White: Wideouts Sparkle in Loss to Southern Miss
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 09/20/2009
By Jeff White

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- After the first two games, Kris Burd had six catches, twice as many as any other receiver on the team. Still, the UVa wideouts who had fans buzzing were redshirt freshman Javaris Brown and true freshman Tim Smith.
In the final minutes of Virginia's blowout loss to TCU on Sept. 12, Brown had caught a 56-yard touchdown pass and Smith a 26-yarder, both from quarterback Jameel Sewell.
Brown and Smith dazzled again Saturday in a 37-34 loss at Southern Mississippi. Brown had two receptions for 52 yards, and Smith had three for 76, including a 69-yard TD catch in the first quarter.
But Burd impressed too. The 5-11, 190-pound sophomore from Chesterfield County caught six passes for 79 yards, both game highs. His receptions included a spectacular TD grab, on a post pattern, of a 29-yard dart from Sewell.
"I'm just trying to do what I can do to help the team win, trying to make plays for the offense," Burd said after the game.
The Cavaliers didn't win Saturday, and they'll take an 0-3 record into their next game, Oct. 3 at North Carolina (3-0). But their passing game is developing rapidly, in part because of Burd's growth as a receiver.
"He really stepped up," Al Groh said Sunday night on his teleconference with reporters. "He made some plays that to be a good receiver you have to make. They're not all routine plays, and Kris' catches yesterday clearly were not all routine catches. He did a real good job on some in finding the open spot in the zone and placing himself perfectly within that, and he made a couple that took a significant effort to get. And those kind of plays definitely juiced up our passing game.
"It takes more than one game to come of age, but you'd certainly like to look back in the future and say that that was the day where it all started. It really presents that possibiilty. Now, where it goes from there is clearly up to Kris."
It's still early, but this may be the most talented group of wide receivers Groh has had in his nine years as coach at his alma mater. And none of the wideouts is a senior. The group also includes sophomores Jared Green and Matt Snyder, true freshman Quintin Hunter and junior Dontrelle Inman, who missed training camp and the first two games with an injury but was cleared to play last week.
"If you take the fourth quarter of the previous game, and then yesterday's game, we certainly had a lot more in the explosive-play category than we have had during some previous times," Groh said. "A great deal of that was just their ability to get open upfield that perhaps their predecessors didn't present for us."
That receivers would play a leading role this season was expected after the hiring last winter of offensive coordinator Gregg Brandon. But the offense Brandon put in has changed. It now looks more like what Groh has run at UVa than the spread offense Brandon oversaw as coordinator and then head coach at Bowling Green.
After the Cavaliers struggled to move the ball in losses to William and Mary and TCU, Groh decided he'd seen enough. Virginia is off Sept. 26, but with a trip to Southern Miss looming, Groh didn't want to wait until the bye week to implement his changes.
So starting in practice last Tuesday, some of the staples of previous UVa offenses were introduced again. The linemen moved closer together and, on occasion, dropped into three-point stances. On some plays Sewell had a running back on either side of him, and on others he lined up under center and not in the shotgun.
"For some players there was a familiarity with it," Groh said Sunday night. "Obviously for players like Tim Smith and, for that matter, to a degree, Javaris Brown, there wasn't much familiarity with it. But they did OK with it. We had some things that, it's quite clear to us, need work for better execution, but overall obviously it produced some results that we hadn't had beforehand. So we consider the first phase of it to have worked out OK."

