White: First-Year Wideout Impresses Early
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 09/30/2009
By Jeff White

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- To call Tim Smith a natural athlete would be to understate the case. At various times during his four years at Oscar Smith High School in Chesapeake, Smith played basketball, baseball and football and competed in track and field.
His events included the high jump, and Smith once cleared 6-8. Not bad for a guy who was essentially self-taught.
Many high-jumpers favor the Fosbury Flop. Not Smith.
"No, I just ran and jumped over the bar," he said with a sheepish grin. "That was about it. Kicked my legs."
The sport at which he excelled most, of course, was football, and that's what brought him to UVa. Smith, a 6-0, 175-pound wide receiver, is one of six true freshmen to have played for the Wahoos (0-3) this season, and he's had the biggest impact of anyone in that group.
He played only one series in the Sept. 5 opener, versus William and Mary, but caught a 26-yard touchdown pass in UVa's next game, against TCU. Then, in Virginia's most recent game, he blew past his defender on a fly pattern and hauled in a 69-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jameel Sewell at Southern Mississippi.
That Smith has quickly become an integral part of the Cavaliers' passing game doesn't surprise Oscar Smith coach Richard Morgan.
"Not at all," Morgan said Wednesday morning. "I'm surprised it took them to the second game to really get him on the field."
Of the recruits who signed with Virginia in February, Smith was considered among the most likely to play this fall. Smith's most obvious asset was his speed, ninth-year coach Al Groh said this week, and by playing as a true freshman "he would increase the speed at a position that significantly needed it."
There's track fast, though, and there's football fast. Morgan doesn't worry much about a player's time in the 40-yard dash, or even the 100 meters.
"That stuff means nothing," he said. "What means something is how fast you are on the field with pads on. There's a whole lot of kids that can run down a track prety fast with nobody chasing them, but then on a football field they can't do anything.
"Tim's the exact opposite. Tim's very fast, but on a football field, he becomes the fastest guy on the field when he plays, and that's really what's most important.
"The other thing is his conditioning. He's still running just as hard in the fourth quarter as he did in the first quarter."
Smith, who turns 19 in March, put up staggering numbers at Oscar Smith last year, despite sitting out the fourth quarter -- and sometimes the third -- of most games he played.
As a senior, he caught 73 passes for 1,681 yards and 24 touchdowns. Smith closed his high school career with a breathtaking performance, catching six passes for 224 yards and four TDs -- a Group AAA playoff record -- to help Oscar Smith obliterate Osbourn 54-24 in the state Division 6 championship game.
"It was real fun, because I didn't expect them to play me the way they did," Smith said, referring to the Eagles' decision to put a single defender on him.
"When we played Oakton the week before, I was double-teamed, and I got to the point I was triple-teamed. So I was expecting something crazy, but [Osbourn] just came out there and manned up with a free safety."
For all of his athletic feats, Smith comes across as anything but cocky off the field.
"He's not like that," Morgan said, "but like any great player, he believes that he is the best. Deep down inside, he's like, 'I'm the best, and I'm going to go out and dominate this game.' He doesn't tell you that, but internally he believes he's the best, and that's what it takes to be great."
Smith's teammates at Oscar Smith included Perry Jones, another true freshman who's played for UVa this season. They're products of an ultra-successful high school program. The Tigers went 10-2 in 2006, 12-1 in '07, and 15-0 in '08.
Which means that Smith and Jones, close friends who share a room in Dunnington dorm, have lost as many games in one month at UVa as they did in their final three seasons at Oscar Smith. Virginia opens ACC play Saturday afternoon against North Carolina (0-1, 3-1) in Chapel Hill.
"It's pretty difficult," Smith said, "but it's just a steppingstone, because you can't win all your life. Sometimes you have to lose, and you have to know how to bounce back and get back on that winning track."
The William and Mary game marked the first time in some 21 months that a football team on which Smith played had not been victorious.
"It hit me kind of hard," he said. "The last game" -- a 37-34 loss to Southern Miss -- "was even worse, because we actually played well, and it was a close game. But we've just got to keep fighting. We get better every week. We score more points every week."
At Oscar Smith, Smith did more than catch passes. He started at safety and also returned punts and kickoffs. "Never got off the field," he said.
Morgan would have been foolish not to play him. Smith set a school record with 10 returns (punts or kickoffs) for touchdowns during his career.
"He's dominant at that, too," Morgan said. "With kickoffs and punts, that's four or five more opportunities a game to get the ball in his hands."
Smith has yet to return a punt or a kickoff for the 'Hoos, but he's a candidate to do so. For now, Virginia fans will have to be content to watch him operate at wideout.
He enters the UNC game with four catches for 102 yards, and he gives UVa the deep threat it's lacked for much of Groh's tenure as coach.
So, we can expect a touchdown from No. 20 every week?
"I guess so," Smith said with a smile. "It's just a great feeling. People always expect something big from me, so I just try to go out there and make people happy and put points on the board for the team, and try to win."
 

Lack of Scoring Still an Issue in Men's Soccer
Sept. 30, 2009
12:48 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- UVa soccer fans at Klöckner Stadium waited and waited and waited Tuesday night for a goal by the home team.

