foxborough, Mass., and ESPN2 viewers and fans at Gillette Stadium will see plenty of the Brattons. Shamel, who is 30 minutes older than Rhamel, wears jersey No. 1 and plays on the Cavaliers' first midfield. Rhamel is on the second midfield and wears No. 3.

Neither Shamel (6-1, 188 pounds) nor Rhamel (6-1, 180) gives himself high marks for his play this season, but Dom Starsia is a more forgiving grader. Virginia's longtime coach understands the challenges freshman midfielders face in Division I. Check out the modest freshman numbers posted by some of the greatest middies in U.Va. history: 20 points for Andy Kraus, 17 for Kyle Dixon, eight apiece for Chris Rotelli and Matt Poskay.

Given that, the Brattons' scoring totals heading into today's game -- Shamel has 17 points (13 goals, four assists) and Rhamel 15 (nine goals, six assists) -- suggest the twins have done fine, no matter what critics might say.

"It's really amazing," said John Jiloty, Inside Lacrosse's editor in chief. "We get criticized for overhyping these guys. Then it's OK for everyone else to destroy them for not having 50 points apiece in their first year. From a talent and potential standpoint, these guys have it all. And I think what they've done is impressive."

A look at message boards on lacrosse Web sites reveals that Bratton-bashing is popular. Posters contend that Rhamel and Shamel are too cocky, too flashy and too selfish. The level of animosity on the Internet has surprised and saddened Starsia.

"Is there racial overtones to it?" he said. "I don't know, but I'm slightly suspicious of some of that."

Starsia acknowledged the twins are "a little high-strung on the field. They tend to overreact when something doesn't go their way. They just have so much energy -- they're always kind of bouncing off the walls in the locker room -- and people mistake that for arrogance and showmanship. People just don't want to like them, but they're such nice kids."

A love affair began when the Brattons picked up lacrosse as fourth-graders. They were all-state football players at Huntington High and could have earned college scholarships in that sport, but their hearts were elsewhere.

"It's just fun to play lacrosse," Shamel said. "Football is a sport that's so tough on your body, and it just puts you through so much."

The Bratton brothers will play this summer for the U.S. under-19 team at the world championships in Canada. Neither has shot the ball accurately this year, and they want to hone those skills before next season. Like most freshmen, Starsia said, the twins also need to push themselves harder in practice and in the weight room.

Are Rhamel and Shamel stars? Not yet. But Starsia believes that day is coming.

 

Loyola grad Rubeor leads U.Va. to semifinal date with Syracuse
Senior attackman scored game-winning goal against Maryland last weekend
By Edward Lee | Sun reporter
3:44 PM EDT, May 23, 2008
 

Ben Rubeor's heroics last week were rooted in anger.

By now, lacrosse fans everywhere have watched replays of Rubeor, a senior attackman for Virginia, curling around the right post and depositing a shot past Maryland goalkeeper Jason Carter with 31 seconds left in overtime a week ago to send the Cavaliers to a 19th semifinal appearance in the NCAA tournament.

What people might not know is that Rubeor's third game-winning goal of the season was fueled by his anger over being stripped of the ball by Terps sophomore midfielder Bryn Holmes just minutes before.

"I tend to play with a little bit of a temper," Rubeor, a Towson native and Loyola High graduate, said with a chuckle. "Coach tries to reel it in sometimes, and other times, he lets it go. He told me that he was worried that as I was running up the field, I was going to foul Bryn. But I definitely play with a temper, and when I don't play or perform as well as I want to, that definitely comes out."

Thankfully for the Cavaliers, there have been few occasions when Rubeor hasn't played well. He's one of a few reasons No. 2 seed Virginia (14-3) will meet No. 3 seed Syracuse (14-2) in a semifinal tomorrow at noon at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

Despite missing the season's first three contests with a nagging right knee injury, Rubeor leads the team in goals (38) and is third in points (51). He was named a finalist for the Tewaaraton Trophy for the second consecutive year despite having fewer goals and points than three of the other four candidates.

Rubeor will certainly be the center of attention for the Orange defense.

"I think you've got to be aware of where he is all of the time," Syracuse coach John Desko said. "He's very explosive. He'll go in situations where you least expect it. Off of substitutions where some teams tend to slow the ball down, he'll take the ball and dodge and go right away unexpectedly. So you've just got to be aware of where he is and you've got to be ready to go and help out at all times."