Indeed, the 'Hoos dramatically increased their production Saturday. They picked up 25 first downs, totaled 390 yards and scored four touchdowns.
"The offense, we showed that we have the potential to score," Sewell said. "We can move the ball down the field for the most part .... Even though we lost, we still have bright spots."
Groh said: "We're getting back to our game."
Vic Hall started the opener at QB for UVa, but he's sidelined indefinitely with a hip injury. Sewell, who was missed last season while serving an academic suspension, has taken all of the Cavaliers' snaps in the past two games. He's starting to resemble the quarterback who led Virginia to nine wins in 2007.
Against Southern Miss, Sewell completed 24 of 46 passes for a career-best 312 yards and two touchdowns. He was intercepted once.
Sewell was physically spent after the game, and for good reason. A week after rushing 21 times versus TCU, the 6-3, 225-pound left-hander had 23 carries against Southern Miss. He tied his career high with two rushing touchdowns.
"Obviously the quarterback had a real good game, and he's finding his stride," Groh said Saturday. "I'm real pleased with what Jameel did, both in his performance and the competitiveness that he showed.
"He showed his teammates that he's a player that they can jump on his back, and he's going to try to carry them. He made some real good throws, and the receivers stepped up and made some real good catches."
At the start of the Sunday night teleconference, Groh was informed that former UVa quarterback Matt Schaub had played and passed brilliantly that afternoon for the Houston Texans in their victory over the Tennessee Titans.
Later, asked if he wanted Sewell to run less, and thus take less of a beating, Groh said, "I guess if he could have a Matt Schaub-type game, as you just described to me, that would be beautiful. But this is part of his game, and to inhibit him would be to take away a talent that he has, and an attribute to the team.
"So we just talk to him about good judgment. I try to stay in touch with him as to just what his stamina and endurance is and how much is good for him, and he's a good communicator about that. Right now clearly it's to our advantage to let him go ahead and be himself and play his game, so we're going to continue in that fashion."

* * * * *

LaRoy Reynolds, a safety from Norfolk, played on special teams Saturday and thus became the sixth true freshman Groh has used this season. Look for classmate Brent Urban, a 6-7, 280-pound defensive end from Canada, to join that group sooner or later.
"I think probably the reality is that will be the case," Groh said Sunday night. "He's the fifth end at the game, but he could very well be in there. He's coming along nicely.
"This is a big, fast player who has picked things up pretty quickly. It might be a little much for him early, but by the same token, it's the only way probably for him to get started. There's very definitely the possibility of his being in there for some plays in the future."

* * * * *

Among the players not on the trip to Hattiesburg, Miss., were juniors Raynard Horne and Jared Detrick. Both played regularly on special teams in 2008, but what "happened last year won't make any plays this year," Groh said.
"We weren't satisfied with the production at those [special-teams] positions here throughout the first two games. That's what created the opportunity for some of these other players."

* * * * *

The tight end, all but invisible in the offense against W&M and TCU, returned against Southern Miss. Joe Torchia, one of the highest-rated recruits in the class that entered UVa in 2006, had the first catches of his college career.
The redshirt junior from Cold Spring, N.Y., gained 27 yards on two receptions.
"Obviously our tight ends have been highly productive players here," Groh said. "In order for that to happen, we've had quite a few patterns in that had them as part of the normal progression of the pattern. We did re-institute some of those."
Standout tight ends have "been an integral part of what we've done here," Groh said. "When you can present a threat in the middle of the field, either you take advantage of people overloading the outside or it helps keep the outside a little bit cleaner. So it's an important thing for us to be able to continue to work and expand."
 

Southern Miss 37, UVa 34: A Mixed Bag
Sept. 19, 2009
6:50 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- About 24 hours after the not-so-happy, for UVa at least, ending to yesterday's game in Hattiesburg, Miss., some observations on an afternoon of highs and lows for Al Groh's team:

The Good

-- Virginia's offense: Scrapping the spread scheme that new coordinator Gregg Brandon was hired to install, Groh went back to a more traditional offense. The linemen's splits were tighter, the backfield often included two running backs, the linemen periodically dropped into three-point stances, and not every snap was of the shotgun variety.

The result: 37 points and 390 yards, both season highs. This from a team that came in averaging 14 points and 222.5 yards.

-- Jameel Sewell: For the second straight game, the fifth-year senior took every snap at quarterback, and Sewell responded with one of his finest performances. He looked comfortable in the modified offense and passed for a career-high 312 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for two TDs, tying his career high. Sewell's effectiveness diminished late in the game, but that was a result of blocking breakdowns by his linemen.

-- The young receivers: Wideouts Kris Burd, Jared Green, Tim Smith and Javaris Brown combined to catch 16 passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns.