With one minute left in the second overtime period, they got their wish. Sophomore forward Chris Agorsor scored off teammate Greg Monaco's long throw-in to give 12th-ranked UVa a 1-0 victory over Virginia Commonwealth University.

The goal was the first of the season for Agorsor, who missed the first two games. His teammates haven't been much more profilic. The Cavaliers (6-2) have scored a modest 10 goals this season.

"Goal production is something we understand [needs to improve]," longtime coach George Gelnovatch said Wednesday morning. "But on the flip side, we've been better defensively."

Indeed, the Wahoos have allowed only four goals this season, with four shutouts. The addition of goalie Diego Restrepo, a junior who played at South Florida in 2007 and '08, has bolstered a UVa defense that allowed 29 goals in 21 games last season.

"We feel like we need to keep our goals against for the year below 20, to be where we want to be," Gelnovatch said, "and we're very much on track."

UVa scored 39 goals in 2008, with nearly 62 percent of them coming from four players: Tony Tchani (nine goals), Jimmy Simpson (six), Brian Ownby (five) and Agorsor (four). The percentage would have been higher, no doubt, had Tchani and Agorsor not suffered season-ending knee injuries -- Tchani in the 13th game and Agorsor in the seventh.

At some point this season, Gelnovatch hopes, he'll be able to put all four of those players on the field at the same time, with each at 100 percent.

For now, though, "every one of them has an issue," Gelnovatch noted.

Ownby is in Egypt, playing for the United in the under-20 World Cup. Tchani and Agorsor are still working on their fitness, timing and form after having had to spend the offseason rehabilitating. Simpson had knee surgery over the summer, as well as a bad back, and he's not fully fit yet.

"When you take Agorsor, you take Ownby, you take Simpson, you take Tchani, those are the guys that generally were going to score our goals," Gelnovatch said. "You take that into consideration, it actually makes sense to me, to be honest with you, that we don't have a lot of goals."

That said, Gelnovatch continued, UVa still should have beaten -- or at least tied -- Duke and Clemson. Duke edged Virginia 1-0 in two overtimes, and Clemson won 1-0 on a wet night at Klöckner last weekend. The Cavaliers had multiple scoring opportunities in each game but couldn't convert.

UVa, 1-2 in the ACC, plays No. 5 North Carolina (2-1, 6-1-1) in Chapel Hill on Friday night.

"What I'm thinking is, for now these games are going to be close," Gelnovatch said. "We need to continue to be very good defensively, which we have, both in the goal and just overall with the team, and score our goal or two to win games.

"I feel like the goal production, yes it needs to be better, but I think it will get better. And in the meanwhile, if we can win games by just playing good defense and winning by a goal, that's fine for now."

NOTE: Senior forward Matt Mitchell, who started 17 games for Virginia in '07 and again in '08, is no longer in the program.

"He and I agreed that it was in his best interest to leave the team. It was a mutual decision," said Gelnovatch, who chose not to elaborate.

-- Jeff White

 

How long can UR hold London?
By John O'Connor
Published: October 1, 2009

London file
Age: 48
Family: wife, Regina; children, Michael, Brandon, Kristen, Ticynn, Korbin, Jaicyn, Madicyn
Education: graduated from Bethel High School, Hampton; University of Richmond (sociology major, Class of 1983); received degree in law enforcement from the Richmond Police Academy.
Playing career: Spiders' defensive back 1979-82; signed as a free agent by the Dallas Cowboys.
Assistant coaching career: Richmond (1988-89), William and Mary (1990-93), Richmond (1994-96), Boston College (1997-2000), Virginia (2001-04, recruiting coordinator), Houston Texans (2005), Virginia (2006-07, defensive coordinator)
Head coaching career: Richmond (2008), won Football Championship Subdivision title, 13-3 record, named male coach of the year in all sports by Black Coaches & Administrators, and also was honored as FCS coach of the year by the American Football Coaches Association and by Schutt Sports/American Football Monthly. . . . This season, the Spiders are 4-0 and ranked No.1 in the FCS.
Motto London used to close résumé: "Confidence is evidence of demonstrated performance."

Mike London can't hide, even if that is his preference. Coaches of successful programs are subjects of discussions regarding other jobs.

The University of Richmond is 17-3 with a national championship and a No. 1 ranking in the Football Championship Subdivision poll with London, in his second season as coach of his alma mater. London, who will turn 49 next Friday, can't get much hotter as a potential candidate at an FCS school.

"I'll let other people speculate. I'm concentrating on being the head coach at the University of Richmond," London said.

After last season, his name surfaced in Boston College's search. A Houston Texans' assistant in 2005, London also had opportunities to return to the NFL.

London's résumé reflects that he has not been bashful about moving to improve his situation. He has changed jobs eight times since 1988.

His lone position outside football enhances his portfolio. During the mid'80s, London was a member of the Richmond Bureau of Police, working as a patrol officer and detective with the Street Crimes Unit. His goal at that time was to become a member of the Secret Service.