Rubeor, 5 feet 11, 177 pounds, is the first to acknowledge that he's not the most physically imposing player. He won't bull his way to the net as Johns Hopkins' Paul Rabil can or race past defenders as Syracuse's Mike Leveille has done.

Rubeor makes up for those gaps by honing his game to be as versatile an athlete as he can be.

"I take pride in the fact that I ride as hard as I dodge, I go after loose balls as hard as I shoot," he said. "It's one of those things where I want the team to win. I don't necessarily need the spotlight or even desire the spotlight. I'm pretty willing to do whatever it takes to try and help the team win."

Rubeor's value was apparent during his three-game absence to open the season. Although the Cavaliers went 3-0, coach Dom Starsia said the team missed the balance that the left-handed Rubeor brings to an attack that features junior Danny Glading quarterbacking the offense from behind the cage and junior Garrett Billings roaming in front as a right-handed sniper.

"He brings an element of experience and talent and ability to the table that we were sorely missing without him," Starsia said. "He sort of opens up the field for us a little bit by giving us a presence over there, and his ability to feed and dodge just makes more of the field a viable option for us on offense. I think we're much, much tougher to defend with him out there."

While some of the hype surrounding this Final Four weekend has centered on the possibility of three national titles in four years for the Johns Hopkins seniors, the Virginia seniors and juniors have a shot at two championships in three years.

"This is an opportunity that last year -- losing to Delaware [in the first round] -- really made me appreciate," Rubeor said. "The Final Four is not assumed, no matter how much I wanted to believe it my first two years. You have to earn your way in, and it's a privilege to be here. I certainly don't take it for granted."


 

Rubeor ready for ’Cuse
By Whitey Reid
Published: May 23, 2008

Virginia senior Ben Rubeor is arguably one of the top two or three players in the country.

So you can imagine how he felt back on March 1 when he wasn’t able to play like it.

Rubeor was just coming back from a knee injury that had caused him to miss the first three regular-season games. The competitor that he is, Rubeor wasn’t about to sit out Virginia’s game against Syracuse in the Face-off Classic.

“I think it’s become of those rivalries that people look forward to seeing,” said Virginia coach Dom Starsia, “and I know the participants greatly look forward to it.”

Virginia wound up defeating the Orange 14-13, but it was obvious Rubeor wasn’t at full strength.

“Even though he did some things in that game for us,” Starsia said, “I thought he wasn’t able to assert himself.”

“I wasn’t 100 percent,” confessed Rubeor on Thursday. “I was a little rusty coming off a decent amount of time without practicing.”

It’s taken a little while, but Rubeor has finally regained his form and is once again looking like one of best players in the land.

That’s bad news for Syracuse, Virginia’s opponent in this afternoon’s NCAA Tournament semifinals at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

“I’m looking forward to this game,” said Rubeor, a Tewaaraton Trophy finalist who scored the game-winner against Maryland last weekend, “but I also think they’ve improved throughout the season, especially on the defensive end. They have some guys who are playing really well.”

In the first meeting, Virginia won on an overtime goal by Brian Carroll.

However, both teams have changed a lot since.

In addition to having a healthy Rubeor back, Virginia has a much different defensive unit. Fifth-year senior Bud Petit has replaced freshman Adam Ghitelman in goal and defenseman Ryan Nizolek has taken over for the injured Tim Shaw.

Starsia says the switch from Ghitelman to Petit, which occurred after Virginia’s regular-season loss to Maryland, gave the team some much-needed swagger.

“He’s an emotional linchpin for this team,” Starsia explained, “and having him in more of a key role gives him more of a leadership role and has helped us come together a little more defensively.”

Third-seeded Syracuse (14-2), which is coming off an 11-9 win over Notre Dame last weekend, has its usual assortment of talented snipers.

“Offensively, they have a lot of weapons,” Rubeor said. “They create opportunities and shoot really well and create a lot of transition for themselves.”

After close tournament triumphs over UMBC and Maryland, Starsia feels his team hasn’t come close to peaking. If second-seeded Virginia (14-3) can get by Syracuse, it would play the Johns Hopkins-Duke winner on Monday for a shot at its second NCAA title in the last three years.

“I still feel like our best game is still out there,” Starsia said, “but we’re getting awfully close to the end here. Hopefully, we’ll be able to find it.”