Burd and Green are sophomores. Smith is a true freshman, and Brown is a redshirt freshman. Burd led the 'Hoos with six receptions for 79 yards, including a 29-yard TD catch. Smith opened the scoring by running a fly pattern down the left sideline and hauling in a bomb from Sewell for a 69-yard TD.

-- Chris Hinkebein: The ensuing coverage wasn't almost great, but Hinkebein's kickoffs generally were superb. He averaged 69.1 yards on seven kicks, with one touchback.

The Bad

-- Special teams: Ron Prince was hired to revamp a special-teams operation that had fallen off dramatically in recent years, but his work has yet to pay dividends. Out of the 120 teams in the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision, UVa ranks 71st in punt returns and 117th in kickoff returns. The Hoos are struggling in coverage, too.

UVa allowed punt returns of 15 and 22 yards to Southern Miss' Tracey Lampley on Saturday. More damaging, of course, were Virginia's kickoffs.

The Golden Eagles returned the second-half kickoff 68 yards on a bizarre play that included a fumble recovery, and a touchdown soon followed.

Then, after the 'Hoos opened a 34-17 lead midway through the third quarter, Freddie Parham fielded a Hinkebein kickoff three yards deep in the end zone. He was barely touched as he raced the length of the field for a TD that swung momentum Southern Miss' way. The Golden Eagles scored the game's final 20 points.

-- Late-game blocking: A week after giving up eight sacks in a 30-14 loss to TCU, UVa's offensive line performed much better for two-and-a-half quarters against Southern Miss.

The Golden Eagles' defense eventually wore down the Cavaliers' linemen, however, and Sewell was sacked four times in the second half. UVa had given up no sacks in the first half.

-- Second-half defense: At intermission, Southern Miss had a modest 57 yards rushing. It finished with 214.

Damion Fletcher, the school's career rushing leader, carried 26 times for 115 yards and two touchdowns Saturday. His backup, Tory Harrison, gained 101 yards on three carries. Harrison's 57-yard TD with 8:01 remaining closed out the scoring and put Southern Miss ahead for the first time.

The Golden Eagles punished Virginia repeatedly out of the Wildcat formation. UVa knew the snap was going directly to Fletcher but was unable to slow him.

-- The Streak: UVa has lost seven games in a row since beating Georgia Tech on Oct. 25, 2008. The Cavaliers, 0-3 this season, are the only winless team in any of the six conferences whose winners advance automatically to the Bowl Championship Series.


-- Jeff White

 

Al Groh’s Sunday take - 9/20
Michael Phillips
Sep 20, 2009

Here are the notes from U.Va. football coach Al Groh’s Sunday teleconference:

—Quarterback Kyle McCartin will move to linebacker, though he is primarily a special-teams player right now.

—Defensive end Brett Urban, a true freshman from Ontario, Canada, could see action this year. He’s being used as a backup and will travel with the team.

“He could very well be in there, and he’s been coming along nicely,” Groh said. “It might be a little early, but by the same token, that’s probably the only way for him to get started.”

—Cornerback Chris Cook was fighing a groin injury, and played only the first snap.

“He could very well be in there, and he’s been coming along nicely,” Groh said. “It might be a little early, but by the same token, that’s probably the only way for him to get started.”
—The bye week will be used to focus on team-centric things, as opposed to planning for future opponents.

—On the timing of the offensive changes: “We had a game to play before the bye week, and with the game to play there seemed to be a need to make those alterations. ... There were some things whereit was clear to us we need better execution, but obviously it produced results for us it hadn’t before.“

—Jameel Sewell’s 23 rushing attempts: “We’re very conscious of those things. There were only I think 8 or 9 perhaps called quarterback runs in the game, the rest of those were his reactions to certain pass plays. I think generally 8 or 9 in there would probably be a desirable number as we go into the game and certainly we realize there will be some spontaneous situations that add to that number. To inhibit him would be to take away the talent he has, and an attribute to the team.“

—The length of the game: “It was an extraordinarily long game. I didn’t realize that until afterward. I’d say I’ve never been in a regulation game that went 3 hours 41 minutes. I know there were a lot of scores and perhaps forced time otus for television, and that’s what did it.