London is black. According to the Black Coaches & Administrators organization, seven of 120 Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches are black. The NCAA has boosted efforts to increase that number through its Diversity and Inclusion Department. FBS schools are encouraged by the NCAA to examine qualified black candidates. As a result, search committees and college presidents have become more attuned to the paucity of black head coaches in the FBS.

"The proof is in the pudding with what Mike has done. He has certainly proved that he is ready to be the head coach at a lot of different places," said Floyd Keith, the executive director of the BCA and the former head football coach at Rhode Island. "But I know he is not one of those who is at one place and always looking where he's going next. That's not the way he's geared."

Richmond starts 15 fifth-year seniors, including quarterback Eric Ward, a four-year starter. From that angle, if London has interest in moving to another situation, the coming offseason may be the time to explore options.

"I was hired to do a job here at my alma mater. There's unfinished business," London said. "The only thing I worry about is what's going on in this open week [the Spiders are off Saturday], and after that it's James Madison the week after."

In June, when London signed a contract extension that runs through 2014, UR Athletic Director Jim Miller said, "We understand the realities of FCS football, that if you're successful, sometimes coaches have opportunities that they feel they have to look at."

Richmond hasn't hesitated to release coaches who want to elevate in their field. Dave Clawson, whom London succeeded, agreed to a UR contract extension that ran through 2010. He left to become Tennessee's offensive coordinator in 2008.

FCS schools can't come close to matching financial packages available to coaches at FBS schools in top-tier conferences. More than half of FBS coaches will make more than $1 million in salary this season, according to various sources. In the FCS, salaries in the low six figures are normal, even in the highly competitive Colonial Athletic Association, the league to which UR belongs. As a private school, Richmond does not release salary information.

London did not recruit any Spiders starter on last year's team. Only one player he signed has started a game this season for 4-0 UR. Each of Richmond's current regulars came at the invitation of Clawson, now Bowling Green's head coach.

But London was regarded as an elite recruiter while a college assistant, particularly when he worked on the University of Virginia staff (2001-04, 2006-07). Players he signed since becoming Richmond's coach, and those who have orally committed to UR so far this year, are generally viewed as quality talents by recruiting analysts.
 

Tar Heels having trouble creating turnoversArticle
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BY ROBBI PICKERAL - Staff Writer

CHAPEL HILL -- North Carolina defensive back Charles Brown said he's surprised his team hasn't snagged an interception the last two games.

And if it stretches to a third game, Saturday against winless Virginia, replace that surprise with a different reaction.

"I'll be disappointed," Brown said Wednesday.

The Tar Heels' defense has been their strength this season, holding opponents to 250.5 yards per game (14th in the nation) and 14.2 points (19th). But one area where it has fallen short is in creating turnovers.

After four weeks, UNC (3-1, 0-1 ACC) ranks ninth in the league in turnover margin, at minus-3. And only one of its four interceptions -- Brown's second-quarter pick against Connecticut -- has come against a Football Bowl Subdivision team.

"Coaches have been stressing that in practice. They were mad that we weren't getting interceptions or fumble recoveries," Brown said. "That's the main thing -- take the ball away."

Coach Butch Davis said he wasn't particularly displeased that the Tar Heels failed to make an interception at Georgia Tech, considering "they don't throw very often, unless [their opponent] is ahead."

However, there were two loose balls, he said, that the Tar Heels could have pounced on. That's something that will continue to be a focus for UNC as it prepares for the Cavaliers (0-3, 0-0), who will be looking to improve their own minus-five turnover ratio.

"We talk about it all the time, finding ways," Tar Heels cornerback Kendric Burney said. "We look at film and study the ways people carry the ball, if the quarterback has tendencies. ... An emphasis this season was learning how to strip the ball -- one guy holds him up, the other goes for the ball."

As for interceptions, Burney admits his team probably won't achieve the 30-pick goal he and other members of the secondary set before the season. But he still thinks there's time to improve upon last year, when UNC snagged 20 interceptions, one off the school record.

Said Davis, "Turnovers are funny things; they come in bunches. Sometimes, all of a sudden, you start getting them in clusters, and hopefully, we start getting back on that track."

Still confident in Barth: Davis said he "absolutely" still has confidence in kicker Casey Barth, despite the sophomore's two missed field goals from inside 40 yards this season.

"I don't know if his confidence has," Davis said. "I know that he's mad at himself; I think that any kicker would be. Sometimes kickers are like quarterbacks; they're their own worse critics. They want to be perfect, and I know that he wants to be perfect. He wants to make every kick.

"When I talk to him about it -- like any kicker I've had -- you talk to him in the context of a golfer that's putting. You're sitting there, and as much as you say, 'We don't expect you to make 50-footers in golf,' we don't expect you to make 55-yarders in games very often. You might make some, but the ones ... inside of three feet, you'd like to make 'em.

"But still, you see guys that do that for a living, and they still miss them. And it boils down to blocking out all the previous kicks, and it's fundamentals. It's your approach to the ball, your trust in the snapper, your trust in the holder."