Groundballs

This will be the eighth time that Virginia and Syracuse have met in the NCAA Tournament. UVa has won the last five meetings, including a 17-10 win in the 2006 semifinals. …Virginia leads the all-time series, 12-11. Each team has scored the identical number of goals (310) in those 23 games. …This is Virginia’s 31st appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Only Johns Hopkins has more (37).

Nothing cavalier about them
Orange know they face a challenge in Virginia
Globe Staff / May 24, 2008

FOXBOROUGH - When Bill Belichick spoke to the lacrosse Final Four teams at their banquet Thursday night, Syracuse goalie John Galloway said it was hard not to be impressed by the credentials of the Patriots coach. Yesterday morning, when the Orange took the Gillette Stadium field for practice, Galloway said it was difficult not to be affected by the NFL atmosphere.

In today's semifinal at noon, however, the freshman said nothing will get in the No. 3 seed's way of focusing on beating No. 2 seed Virginia.

In the teams' only meeting this season, the Cavaliers prevailed in overtime, 14-13, March 1.

"Everyone's happy, there are no real nerves yet," said the 19-year-old Galloway, who started every game this season and ranks 12th nationally in goals-against average (7.46). "The guys are excited to be here, we've worked so hard all year. To be able to get a chance to play in the Final Four against some of these great teams, it's an honor. We're just soaking in every minute."

One reason the Orange have turned their fortunes around from last season - a dismal 5-8 campaign - has been their improvement on defense. The GAA has dropped from 11.38 in 2007 to 7.31 this year. They have cut opponents' shots per game from 38.3 to 27.6, and opponents' shooting percentage from 29.7 to 26.7.

"I think our defense had the talent last year," said Galloway. "There was just a little confusion, some mess-ups, a lot of on- and off-field troubles. It was tough for our defense to come back, but they worked so hard. [Seniors Kyle Guadagnolo and Evan Brady] are the leaders of this team [on close defense], and Sid [Smith] is just an unbelievable addition to our team. It's an honor to play in front of those three and I just want to do everything I can to help those guys like they've helped me all year."

Coach John Desko said one of the reasons he felt so confident in Galloway is that his son, Tim, and Galloway were on the same youth teams right through West Genesee High School in Camillus, N.Y., before both went to Syracuse, so Desko watched Galloway develop over a long period.

"We did a lot more in the fall this year," said Desko, who is in his ninth season. "Pete Coluccini, our returning goalie, was injured. He couldn't participate in the fall, so we had six weeks of a freshman and a sophomore who got a lot of experience. We had a couple of games in our fall tournament, so we could see them go against different teams, not only just ourselves in practice. It was after our scrimmages in the spring that we made our decision to make the move. [Galloway is] a very good athlete and he's probably one of the better goalies in and out of the goal that we've had and/or seen. He's done well on the field, off the field, and in the classroom."

Another player Syracuse will be counting on is senior attackman Mike Leveille. One of five finalists for the Tewaaraton Trophy, which is awarded to the nation's top player, Leveille heads into today with 73 points, and is third in the nation in points per game (4.56). He has scored at least a point in 55 straight games. He said as disappointing as last year was, there was renewed dedication this year.

"We decided we weren't going to let what happened last year happen again this year," said Leveille, a 22-year-old native of Delmar, N.Y. "It started right from the beginning. We never got away from having the same attitude of working hard and getting better every day."

Leveille said it didn't take long for the team to feel confident with the newcomer in goal.

"There are always some growing pains with it," he said. "But he came in and he's got great leadership for a young guy and great composure. Guys really respect him and respect the way he plays. I think he went out and just took control of it and made it an easy decision for us."

And now Galloway finds himself in a new position.

"I'm excited," he said. "The first time you walk in the stadium, you get chills up your body. It's one of those things where I was playing on a high school field last year and now I'm in the Final Four. It's unreal. If you'd have told me this last year, I never would have believed it."



 

Cavaliers, Orange Battle in National Semifinals
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 05/23/2008

Boston, Mass.—The Cavaliers have returned to the national semifinals for the first time in two years where they will face Syracuse Saturday at noon. After several years alternating between Philadelphia and Baltimore, this year’s championship weekend has moved north to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., home of the NFL’s New England Patriots.

Last season the team failed to advance past the first round in an attempt to repeat as champions. And the failure to get back to championship weekend gave the team a sense of purpose as it worked to return this season.