—On kicking a field goal early in a fourth-and-short situation: “First quarter, on the road, take all the points you can get when you get them.“

—Receiver Kris Burd’s big plays: “He really stepped up. He made some plays that, to be a good receiver, you have to make. They’re not all routine plays. Those plays definitely juiced up our passing game.“

—He said he wouldn’t comment on a personal foul call given to U.Va.‘s bench after a kickoff return, other than to say that “it affected things dramatically. It put the ball on the 5-yard line, from where we were subsequently intercepted.“
 

No rest for U.Va.'s Jameel Sewell
As embattled U.Va. coach Al Groh perused the stat sheet Saturday after his team's 37-34 loss to Southern Mississippi, one set of numbers jumped off the page to him...three hours and 41 minutes. He said tonight it was probably the longest game that ended in regulation he'd ever been a part of in his career.

It had to seem even longer after his team squandered a 17-point lead in the final 23 minutes. U.Va. The Cavaliers' offense went dormant after a brilliant start. In their first 46 plays, the Cavaliers accumulated 333 yards (7.2 yards per play). In their last 34 plays, they managed just 57 yards (1.7 yards per play).

For those of you quick with the simple math, that's 90 plays, which is a ton. By comparison, Southern Miss ran 68 plays.

Quarterback Jameel Sewell passed or ran the ball on 69 of U.Va.'s plays, as pointed out in Sunday night's teleconference with Groh by Doug Doughty of the Roanoke Times. Sewell was 24 of 46 passing for 312 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, and he gained 23 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries.

"We're very conscious of those things," said Groh of Sewell's ample involvement. "There were only, I think, eight or nine, perhaps, called quarterback runs in the game. The rest of those were his reaction to certain pass plays, so I think, generally, eight or nine - probably in there - would be a desirable number as we would go in to the game. We're realizing that there's certainly going to be some spontaneous situations that might add to that number."

Groh talked about former U.Va. quarterback Matt Schaub and the day he had Sunday as the Houston Texans' starting quarterback, completing 25 of 39 passes for 357 yards and four touchdowns in Houston's 34-31 win at Tennessee. Barring a Schaub-like passing performance, Groh said to expect more of the same from Sewell in the future.

"I guess if he could have a Matt Schaub-type game...that would be beautiful, but (running) is part of (Sewell's) game," Groh said. "To inhibit him would be to take away a talent that he has, and an attribute to the team, so we just talk to him about good judgment. I try to stay in touch with him as to just what his stamina and endurance is and how much is good for him, and he's a good communicator about that. Right now, clearly, it's to our advantage to let him go ahead and be himself and play his game, so we're going to continue in that fashion."

Against William & Mary, U.Va. ran 72 plays, but its defense was on the field for 81 plays. In the TCU game, U.Va. ran only 51 plays, while TCU had 71 plays.

*************************************************************************************************
Groh said it was too early for him to speculate on whether quarterback/return specialist/holder Vic Hall would be available for U.Va.'s next game Oct. 3 at North Carolina. Hall missed the Southern Miss game with a hip injury, which he sustained in the season-opener against W&M.

Posted by Norman Wood
 

Awakening
Andrew Seidman, Cavalier Daily Senior Associate Editor
Featured / Sports
September 21, 2009 0

Senior quarterback Jameel Sewell threw for a career high 312 yards while freshman running back Dominique Wallace ran for a team high 35 yards. Photo courtesy Virginia Athletics.
As a reporter for The Cavalier Daily, it’s my responsibility to cover the Virginia football team, including its road games. But for a team whose offense promised some sort of divine fusion of The Beatles and U2 to traverse the ages but has instead delivered something along the lines of the Jonas Brothers’ Christmas Special, I figured, why the hell should I bother to do my job?

I was wrong.

I did not travel to Hattiesburg, Miss., for the Virginia game against Southern Mississippi. Rather, I stayed in Charlottesville and watched the game at Rivals Sports Bar near Fashion Square Mall. And for those of you who didn’t get a chance to watch the limitedly televised game (unless you’re 40, were drinking a bucket of Bud Light and smoking roughly 9,000 packs of cigarettes in between each beer, you weren’t at the bar) you missed, well, another Virginia loss.

