Men's Lacrosse Takes On Princeton

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March 10, 2000

#3 Virginia Cavaliers (0-1)
vs. #2 Princeton Tigers (1-0)

March 11, 2000
1:00 p.m.
Klockner Stadium
Charlottesville, Va.

Game Info

Virginia looks for its first win of the season this afternoon againstPrinceton at Klockner Stadium. Faceoff is 1:00 p.m.

The Cavaliers dropped their season opener last weekend to Syracuse 13-12 inovertime, while Princeton downed Johns Hopkins 15-11 at Homewood Field.

The Cavaliers find themselves in the same spot as last season. Afterdropping their opener to Syracuse, they gained a 6-4 win over Princeton toavoid opening the season 0-2.

Virginia hasn’t opened 0-2 since the 1966 squad began with five consecutivelosses on the way to a 2-9 record.

The Series vs. the Tigers
Princeton holds a slim 7-6 advantage in the all-time series vs. theCavaliers. Prior to 1992 the teams had met only three times, but they haveplayed an annual series since ’92. In addition to meeting during theregular season every year since 1992, the two teams have battled in theNCAA Tournament’s title game twice (1994, ’96). Princeton won both NCAAmatch-ups in overtime to deny the Cavaliers a national championship (thatthey finally claimed last season).

Virginia has won the last two meetings in Charlottesville-a 12-9 win in1996 and a 9-7 triumph in 1998. However, both of those wins occurred at theUniversity Hall Turf Field. This is the first time in more than 50 yearsthe teams have played on a grass field in Charlottesville. This is alsoPrinceton’s first game at Klockner Stadium.

Last season the Cavaliers turned the tables on Princeton by adopting theTigers’ ball-control offense to post a 6-4 win. The win marked the firsttime since 1973 the Cavaliers won a game with as few as six goals.Virginia scored twice in the first 3:23 of what would become a defensivebattle for ball control and possession time. The Cavaliers led 4-2 athalftime and extended their lead to 6-2 with third quarter goals by TuckerRadebaugh and Michael Leahy. Leahy scored two goals and was the game’s onlyplayer with more than one. Goalie Derek Kenney, who finished with 10 saves,had six in the final 15 minutes to seal the win.

Princeton has scored at least five goals in every game since 1990 excepttwo. Both of those games came against UVa when the Tigers scored just fourtimes in the 1995 and 1999 meetings vs. the Cavaliers.Cavaliers Hand Tigers Rare Losses

Since 1995 Princeton has lost just 10 games, including eight regular seasoncontests. Of those 10 losses, four have come against Virginia.In fact theCavaliers have defeated Princeton twice as often since 1995 as the nextclosest opponent-Johns Hopkins and Syracuse.

The Tigers lost just once during their NCAA championship seasons in 1996and 1998-both times to Virginia.

Virginia ended Princeton’s 29-game winning streak with a 9-7 win in 1998 inthe most recent game played in Charlottesville.

It’s ironic to note that that’s not the only 29-game streak to end inCharlottesville to a Cavalier athletic team. The UVa football team ended a29-game losing streak to Clemson in 1990. The football team also endedFlorida State’s 29-game Atlantic Coast Conference winning streak at 29games in 1995.

Not What You’d Expect
Dom Starsia’s Cavaliers have gained a reputation as an explosive offensivesquad and have led the nation in scoring twice in the last three years.Princeton, on the other hand, has favored taking a more methodical approachto offense, while relying on a strong defense to slow the opponent.

Given the differing philosophies between Virginia and Princeton, one mightfigure the Cavaliers would want to get into a fast-paced offensive game,while the Tigers would rather slow the pace.

But if you figure this, you shouldn’t place your money on Virginia. As thechart below shows, the Cavaliers fare better against Princeton when theykeep the score low.

The last two meetings between the two teams, both Virginia wins, followthis pattern. Two years ago the Cavaliers won 9-7, while last season theyposted a 6-4 win.

Perhaps it’s interesting to note that Princeton is the only opponent wherethe Cavaliers do well against when the score is low. Since 1993 Virginia isjust 5-11 when scoring fewer than 10 goals, with two of the five winscoming against the Tigers.

The chart below shows the average score in this series when UVa wins and loses.

History Suggests a Tight Contest Today
This is the 10th meeting between Virginia and Princeton in the last sevenyears. The two teams have played an annual series every year since 1992and faced each other in the NCAA Tournament in 1994 and 1996.One of the most obvious characteristics of the series is how close thegames have been. A game decided by more than three goals qualifies as ablow out.