“I don’t think (getting to the semifinals) was something that consumed us,” said Virginia head coach Dom Starsia. “I can tell you that when we got to the end of the regular season it easily came to mind. The week before our first (NCAA Tournament) game on the practice field, I talked with the team and I said to them, ‘I feel like we’ve been waiting 12 months to be back here again.’

“We’ve had a good season. We’ve won some big games and we’ve done some big things, but in our sport people remember is what happens in the month of May. In 2007 coming off our national championship in 2006, we had a terrific regular season, but getting dumped early in the playoffs was the lasting impression that everyone had of that season. It was a little bit unfair but I understand that it’s going to happen, so we were anxious to get back this season and do a better job.”

It’s a big job the Cavaliers face in an attempt to still be playing on Memorial Day. Syracuse is 14-2 overall and one of the hottest teams in the country coming down the stretch.

Virginia gained a dramatic 14-13 overtime win in the Face-Off Classic in Baltimore earlier this season in the first meeting between the two teams. After that loss, the Orange rattled off 10 straight wins.

Brian Carroll’s goal with 1:29 remaining in overtime to send Virginia home with a 1-goal win in the first meeting almost perfectly characterizes the history of the series, one that has blossomed under Starsia into one of the most highly anticipated games on the calendar whether it’s the regular season or the playoffs.

Close distinguishes virtually everything about the series with the Orange. Virginia holds a narrow 12-11 series lead. In the series that dates back to 1938, both teams have scored exactly 310 goals.

Under Starsia the Cavaliers have won 10 of 20 meetings, while outscoring the Orange 281-280. Twelve games have been decided by one or two goals.

While fans pine for a replay of the 1997 classic between the two teams—a game Syracuse won 22-21—they are likely to get an uptempo game with plenty of action.

“In a lot of ways I think we are a mirror images of each other, the style of play, talented offensive groups, teams that get it up and down the field,” said Starsia. “This (playoff) game tends to play a little closer to the vest than the one earlier in the year does, so I don’t think we’re likely to see 22-21 like we did in ’97. But I don’t think we’re going to see 8-7 like we played Maryland last weekend either.”

The Orange are second in the nation in offense averaging 13.75 goals per game, while Virginia ranks fourth at an average of 12.88 goals. Syracuse feasts on unsettled situations and looks to score quickly in those situations.

“I think it’s one of the keys to the game for us—not letting them get behind us. Even in the game that we won earlier in the year they got behind us for some goals,” Starsia said. “They are so dangerous when they can create an advantage for themselves. So if we have to give up a little bit of our ability to get the ball back on the ride in order to make sure that we have enough bodies back on defense, then we’re going to have to do that. I feel that there’s only a couple of teams that can force our hands like that and this is one of them.”

UVa’s Ince a quick study
By Whitey Reid
Published: May 23, 2008

The first start of Garett Ince’s career came against Duke in front of 8,000 fans at Klockner Stadium on April 12.

“I was pretty nervous,” recalled Ince, Virginia’s freshman faceoff specialist, “but it’s one of those things where you have to get your feet wet.”

Ince won a surprising 15 of 27 faceoffs that day. Since then, the Oakville, Ontario native has honed his craft further. He’s a huge reason why Virginia is playing in today’s NCAA Tournament semifinals against Syracuse.

Ince, who has the second most faceoff wins in UVa freshman history, won five of his last six in helping UVa complete a comeback win over Maryland last weekend.

“If a single player had to be picked for our most improved player,” said Virginia coach Dom Starsia, “it might be Garett Ince.”

Ince will have his work cut against Syracuse. The Orange feature Danny Brennan, who is No. 1 in the country in faceoff percentage.

“I’ve just been trying to watch film on him and learn what he does and ways I can beat him,” Ince said. “There’s definitely a lot of pressure being a freshman and having people count on you, especially with their faceoff guy being so good, but that’s part of the game. I’m just going to try and remain as calm as possible and be as prepared as possible as well.”

Ince took over the full-time faceoff duties following Virginia’s loss to Maryland on March 29. In that contest, sophomore Brian McDermott went down with an injury.

Ince, 20, says it has taken a while to adjust to taking faceoffs at the college level.

“In college, the guys are trying to jump the whistle a lot more,” he said, “and there’s also the fact I’m not facing off against someone who’s 17 or 18, but someone who’s 22. There’s a big strength difference there.”

Initially, Starsia was reluctant to throw a freshman into such a key role. However, when McDermott went down, Starsia said he really had no choice.