That’s the short story. Stop reading if your worldview is limited to ‘Groh must go,’ or, the social equivalent — ‘Any girl that does not hook up with me is a skank.’ Virginia lost again? Groh must go. Failed your first test? I’ll be damned — Groh must go! Walked home for the second-straight morning from first-year dorms? Maybe you’ve become a bit more open-minded — You’ve gotta be kidding me! Groh has GOT to get the HELL OUTTA HERE!!!

Maybe this game does fall on coach Al Groh. Virginia did indeed relinquish a 17-point halftime lead with 8:01 remaining in the fourth quarter. Some of that can be traced back to the coach and the defense he coordinates.

But this game wasn’t about the head coach — at least not from where I was sitting (in a booth with a few friends and 32 45-cent chicken wings). It’s about quarterback Jameel Sewell.

After last week’s 30-14* loss to TCU (asterisk denotes points put up against scrubs), Sewell said he was not going to predict a win against any particular team. I was right there with him. But he did make one guarantee.

“We’re gonna win some games,” Sewell said. “We’re definitely gonna do that. That’s no doubt about that. Nobody’s gonna back down.”

The Cavaliers came so close Saturday. They can thank Sewell for that.

Senior quarterback Jameel Sewell threw for a career high 312 yards while freshman running back Dominique Wallace ran for a team high 35 yards. Photo courtesy Virginia Athletics.
It started with what everyone thought the spread offense was supposed to bring — a downfield passing game. In a near replica of the pass play that resulted in a 26-yard touchdown to freshman wide receiver Tim Smith in the dwindling minutes of Texas Christian’s victory, Sewell reconnected with Smith on his third pass-attempt of Saturday’s game for an even longer 69-yard touchdown completion down the left sideline.

A couple Virginia-forced fumbles gave Sewell two opportunities in the red-zone to put more points on the board in the first quarter. Although his shots to the end-zone were incomplete, his sheer aggressiveness early in the game was an improvement upon his first half performance against TCU, which featured a grand total of seven pass attempts.

The aggressive play-calling paid off again on Virginia’s first possession of the second quarter. After converting back-to–back third down conversions through the air, Sewell found wide receiver Kris Burd in the end-zone for a 29-yard touchdown to give Virginia a 20-7 lead.

The common thread in all these successful plays was an effective pass-block by the offensive line, which gave Sewell ample time to drop back in the pocket and survey his options downfield. The results were staggering — through two quarters of play, the quarterback completed 15 of 22 pass attempts for 197 yards and two touchdowns. His passing yardage alone surpassed Virginia’s total offense of 177 yards just a week ago.

The threat of the pass opened up running lanes for Sewell, who was able to string together a few quarterback keepers for first downs at critical junctures.

With 4:33 remaining in the first half, Sewell orchestrated a balanced drive that started on Virginia’s own 23-yard line. Sewell completed four passes for 35 yards, and rushed the ball an equal four times for 22 yards on the drive. Although Virginia failed to convert on 3rd and 7 on the Golden Eagle 27-yard line, kicker Robert Randolph’s flop — which even had Greg Paulus chuckling — induced a roughing the kicker penalty, giving the Cavaliers second life. After completing a 7-yard pass to senior fullback Rashawn Jackson, Sewell took the final 12 yards ahead of him into his own hands. There was never a doubt he’d find the goal line.

Although the two quarterback-keepers which capped off Virginia’s touchdown drive resembled the sort of play-calling that had plagued the Cavaliers in their first two contests, Sewell’s established passing threat made the calls less predictable and consequently more effective.

And after Southern Mississippi opened the third quarter with a touchdown to narrow Virginia’s lead to 10, Sewell responded on the very next drive. He delivered two 25-yard-plus strikes to freshman wide receiver Javaris Brown and finished the drive with a one-yard rush for a touchdown, his fourth of the game.

Then the collapse came.