Barth was connecting consistently in practice Wednesday. A possible factor that may have contributed to his early shakiness was his need to work out the timing with a new deep snapper; Trevor Stuart tore a ligament in his knee against ECU, leaving Mark House, who played in six games last season, to return to the deep snapper position.

In all, Barth has made four of his six field-goal attempts this season.
 

October 1, 2009
Virginia hopes bye week pays off vs. Tar Heels
The Associated Press

Virginia coach Al Groh is a big fan of using a bye week to do self scouting, making certain that his team hasn't become predictable offensively or vulnerable on defense.

It was a little easier this year.

The Cavaliers (0-3) did an about face and scrapped some of the spread offense they learned in the offseason before their last game, and have had two weeks to blend parts of their old offense and their new one heading into this weekend's game at North Carolina.

Groh said this week that once he got a chance to see his team in action against William & Mary and TCU, it was obvious the change was necessary to give his team a better chance.

"Early in the year, that's always a very ongoing thing," he said of the evaluation of a team and its schemes in game conditions versus practice. "What to do more of, what to do less of, what we might change to, and just at that time, I felt that we had a system that had a proven record of success. It's not snake oil. It worked very well before. It's working very well around the country, and we had players who had a proven record of success."

Groh's decision was partially inspired by Jameel Sewell's emergence as the regular quarterback, in part because opening day starter Vic Hall is sidelined with a hip injury.

Before missing all of last season because of an academic suspension, Sewell was a two-year starter for the Cavaliers and guided them to nine wins and the Gator Bowl in 2007.

The rust that came from a year away from the game was evident in the first two games, but Sewell looked more like his old self in Virginia's 37-34 loss at Southern Miss two weeks ago. The Cavaliers led 34-17 in the third quarter before the Golden Eagles rallied to win 37-34, but Sewell threw for a career-best 312 yards and two TDs and ran for two more touchdowns.

To Butch Davis, coach of the Tar Heels (3-1, 0-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), Groh's blending of philosophies old and new to accomodate Sewell's strengths was a logical move.

"Like anybody else, you've got to do what your kids can do," Davis said this week. "They've still recruited an awful lot of big tight ends. They've got a big physical offensive line. They've got to do what those guys do, and they're utilizing Sewell very well."

The Cavaliers are also eager to see what two weeks to work on getting all three phases of their game operating at a higher level can do. They head into this weekend as the only team from the six major Bowl Championship Series conferences still seeking their first win.

"In the front of my mind is just getting that first (victory)," linebacker Denzell Burrell, one of six team captains, said Tuesday. "I feel like once we can get that first game, hopefully momentum will come and we can just keep rolling from there."

It helps their spirits that their slate is still clean in ACC play.

"This is the ACC so it's like a whole different season," safety Rodney McLeod said. "We're trying to get an ACC championship. We'd definitely like to get those three games that we had back, get wins, but you've just got to move on to the next game and look forward."

Like Virginia, North Carolina spent a lot of this week looking at itself and trying to figure out what went wrong as it got dominated 24-7 by Georgia Tech in its ACC opener.

The Yellow Jackets outgained North Carolina 317-17 on the ground.

"The thing is we've just got to play our type of defense," Tar Heels cornerback Kendric Burney said. "If we do that, we should be all right. We've got to play with a little chip on our shoulder. We're not real happy about this loss, but as a veteran defense and with a lot of veterans on this team, we know what we've got to do to bounce back."

 

No better time for a win
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: October 1, 2009