What made Starsia feel like Ince could do a good job was his size. Ince is listed at 6-foot-1, 217 pounds.

“He’s a big, strong kid,” Starsia said. “He’s not built like a normal freshman, so you knew he could take the pounding.”

Starsia has used defensemen Mike Timms and Ken Clausen, two of the biggest players on the team, to help Ince out when he doesn’t win the faceoff clean and it turns into a scrum.

“He’s going to need the wing guys to help him out a lot,” said Virginia senior Ben Rubeor, “and we’ve done a lot of work on that. I think it will be a challenge for everybody on the field.”

Against an up-tempo team like Syracuse, faceoffs could prove vital. The last thing Virginia wants to do is try and play catch-up like it had to do against Maryland.

Starsia is cautiously optimistic about the Ince-Brennan matchup.

“He’s getting better,” Starsia said. “I don’t know if he’ll be better enough for this challenge, but he’s getting better and I think he’s had a lot to do with our late-season success.”

A Final Four That Is Filled With Talent and Tradition
By PETE THAMEL
Published: May 24, 2008

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The teams participating in lacrosse’s Final Four weekend at Gillette Stadium took a walk through the stadium Thursday afternoon and craned their necks at the nearly 80,000 seats surrounding them.
 .
The curious glances will come their way this weekend as the sport’s premier event returns to New England for the first time in more than two decades. More than 42,000 seats have been sold for the weekend, and brisk walk-up sales are expected given the forecast of sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-70s.

Although breaking the attendance record of 52,004 for the semifinals on Saturday may be unlikely, any skepticism about moving the event outside familiar mid-Atlantic haunts like Baltimore and Philadelphia has been set aside.

Marquee matchups on Saturday kick off the weekend: No. 3 Syracuse (14-2) will play No. 2 Virginia (14-3) at noon, followed by No. 1 Duke (18-1) against No. 5 Johns Hopkins (10-5). The final is scheduled for Monday.

“If you’ve never seen lacrosse or you’re a causal fan and even the slightest bit curious, I don’t think you could see two better games than you’re likely to see on Saturday,” Virginia Coach Dom Starsia said. “Anyone who is a fan of sports will be able to appreciate the nuances in these two games.”

As with the men’s basketball Final Four this year, when the four top seeds advanced, the consensus in the lacrosse world is that the best four teams in Division I have advanced to the semifinals. While Duke enters the weekend as the favorite, the better game Saturday is expected to be between Virginia and Syracuse.

The Orange and the Cavaliers have a history of playing high-scoring games that go down to the final moments. Virginia topped Syracuse, 14-13, in overtime earlier this season in a game that featured nine ties and five lead changes.

“I’m not looking forward to 17-16 necessarily,” Starsia said with a smile, “but this game always seems to deliver on a promise.”

Syracuse’s reappearance in the Final Four comes after it missed the postseason last year for the first time since 1982. Syracuse had its streak of 22 consecutive appearances in the Final Four end in 2005, and the Orange regained its swagger this year.

Overtime victories against Georgetown and Johns Hopkins started a 10-game winning streak that catapulted Syracuse back among the sport’s elite.

“Every year we say: ‘We don’t want to just come and make the Final Four. Our goal is to come out and win the whole thing,’ ” the Syracuse senior midfielder Danny Brennan said.

“This year we’ve been doing what we’ve wanted, and now we’ve got Virginia.”

Duke and Johns Hopkins played a taut game for the national title last year, with Duke’s comeback falling short when the Blue Devils missed two shots that would have tied the score in the final seven seconds.

When the teams met in the regular season this year, the game was not as competitive. Duke trounced Johns Hopkins, 17-6, on April 5, and afterward the comparisons of Duke to some of the best teams in lacrosse history began in earnest.

Duke’s only loss this season came at Georgetown, 11-7, which is stunning considering that the Hoyas did not even make the N.C.A.A. tournament.

Duke has beaten its opponents by an average of more than 8.3 goals. Johns Hopkins Coach Dave Pietramala said the Blue Devils’ attack, led by Matt Danowski, the returning national player of the year, was the best he had coached against.

“We have no pressure on us,” Pietramala said. “They’re the team that everyone thinks should win the whole thing. There’s probably a lot of pressure on Duke as they head into this.”

On Sunday, the Division II and Division III championship games will also showcase some of the top programs in the sport.