A 100-yard kick-off return for a touchdown. A porous defensive line that yielded 214 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns, including a 57-yard burst by senior running back Tory Harrison to give the Golden Eagles the lead. Colossal mistakes on special teams and defense left Sewell and the offense in a hole out of which they simply could not dig.

Sewell isn’t a believer in moral victories. But the poise he showed against the Golden Eagles made me a believer in him. Even when Virginia was on its last legs, trapped inside its own five-yard line with 4:24 left in the game, the quarterback found a way to give his team a chance to win. He scampered all the way out to the 20-yard line on the first down to give the offense some breathing room. On 3rd and 8, he completed a critical pass to sophomore wide receiver Kris Burd to keep the drive alive. The rest is history.

You can look at this game in one of two ways — either as a debilitating choke-job that will leave the Cavaliers wondering what more it could possibly take to win a football game or as the revival of Jameel Sewell at quarterback. I prefer the latter.

And I’ll be at Chapel Hill on Oct. 3.
 

Depleted frontline finds way to prevail against pesky Eagles
Farrelly hits upper corner in second half as team overcomes limited lineup due to injuries
Jack Bird, Cavalier Daily Senior Associate Editor
Sports / Women's Soccer
September 21, 2009 0

With this past week free of matchups and its ACC schedule just around the corner, the Virginia women’s soccer team was hoping to use the extra rest time to build momentum against American in its third straight home game. Although the Cavaliers managed to defeat the Eagles, 2-0, the victory was characterized by lackluster performances.

“We are very excited to get the win,” Virginia coach Steve Swanson said. “I thought American sat back and defended really well and was looking to get the counter goal on us … but there are some things we have to get better at.”

Virginia’s offense perhaps suffered from a lack of many of the team’s key offensive players. Senior Jess Rostedt, sophomore Lauren Alwine and freshman Caroline Miller failed to appear in the game at their usual forward positions.

“We have a couple people with some little nicks,” Swanson said. “I think it was the prudent thing to do given where they are at.”

In addition to the Cavaliers’ frontline losses, American implemented a slow, defensive style of play to prevent Virginia’s offense from finding its rhythm.

Even though the Cavaliers outshot the Eagles 10 to 1, the game remained scoreless at the half. American sophomore goalkeeper Arianna Efstathiou had a stand-out game with six saves, allowing only two goals on 17 shots.

“I thought [Efstathiou] played well,” Swanson said. “Some of our decisions about when to cut loose and when to unload could have been better, but I think defensively they were solid.”

Junior midfielder Sinead Farrelly eventually found her chance to unload in the 48th minute, 18 yards directly in front of the goal. Taking aim at the upper corner, she caught Efstathiou out of position and struck the back of the net.

“I never shoot the ball,” Farrelly said. “I was aiming for the upper 90.”

The Cavaliers’ second goal came off a cross from junior midfielder Lindsey Miller to senior forward Meghan Lenczyk in the 89th minute of the game. Although the team had many shots, it did not find many quality chances against the Eagles, Farrelly said.

“We usually get close ones,” Farrelly said. “Many of our tries were dribble shots to the goalie … not good enough for our team.”

Virginia now prepares for its first conference match Thursday against N.C. State on the road.
 