Scattershooting around the ACC, while wondering if Al Groh can keep up his mastery over North Carolina this weekend ...
Virginia desperately needs to win a football game after a rocky 0-3 start and there’s no better time to start than Saturday in Chapel Hill. Groh has a 6-2 record against the Tar Heels and a win over longtime rival UNC could give the Cavaliers new life with a 1-0 record in the ACC.
“What, we’ve got nine games left?” UVa quarterback Jameel Sewell said Wednesday night. “That gives us a lot of room for optimism. “We haven’t given up, not at all. We haven’t even thought about giving up or cracking.”
Groh’s teams have been hard to beat in October since 2002, posting a 17-10 record during those months, and an even more impressive 7-1 in October the past two seasons.
Another interesting number is that UVa’s first three opponents, William & Mary, TCU and Southern Miss, have a collective 10-1 record heading into this weekend.
Tar Heel blues
Carolina coach Butch Davis has been in a foul mood all week since his Heels got hammered by Georgia Tech, 24-7. UNC couldn’t move the football and couldn’t do much to stop the Yellow Jackets’ running attack.
The Tar Heels’ defense, which had allowed an average of only 52.3 yards rushing per game, gave up 317 on the ground to the Jackets. NOTE TO VIRGINIA: Georgia Tech quarterback Josh Nesbitt rushed 32 times for 97 yards and two touchdowns and passed for 89 more against the Heels. Hear that Jameel Sewell?
Tech had possession of the football for 42 minutes, 6 seconds in the game.
Meanwhile, Carolina couldn’t budge the pigskin, accumulating a meager 154 yards of total offense, and 107 of that came on six catches by freshman wide receiver Eric Highsmith. UNC converted only one third down out of 11.
All this left Davis hopping mad.
“We’ve got to take a long look at how we blocked and how we blocked the schemes, how well we blocked and did we run the right holes,” Davis said. “We’ve got to take a long look at ourselves. I didn’t see a lack of intensity. I saw a lack of execution.”
Stat of the week
N.C. State quarterback Russell Wilson added to his NCAA record for most passes without an interception in the comeback over Pitt last weekend.
Wilson has now thrown 364 passes without a pick, 39 more passes than previous record holder Andre Woodson of Kentucky (2006-07).
Virginia fans will remember Matt Blundin’s remarkable streak in 1990-91 of 224 consecutive passes without an interception, a streak halted in the Gator Bowl loss to Oklahoma.
Quote of the week
By Virginia Tech cornerback Rashad Carmichael on the Hokies defending their ACC title versus Miami last weekend:
“We feel like the ACC has to come through us. We just wanted to come out and show the world that V-Tech never left. Miami might be back, but we never left.”
Same song in Tigertown
The names have changed on the head coach’s office door but there’s a familiarity to Tiger fans between former coach Tommy Bowden and his replacement Dabo Swinney. It’s the “we’re one play away” thing, something Bowden used to say after close losses.
Swinney’s Tigers are repeating their recent history.
After losing at home to TCU last weekend, Clemson has now dropped seven of its last eight games decided by a TD or less and 15 of 21 dating back to 2005. The Tigers have also lost eight in a row to ranked teams.
One of the problems this season is the Red Zone is a Dead Zone for the Tigs. In 13 trips inside the 25, Clemson has scored two touchdowns and its offense has scored only one TD in the last nine quarters.
Critics believe that Clemson only has two playmakers, running back C.J. Spiller and receiver Jacoby Ford. The two accounted for 79.6 percent of the Tigers’ total offense against the Horned Frogs.
Short yardage
It was somewhat surprising to see Georgia Tech shut down Carolina’s offense the way it did with two new starters in the Jackets’ defensive line, using a simpler scheme. ... Maryland has given up 61 points off turnovers so far, almost equaling the 68 the Terps surrendered off miscues in 13 games last season. ... UVa’s Al Groh has now used a total of 59 true freshmen since 2001, the latest being LaRoy Reynolds. ... Give Virginia Tech credit for shutting down Miami QB Jacory Harris, who entered last Saturday’s game at rainy Lane Stadium ranked third nationally in passing efficiency, but completed only 9 of 25 attempts for 150 yards and was sacked three times by the Hokies.
The picks
Last week: 5-3. To date: 28-10.
This week: Oklahoma 27, Miami 14; Georgia Tech 24, Mississippi State 19; Clemson 33, Maryland 10; Virginia Tech 38, Duke 13; Florida State 30, Boston College 20; N.C. State 23, Wake Forest 17; Virginia 24, North Carolina 21.
 

Hapless Heels ready for Cavs
By Jay Jenkins
Published: October 1, 2009

After a perfect start to the season, North Carolina appeared on track to challenge Virginia Tech for the ACC Coastal Division title.
That all but crashed on third down last weekend at Georgia Tech. In fact, the Tar Heels (3-1, 0-1 ACC) were held hapless 10 times in their 11 third-down attempts, leading to a 24-7 loss in Atlanta.
“We didn’t play as well Saturday, certainly, as we would have liked to have played,” North Carolina coach Butch Davis said. “One thing when you’re a coach and you take a look at it, obviously you want your team to play well and play hard. I think we’ve got good kids that did that.
“We just didn’t play as efficient and effective as we played the first time. That’s the benchmark —how you played against that particular offense and that particular team a year ago.”
Failing to keep the ball for a third of the contest in time of possession, North Carolina was held to just 154 yards of total offense.
“We weren’t on the field long enough to get anything going, and when we were on the field, we just didn’t execute the things that we needed to,” UNC running back Shaun Draughn said. “I don’t know. A few guys made a few mental errors and I didn’t make some of the right reads.
“Just as a whole offense, we didn’t execute as well as we needed to.”
The Tar Heels, who host Virginia (0-3) on Saturday, have struggled offensively all season, but managed to beat The Citadel, Connecticut and East Carolina. Still, UNC ranks No. 102 nationally in total offense.
The dismal performances will not lead to changes in personnel. Not yet at least.
“Absolutely not. I think that we’re playing the best players that we’ve got,” Davis said. “But we’ve got to look at what are their capabilities and what can they realistically do, and then how can they get better at what we’re trying to do. I think the worst thing that we could do is to try to do some kind of a magical hodgepodge where you move the offensive line around.
“They’ve got to get some consistency and some continuity during the course of the week and during the course of the season. We’ve got to be more effective and we’ve got to get the ball into the hands of our playmakers better. We’ve done that at times and we haven’t done it as well as we needed to. We didn’t have many opportunities, so that’s our fault.”

UVa basketball commitment #5 - Doug Doughty

Akil Mitchell, a 6-foot-7, 205-pound small forward from Charlotte (N.C.) Christian School, has made a basketball commitment to Virginia for 2010.