Salisbury State (21-0) plays SUNY Cortland (18-1) in the Division III final for the third consecutive year. Cortland’s victory two years ago is Salisbury’s only loss since 2003.

Le Moyne (15-1) plays New York Institute of Technology (12-1) with its eyes on a Division II dynasty. Le Moyne has won the past two national titles. A third consecutive title would be unprecedented in Division II lacrosse.

“The national championship is where the bar is set with our program,” said Le Moyne Coach Dan Sheehan, who has led the Dolphins to three national titles over all.

And with three national champions to be determined by Monday afternoon, the lacrosse world has a new setting for some familiar faces to square off.

 

Final year works out well for Rubeor
Since returning from a serious car accident, the UVa senior is excelling.
By Doug Doughty doug.doughty@roanoke.com
981-3129

If he so desired, Ben Rubeor could look at the jagged scar on his left forearm and have a constant reminder of the 2003 automobile accident that nearly ended his lacrosse career.

"The only time I think about it is when I'm asked," said Rubeor, a senior attacker on the Virginia's men's lacrosse team.

The threat of amputation and an eight-month rehabilitation didn't prevent Rubeor from playing as a senior at Baltimore's Loyola School, so it was going to take a lot to cause him to miss the 2008 season at Virginia

Rubeor had the option of redshirting, however, and that was a real consideration when he suffered a dislocated right kneecap on the third or fourth preseason practice.

Rubeor did not play in February games against Drexel, Stony Brook and Vermont.

"I thought he was injured worse this year than when he hurt the knee twice last spring," UVa coach Dom Starsia said earlier this week. "The thought [of redshirting] certainly crossed my mind.

"When Ben was getting closer to playing, I thought he and I probably were going to have to sit down and have that conversation. But, he got stronger relatively quickly. Just in casual conversation with him, I could see he really wanted to play with his classmates."

Fast forward 10 weeks and there was Rubeor being swarmed by teammates Saturday after scoring the winning goal in overtime as Virginia defeated Maryland 8-7 and advanced to the NCAA semifinals for the third time in Rubeor's four seasons.

The Cavaliers (14-3) will meet Syracuse (14-2) at noon today (ESPN2) in the first game of a doubleheader at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. Top-seeded Duke (18-1) and defending champion Johns Hopkins (10-5) will face off 30 minutes after the finish of the first game.

The Syracuse matchup holds special significance for Rubeor, who made his season's debut March 1, when the Cavaliers defeated the Orange 14-13 in overtime in the Faceoff Classic in Baltimore.

That was one of five one-goal wins for the Cavs, including four in OT. UVa won three other games by two goals.

The first Syracuse game represented something of a drop-dead date for Rubeor's 2008 season. Once he played against the Orange, unless he was injured again, it would have been difficult to make a hardship appeal.

"I can't say we avoided the subject," Rubeor said. "We ended up talking about it. I'm not sure what the exact cutoff was, but just before the Syracuse game, we were like, 'Might as well give it a shot.'"

Rubeor had a relatively uneventful game against the Orange, finishing with one goal and two assists. But he continued to gather steam throughout the season and now has a team-high 38 goals.

Rubeor, a first-team All-American as a junior, stands fifth on Virginia's career goals list with 136 and could get as high as second with a big weekend in Foxborough.

It will be hard to top last Saturday's heroics.

"That one was fun," Rubeor said. "It just brought a smile to my face, especially after getting stripped at the beginning of overtime. I had a little different role early in the season and didn't feel as if I was having as much of an impact on the team."

A dislocated kneecap can be just as painful as it sounds, yet Rubeor, who injured his knee twice a year ago, did not miss a game during the 2007 season, when he had a career-high 46 goals for a Virginia team that finished 12-4 after a first-round NCAA loss to Delaware.

Of course, when doctors have talked about amputating your arm, what's the big deal about a loose knee?

"I don't really know how [the auto accident] affected my pain threshold," said Rubeor, who graduated last week with an English degree. "I have the mind-set of, 'If it's just pain, I can deal with it.'"

To be honest, Rubeor said, the kneecap injury has been more of a strength and stability issue than a pain issue. He continues to take treatment as he tries to end his career with a second NCAA championship. He was a sophomore on the UVa team that won the 2006 title.

"I don't know necessarily if it takes any of the pressure off," he said, "but I feel I can take a step back and realize this is a unique experience. Don't take it more lightly but make sure you enjoy the moment."

n Aaron Guadagnolo, the brother of Syracuse senior captain Kyle and Tom, a freshman, was killed in motorcycle-minivan accident Tuesday night.