UVa tops American to extend streak
By Whitey Reid
Published: September 21, 2009

In the first half of Virginia’s game on Sunday afternoon against American, UVa sophomore Sinead Farrelly blasted a left-footed shot from just inside the top of the box that seemed like a lock to land in the back of the net. The ball perfectly arched over the head of American goalie Arianna Efstathiou, but, at the last instant, nicked the underside of the crossbar and deflected back onto the field.
“I feel like I hit the post with my shots all the time,” Farrelly said, “so I wasn’t surprised — just disappointed I guess.”
The miss, however, only appeared to provide more motivation for the Pennsylvania native.
Just over two minutes into the second half, Farrelly ripped another shot from a similar area on the field. This time, she hit pay dirt.
Farrelly’s goal, coupled with a late tally from Meghan Lenczyk, propelled Virginia to a little bit harder than
expected 2-0 win in front of a crowd of 902 at Klockner Stadium. UVa (5-1-2) was playing without three major offensive players — Jess Rostedt, Caroline Miller and Lauren Alwine — who were all nursing injuries.
“We’re very excited to get the win,” said Virginia coach Steve Swanson, who sounded optimistic that his trio of players wouldn’t be out much longer. “I think a lot of these [non-conference] teams come in with a lot to prove. They’re organized. I thought American sat back and defended real well and was looking to get the counter goal on us.
“I was happy to get the win. Some things we have to get better at for sure, but there are some things we improved from the past game. I think you have to look at the things we did well and build on them.”
Virginia, now riding a seven-game unbeaten streak, outshot the Eagles 17-6.
Farrelly’s close call in the first half was actually one of several missed opportunities. With under 30 seconds to play in the stanza, sophomore Katie Starsia had a golden chance to put Virginia up. Starsia got the ball deep in the American box. With Efstathiou completely out of position, she fired a shot right off an Eagles defender, who was standing on the goal line in Efstathiou’s stead.
“I think we should have scored more goals,” Farrelly said, “but I think this was the first game where we didn’t get a lot of quality chances.”
In the 89th minute, Lenczyk was able to give Virginia some breathing room when she headed in a cross from Lindsey Miller for her team-leading sixth goal of the year.
“It came right to my head and I just put it in,” Lenczyk said. “I was just trying to put it on goal.”
Efstathiou, who kept American (4-4) in the game, finished with six saves. Swanson said she played well, but Virginia helped her out a bit.
“Some of our decisions about when to cut loose and unload maybe could have been a little better,” he said, “but I thought defensively they were solid.”
Lenczyk said Virginia is going to have to play much better on Thursday when it opens its ACC season on the road versus N.C. State.
“I think we came out better this game,” she said, “but our problem is we didn’t finish well enough, and so it got a little hectic in the last 10, 15 [minutes].
“We just need to work on being consistent for 90 minutes.”
Swanson said that a major positive has been Farrelly’s development this season.
“I’d like her, at times, to be even more aggressive inside the box,” he said, “but I think these are the things she wasn’t doing a year ago — looking to shoot. She’s doing that now and we need it.
“That was a great strike,” he continued, “and something she’s very capable of.”
 

Team continues to piece together perfect season in shutout against No. 8 Spartans
Virginia coach Michele Madison notches victory against former team as Cavaliers improve to 8-0
Meryem Karad, Cavalier Daily Senior Writer
Field Hockey / Sports
September 21, 2009 0

Freshman midfielder Tara Puffenberger was responsible for two of the Cavaliers’ three goals in the squad’s 3-0 victory against Michigan State. Puffenberger is tied for first on the team in goals this season with seven. Photo by Bennett Sorbo.
The Virginia field hockey team stands alone as the University’s only undefeated team, recording its fifth shutout of the season in a 3-0 win against No. 8 Michigan State Sunday at Turf Field.

The victory brought the No. 5 Cavaliers’ season record to 8-0, as the team reopened home play after a perfect three-week road trip.

Sophomore forward Paige Selenski immediately opened fire 2:56 into the first half on a three-player passing sequence. Senior midfielder Traci Ragukas created the opportunity as she dribbled up the field then swiftly passed to freshman midfielder Tara Puffenberger, who then fed the ball to Selenski near the left post.

Puffenberger also found the back of the net twice in the first half with assists from Selenski and Ragukas.

Looking to stop the Cavaliers’ attack, Michigan State altered its defensive game plan during halftime and implemented a four-back defense. Though the Spartans’ revised strategy proved successful — Virginia went scoreless the remainder of the game — the three-goal edge was all Virginia needed.

“They were getting too eager in the second half and getting to the spaces too early so they were crowding our space,” Virginia coach Michele Madison said. “We didn’t have the same opportunities we had the first half.”

Although Michigan State was able to render Virginia’s offense mostly ineffective in the second half, the Cavaliers’ defense also seemed impenetrable.

“We knew we were two attacking teams and defense was going to be key,” said Madison, who coached at Michigan State prior to taking the Cavaliers’ reins. “The team that played defense was the one that was going to win the game.”