Mitchell was considering mostly Ivy League schools and other low- to mid-major programs until he attended UVa's elite camp this summer.

Mitchell is the fifth player to commit to UVa coach Tony Bennett, who had five scholarships available for 2010.

The Cavaliers had scheduled recruiting visits for 6-10 Josh Henderson from Cave Spring in Roanoke and 6-6 Kyle Collinsworth from Provo, Utah, for the weekend of Oct. 10-12, but Collinsworth committed to Brigham Young on Wednesday.

Henderson has trimmed Wake Forest from his list of finalists, his mother said Wednesday night. As of Wednesday night, Henderson had not cancelled his visit to UVa, but Davidson and Vanderbilt are seen as the programs to beat.

Henderson goes to Davidson this weekend and was at Vanderbilt in September.

 

Disappointment strikes again on Klöckner pitch
Sports / Women's Soccer
October 1, 2009 0

Freshman defender Emily Carrollo played for 77 minutes against Virginia Tech and took two shots against the Hokies. Photo by Iram Shaikh.
After a loss to Virginia Tech last year that left most of the women’s soccer team bitter and looking for revenge, Virginia was forced to stomach yet another crushing defeat last night at Klöckner Stadium.

No. 18 Virginia was defeated by its in-state rival after dropping two goals to the Hokies. Even a late game surge by the Cavaliers left the score at 2-1. Virginia managed to outshoot Tech 21-8, but repeated failure to finish those chances cost the Cavaliers. One such chance was a penalty called on Tech inside the box in the 13th minute. Sophomore forward Lauren Alwine could not convert against goalkeeper Kristen Carden to take the lead for the orange and blue. Even though Virginia continued to apply pressure throughout the first half, taking eight shots and a corner kick, it was the Hokies that notched the first goal of the match.

Carden kept the game at 1-0 in the second half by making several key saves, racking up five by the end of the game. Virginia Tech’s offense, too, was not to be denied and extended its lead with a goal in the 76th minute by Julian Johnson.

The remainder of the game, Virginia pressed the Hokies — possessing the ball in their attacking third and taking many tries on goal. Alwine finally put the Cavaliers on the scoreboard in the 84th minute when a header landed at her feet and she got it past Carden.

With the loss, the Cavaliers dropped to 1-2 in the ACC and 6-3-2 overall on the season, but will have eight days of rest before they face No. 22 Maryland at home next week.

­—compiled by Jack Bird
 

Women’s Soccer Suffers 2-1 Loss to Virginia Tech
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 09/30/2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE – The No. 18 Virginia women’s soccer team’s second half comeback fell short, falling to Virginia Tech 2-1 Wednesday night at Klöckner Stadium. The Cavaliers fall to 6-3-2 overall and 1-2-0 in the ACC with the loss, while the Hokies improve to 9-2-0 overall and 3-0-0 in the ACC.

“I am disappointed with the result and feel for our team,” said head coach Steve Swanson. “I thought we played very well tonight, especially with our ball movement. We had the better of the chances all night, but could only take advantage of one of them. They only had a few in each half, but got two goals.”

Virginia had a golden chance to take the lead in the 13th minute when a foul was called on the Hokies in the box. However Tech goalkeeper Kristin Carden saved Lauren Alwine’s (Elizabethtown, Pa.) penalty kick to keep the game scoreless. The Cavaliers continued to pressure but couldn’t find the first goal of the match. Late in the first half, the Hokies took advantage of one of their few chances as Robin Chidester made a 40-yard run to the top of the box and cut a shot back just inside the far post in the 39th minute. Virginia Tech took that 1-0 lead to the half despite being out shot 8-2.

Virginia continued the pressure early in the second half, keeping the ball in Tech’s half a majority of the time. But several key Carden saves, a hit post, and several near misses kept the game at 1-0. The Hokies doubled their lead in the 76th minute with another goal against the run of play. A clearance over the top by Julia Goldsworthy found Julian Johnson, who chipped a ball from 15 yards out just under the crossbar to make the score 2-0. The last 15 minutes were played exclusively in the Hokie third of the field and the Cavaliers got one goal back in the 84th minute when numerous headers in the box sent the ball to the feet of Alwine at the edge of the 6-yard box, who blasted in her fifth goal of the season. In the 89th minute, the Cavaliers nearly equalized after a passing sequence set up Alwine from the top of the box missed just high.

Virginia outshot Virginia Tech 21-8 and had a 4-1 corner kick advantage. Chantel Jones and Carden each made five saves in their respective goals.

“We are a lot better now that we were a few weeks ago and especially since the start of the season,” said Swanson. “Unfortunately, the results aren’t showing that. But that is soccer. Tonight may have been our most consistent game of the year in terms of our ball movement and play. We just got to keep fighting and do better with the chances we are creating. I am proud of how we played when we got down 2-0, how we got it to 2-1 and nearly got the equalizer. We just need to have confidence in our play with what we are doing on the field and not get discouraged by the results. If we do that, continue to improve, the results will come.”

The Cavaliers have eight days off before returning to action on October 8 when they host No. 22 Maryland. Game time at Klöckner Stadium is slated for 7 p.m.