Kyle Guadagnolo, who has started every game for Syracuse the past three seasons, is expected to play.




 

Devvarman Rolls into NCAA Singles Quarterfinals
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 05/23/2008

TULSA, Okla. – Top-seeded Somdev Devvarman (Chennai, India) advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2008 NCAA Singles Championship with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Erling Tveit of Mississippi at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center.

Devvarman becomes the first player to reach the NCAA Singles quarterfinals in three consecutive years since Jose Luis Noriega of San Diego (1990-92). Stanford’s Dan Goldie (1984-86) is the only other player to reach three consecutive quarterfinals since 1977 when the singles tournament was split from the team championship.

Devvarman needed just one hour and 20 minutes to defeat Tveit and advance to the quarterfinals. In the opening set, Devvarman went up an early break, 2-1. He maintained that one-break advantage to 5-3 when he broke Tveit again to close out the set. After holding in the first game of the second set, Devvarman broke Tveit at love to take a 2-0 lead. The Cavalier held in his next service game, broke Tveit again, and held serve to open a 5-0 lead in the second set. After Tveit held serve, Devvarman serve out the match for the 6-3, 6-1 win.

The win was Devvarman’s 15th career NCAA Singles Championship victory, extending his tournament record. He improves to 41-1 this season in singles and has won his last 33 consecutive matches.

Devvarman will meet No. 9-16 seed Denes Lukacs of Baylor in Saturday’s quarterfinals. Match time is noon CT (1 p.m. ET).

Devvarman and Huey, the top seed in the doubles draw, were upset in Friday’s second round by Conor Pollock and Austin Krajicek of Texas A&M 6-3, 6-4. The Cavalier duo took an early lead in the first set 3-1, but the Aggies rallied to win the next five games to take the opening set. In the second set, the match remained on serve until 3-3 when the Texas A&M team notched the only service break of the set and closed out the set 6-4.

With the loss, Huey’s Cavalier career comes to an end. He finishes with a school record 134 career doubles wins.

 

Cavalier Golfers Finish 12th at NCAAs
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 05/23/2008

Albuquerque, NM –The 16th-ranked Virginia women's golf team finished in a three-way tie for 12th at the NCAA Championships at the University of New Mexico Golf Course. The Cavaliers, along with No. 10 Auburn and No. 12 Alabama, completed the 72-hole tournament at 63-over 1215. It was UVa’s best performance at the national championships. In Virginia's only other NCAA Championship appearance, the Cavaliers were 13th in 2005.

Virginia had rounds of 296, 317, 301 and 301. Weather, including high winds, lighting and hail, as well as darkness, delayed and suspended play numerous times during the four-day event.

Lene Krog led Virginia on the final day, shooting 1-over 73. Jennie Arseneault carded a 2-over 74, Joy Kim and Calle Nielson both shot 77 and Whitney Neuhauser posted a 78.

Krog was the Cavaliers top overall finisher in 28th place at 11-over 299. Arseneault finished the tournament at 300 and was 34th overall. Kim was 80th at 309, Nielson was 84th at 310 and Neuhauser placed 101st at 317.

“I am really proud of this team because of the way they played late in the semester,” said Virginia coach Kim Lewellen. “They did a great job at the ACC tournament and the East Regional and played well here in some very tough conditions. I know all of them would have liked to have done better, both individually and as a team, but they stayed with it the entire tournament.

“We must have played 12 holes this week when the winds were blowing between 40 and 50 miles per hour. There were so many stoppages for the weather. It was frustrating, but they did not let that deter them. They just kept at it. This will prove to be a very good experience for them.”

All five of UVa’s competitors return next season. Four were making their first appearance at the NCAA Championships. Krog competed as an individual last year while playing for East Carolina.

“We need to take what we learned this year and finish even better next year,” Lewellen said.

USC ended Duke’s three-year reign as NCAA Champions, finishing first at 16-over 1168. It was the Trojans second national title. Their first came in 2003. Cross-town rival UCLA was second at 1174. The Blue Devils, thanks to a final round of 7-under 281, moved all the way up to third place at 1180. Wake Forest, the other ACC team competing at the championship, was 10th at 45-over 1197.

Arizona State’s Azahara Munoz made a birdie on the 18th hole in a playoff to defeat UCLA’s Tiffany Joh for the individual title.