Aiding the Cavalier defense was junior goalkeeper Kim Kastuk, who tallied a season-high five saves against the Spartans while playing all 70 minutes. Ragukas and sophomore back Inga Stockel each contributed a defensive save, while sophomore back Floor Vogels and freshman back Charlotte van den Broek also made their presence felt with several impressive stops and clears.

“The most important thing is communication, quick organization and just basically talking to each other,” van der Broek said. “The defense is one team [within] the whole team. We have to be strong in the backfield and make good decisions.”

Virginia outshot the Spartans 15-9 and maintained the offensive fluidity and progression that has keyed the Cavaliers’ early success this season.

“As the games go on, we’re getting a better feel for where each other are,” Selenski said. “Sometimes we don’t even have to look up to pass the ball. I think that’s playing a big role because it automatically takes less time. We can just pass the ball to each other and shoot.”

Virginia continues its homestand against Boston University on Sept. 25 and will host its first ACC conference matchup against Boston College on Sept. 27.
 

Erratic play costs Cavaliers defense of home tournament title
Squad starts strong with conference win against in-state rival Tech; offense stalls as poor focus leads to pair of home losses
Abbey Lou Hendricks, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor
Sports / Volleyball
September 21, 2009 0

Virginia freshman middle hitter Tobi Farrar’s seven kills were not enough against Villanova, as the Cavaliers fell in straight sets to the Wildcats Saturday. While Virginia topped Virginia Tech on Friday, it lost the final two matches of its home tournament. Photo by Scott Miles.
The Virginia volleyball team suffered from mediocre performances this weekend as the Cavaliers went a lackluster 1-2 at the Marriott Cavalier Invitational. Though Virginia (6-6, 1-0 ACC) started the tournament on a high note — beating in-state rival Virginia Tech, 3-1 — poor passing contributed to two losses Saturday, as the squad fell 3-1 against Villanova and 3-0 against Albany.

Playing in their home gym, the Cavaliers’ intensity showed Friday night against the Hokies (10-2, 0-1 ACC).

“We came out so pumped and excited, we had this killer instinct,” freshman middle hitter Tobi Farrar said.

The first set went into extra points, but Virginia held on to win 29-27, giving it the early momentum needed to take control of the match. The second set played out much like the first, as the Cavaliers took control late to win 25-19. Although the Hokies avoided the sweep with a third set comeback, 25-22, Virginia managed to close the deal by taking the fourth set, 25-11.

The victory gave the Cavaliers their first ACC win and handed the Hokies their first ACC loss.

The win “is really good [for motivation] because now we’re 1-0, and we’re just rolling ahead,” sophomore outside hitter Simone Asque said.

Although Virginia seemed poised to continue its undefeated home streak Saturday, a number of different factors left the Cavaliers with two losses.

“We didn’t play with the type of mental approach that’s going to allow us to be competitive,” Maes said.

The Cavaliers lost to eventual tournament champion Villanova (11-2) in Saturday’s first game, and Albany (5-8) then swept an unfocused Virginia in the finale.

“It came down to us not showing up,” Farrar said.

Virginia struggled to create and execute routine offensive plays, and this lack of fundamentals left the Cavaliers scrambling to make up ground in each match.

“When we can’t pass the ball it limits what we do offensively and makes defense for the opposing teams a lot easier,” Maes said.

Last year’s lack of consistency appeared to haunt Virginia once again Saturday.

“We paid for it by not being able to step up to the plate and handle a lot of the serves that were coming at us today,” Maes said.

Still riding a high from beating rival Virginia Tech, the Cavaliers also lacked the necessary concentration and intensity to defeat Villanova.

“I think that — especially against Villanova — our focus was not fully there,” Asque said.

After struggling this weekend, the Cavaliers will take Saturday’s losses as a learning experience and attempt to refocus before conference play continues.

“It’s part of the growing process — the things that we weren’t very good at today,” Maes said. “A lot of them were the controllable. All we have to do in terms of reflecting on this past weekend is to identify the things we need to get better at.”

Virginia will look to bounce back as it heads to Miami on Friday and Florida State on Sunday.