VIRGINIA TECH 2, VIRGINIA 1

Virginia Tech (9-2-0, 3-0-0) 1 1 2
#18 Virginia (6-3-2, 1-2-0) 0 1 1

Scoring Summary
VT. Robin Chidester 1 (unassisted) 39’
VT. Julian Johnson 3 (Julia Goldsworthy 2) 76’
UVa. Lauren Alwine 5 (Meghan Lenczyk 3, Sinead Farrelly 5) 84’

Shots: UVa 21, VT 8
Corners: UVa 4, VT 1
Saves: UVa 5 (Jones 5), VT 5 (Carden 5)
Fouls: UVa 11, VT 13

Weather: 60 degrees, partly cloudy
Attendance: 959
 

Virginia falls short against Virginia Tech
By Whitey Reid
Published: October 1, 2009

The laws of probability would likely be rendered moot if applied to the last three Virginia-Virginia Tech women’s soccer games. UVa has outshot its in-state rival by a staggering 60-18 margin, but has managed to score only two goals and lose all three games.
The latest head-scratcher came Wednesday night at Klockner Stadium. Virginia Tech, with the help of a goal by Julian Johnson in the 76th minute, defeated Virginia, 2-1.
“I thought we had the better of the play throughout the game and only had one goal to show for it,” said a mystified Virginia coach Steve Swanson. “I feel for our team a little bit. I thought we played well and worked really hard and maybe deserved more than we got.
“We’re going to have to dig down deep. We play in a conference where nobody is going to feel sorry for you. We have to fight and battle.”
As Hokie players celebrated loudly on the field with their fans afterward, Virginia players looked completely dejected during their post-game stretching routine.
“It’s really disappointing since this has happened twice now in three games,” said UVa goalie Chantel Jones, alluding to the team’s loss to N.C. State last Thursday. “In both games we played, we were the better team. Everyone can see it in the stands. The coaches know it. It’s just who can finish.
“We just have to finish our chances.”
Virginia Tech (9-2-0, 3-0-0) only had eight shots on the game, including just two in the first half, one of which found the back of the net.
In the 39th minute, Hokie senior Robin Chidester charged upfield by her lonesome against a number of Cavalier defenders on a counter. Unabated, Chidester blasted a shot from about 15 yards out that beat a diving Chantel Jones to her left.
“In that situation, [we] just have to foul her early — give her a free kick,” said Jones, who had five saves on the night. “That’s fine. I’ll take that, instead of a breakaway.”
Virginia’s best chance to score in the half came in the 13th minute when it was awarded a penalty kick. However, Lauren Alwine’s shot was easily stopped by goalie Kristin Carden, who barely had to move.
Virginia Tech scored what turned out to be the decisive goal when Johnson chipped a ball over Jones’ head off a through ball to make it 2-0. The tally, like the first, came after Virginia
(6-3-2, 1-2-0) had dominated play at the other end of the field, pelting Carden.
“Some of them are unlucky,” said Jones, when asked about the team’s inability to finish plays. “They get blocked or just don’t reach the goalkeeper. But it’s also being smart — not taking a 40-yard shoot on a 6-foot tall keeper.
“We have to think more when we get in the box and relax. I think we get a little too jittery and want to put it in too quick. That’s not going to happen — not in the ACC. Every keeper is quality. It’s not going to go through their hands or anything like that.”
Virginia didn’t go down without a fight. In the 83rd minute, the Cavaliers were finally able to break through when Alwine was able to punch one past Carden amidst some mayhem in front of the net.
With just over a minute to play, Alwine had a great chance at the equalizer. The sophomore had a clear shot at the net after losing a Tech defender, but fired a right-footed shot well over the net.
Swanson and Virginia will have plenty of time to ponder the loss. They don’t play again until hosting No. 24 Maryland on Oct. 8.
“You really make your own way here,” Swanson said. “We’ve got ourselves in enough positions to get the game and be in the driver’s seat and put them on their heals, but just haven’t taken advantage of those chances when we’ve got them.”
Added Jones: “We just have to keep going and stay true to Virginia soccer — real soccer, as opposed to kickball — and it will work out in the end.”
 

Stevens, Fraser prepare for All-American challenge in Los Angeles tourney
In attempt to recover from shoulder injury, Stevens has refined serve technique; duo’s impressive performance in spring season helped earn berth in ITA championships
Chloe Newschwander, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor
Sports / Women's Tennis
October 1, 2009 0

Two Cavaliers will represent the Virginia women’s tennis team next week at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-American Championships in Los Angeles.

Senior Jennifer Stevens and sophomore Emily Fraser qualified for the championship because of their impressive performances last year. At this point in the season, Stevens and Fraser are ranked No. 73 and No. 54 as singles players, respectively, and No. 20 as a doubles team.

The All-American Championship is one of three grand slam tournaments in college tennis. Stevens and Fraser will play at the qualifying singles and main draw doubles levels.

“You roughly have to be more or less the top 75-ranked college player in singles,” Virginia coach Mark Guilbeau said. “And then in doubles, you’re only looking at the top 16 teams in the country, so you’ve either got to be ranked roughly in the top 20 in the country, somewhere in there, or the No. 1 team from your region, and [Stevens and Fraser] are both.”

Fraser has not participated in singles play this year in hopes of a full recovery from a shoulder injury before the All-Americans. Fraser competed in the doubles portion of the U.Va. Fall Invitational to gauge where she was in terms of recuperation.

“Emily is a real responsible kid, very mature about it, so she’s been good about communication and letting us know where she is, and I think that that’s helped us be able to put her in to practices and also into some of that competition last weekend,” Guilbeau said. “It’s not perfect; she hasn’t played a lot of singles, but you’ve got to start somewhere, and she’s more than willing to start at All-American and see what she can do. It’s really a positive opportunity for her.”

The aspect of tennis that puts the most strain on her shoulder is the serve, Fraser said, and she has been adding more serves to practices each week to return to a comfortable routine.

“I’ve been trying to do a little bit more of an abbreviated motion, hopefully to help my shoulder a little bit and to just take out any extra room to make a mistake,” Fraser said. “Any weakness is sort of intentional because I’m trying not to rush in or go too hard too quick, but also, I never really had too much of a powerful serve, it’s more about spin, so I feel like if anything I’ve kind of been able to loosen up a little bit on all of my shots which has allowed me more power than before.”

Fraser is not the only member of the Virginia team that has been designating extra attention to this crucial element of singles play.

The Cavaliers have been focusing as a team to find consistency on their second serves to avoid losing points because of double faults. With a solid second serve to reinforce a potential fault, a player can approach the first serve with more confidence and assertiveness.

“It’s way too common in tennis and it’s getting to the point where [double faults are] accepted, and that’s a shame because the game was never meant to get to that stage,” Guilbeau said. “I understand power and going for it and I understand that players are trying to attack the drive with a big return but you’ve got to put the ball in play. You shouldn’t penalize yourself if you’re the one controlling the point.”

Guilbeau said the team also has addressed more specific serving techniques in practice, including the implementation of a wide slice serve on the deuce court when working with right-handed players.

“I think they’re all developing that really well and then it’s just a matter of knowing when to give the returner a different serve than what they’re maybe expecting, so we’re working on variety and using the brain to mix it up at the right time,” Guilbeau said.

With all of the specific attention granted to serving, the team is confident that it will not run into problems with double faulting this season on the singles or the doubles front.

In her first singles match of the year, Fraser will focus on what Guilbeau said he considers some of the most important techniques for Fraser to improve upon in singles play.

They include “trying to have good court position and being able to determine when you’ve hurt your opponent and when you can really take the entire court, meaning you can go forward and finish at the net,” Guilbeau explained.

This aggressive approach to the game is also useful in doubles. Though Stevens and Fraser have yet to play in competition this fall, Fraser said practices have shown that their chemistry as a pair is still present.

“I love playing with Jenny [Stevens],” Fraser said. “It’s great for me because she’s for sure the best doubles player that we have. It’s also bad in some ways because I rely on her too much, but she’s really good, and I’m really happy to play with her.”

Playing among such elite athletes at the All-American Championships will challenge the two Virginia players to incorporate the tactics and philosophies they have employed in practices. As singles competitors and a doubles team, the tournament will allow Fraser and Stevens to see what Guilbeau calls “some really good opportunities that are well-earned; it comes from a lot of work through the last year.”
 

No. 3 Virginia Hangs on to Beat Richmond, 4-3
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 09/30/2009

RICHMOND, Va. - The third-ranked Virginia field hockey team (11-0) defeated Richmond (4-6) by a score of 4-3 Wednesday at Crenshaw Field. Sophomore Paige Selenski scored two goals while senior Traci Ragukas and freshman Tara Puffenberger also notched goals for the Cavaliers.
Puffenberger's goal, assisted by Vittese, came in the 54th minute and proved to be the game winner.
Though Richmond's three goals were the most allowed by UVa this season, the Virginia offense registered 13 shots to five for the Spiders. All of Richmond's shots came in the second stanza. Selenski led the Cavaliers with six shots.
Virginia also had a 7-1 advantage on penalty corners and was able to score twice off corners.
The Cavaliers got on board 4:53 into the contest, when Tara Puffenberger passed the ball over to Ragukas, who put Virginia up 1-0.
After the first half ended with a 1-0 UVa lead, Richmond came back to tie the game in the 41st minute when Dani Pycroft scored her first of two goals for the Spiders.
Selenski then registered back-to-back goals, both tip-ins from teammate Inga Stockel on two separate penalty corners. The first goal came at 41:41 and the second at 46:12 as Virginia took a 3-1 advantage.
Seconds after a Richmond timeout, the Spiders rallied within one when Pycroft notched her second goal of the season on an assist from teammate Megan Thompson.
After Puffenberger scored to put Virginia back on top by two scores, the Spiders continued to fight back when Thompson scored with just six minutes left to play.
Up one, the Cavalier defense was able to hold off Richmond and come away with the win.
Virginia continues ACC play with a 4 p.m. Friday at No. 1 Maryland.