Among the last nine meetings feature three games decided by one goal (allthree were overtime contests), two decided by two goals and two decided bythree.

Only two games have been determined by more than three goals. Princetongained a 14-6 win in 1994, while Virginia won 11-4 the following year.The last four games have been decided by a total of six goals, an averagemargin of 1.5 goals per game.

Starting Lineup Takes Shape
Virginia’s roster this season features seven returning starters and 21other lettermen from last season to give head coach Dom Starsia and hisstaff the luxury of not having to do too much tinkering to settle on astarting 10.

Returning on attack are Drew McKnight and Conor Gill. McKnight, a senior,has been a mainstay in the lineup since his arrival three years ago. Gillproved himself last year by winning the ACC Rookie of the Year Award andbeing named the MVP of the NCAA Tournament. Joining them on attack isexpected to be sophomore Ian Shure. Shure missed all of last season due toa knee injury, but has returned to full strength. He is a gifted offensiveplayer who saw limited action as a freshman in 1998.

Jay Jalbert returns to anchor what is a very deep midfield this season.Hanley Holcomb is expected to join Jalbert on the first unit, with thethird spot up for grabs. David Bruce, Aaron Vercollone and A.J. Shannon areexpected to complete the first unit and form the foundation of the second.Will Quayle, Andrew Farone and Chris Rotelli are among the competitors torun on the second unit. Quayle might even see time on the first unit.Jamison Mullen, Brenndan Mohler and Nick Russo should also see plenty oftime in the midfield.

Jason Hard and David Jenkins will continue to alternate as faceoffspecialists, while Peter Ragosa will be the top long stick middie onceagain. Richard Reid and Trey Whitty will also see time at long stick middie.All three starting defensemen from the end of last season return. RyanCurtis, the nation’s top defensemen, headlines the returnees. He will bejoined by Mark Koontz and Court Weisleder. John Harvey, Ned Bowen and DavidBurman figure to be the top reserves.

Derek Kenney returns in goal after starting last season as a freshman. Hewill be backed up by local product Ben O’Neil again this season.

Higher Ranked Teams Beware
Dom Starsia’s Cavaliers have been one of the nation’s top programsthroughout the 1990s, consistently being ranked in the top five. As aresult Virginia is usually the higher ranked team when it takes the fieldfor most games. And when the Cavaliers are the underdog playing at homethey are especially deadly. Since 1993, Virginia is 8-3 when playing athome as the lower ranked team.

At all sites, Virginia is 13-12 under Starsia against higher ranked teams,which demonstrates how much the Cavaliers benefit by playing in front oftheir fans.

Freshmen Tally Three vs. Syracuse
Virginia got three of its 12 goals last weekend against Syracuse fromfreshmen. A.J. Shannon, a highly regarded prospect from Canada, scoredtwice in his debut, while fellow midfielder Chris Rotelli found the back ofthe net once.

That is the best performance by Virginia freshmen in three years. In 1997Jay Jalbert scored four times and Drew McKnight twice in the season opener(also a one-goal loss to Syracuse).

Shure Returns With Big Game
Given his limited experience, red-shirt sophomore Ian Shure can almost beconsidered a freshman this season. He played sparingly two years ago as atrue freshman, appearing in just six games and scoring two goals. Then hemissed all of last season due to a severe knee injury that requiredsurgery.

But he has worked hard to return to action and his efforts seem to havepaid off.

He worked his way into the starting attack and scored two goals lastweekend vs. Syracuse in what was the most significant playing time of hiscareer so far.

The two goals vs. the Orangemen tied his career that he established vs.Mercyhurst in 1998.

An outstanding offensive player, he will be called on to add punch to aline that features Drew McKnight and Conor Gill.

Eleven Cavaliers Earn Preseason Recognition
Virginia’s roster this season features 11 players who have been named tovarious preseason All-America squads.

Defenseman Ryan Curtis, last season’s Schmeisser Cup winner as the nation’stop defenseman, returns to anchor the Cavalier defense. Lacrosse magazinelisted him as its Player of the Year and one of five “Players to Watch”this spring. Curtis has also been named to preseason All-America teams byFace-off, Inside Lacrosse, College Lacrosse USA and the Baltimore Sun.Joining Curtis as a Lacrosse magazine “Player to Watch” is midfield JayJalbert, winner of the 1999 McLaughlin Award as the nation’s outstandingmidfielder. And like Curtis, Jalbert has cited by Face-off, InsideLacrosse, College Lacrosse USA and the Baltimore Sun as a preseasonAll-America.

Two of UVa’s starting attackmen-senior Drew McKnight and sophomore ConorGill-have been selected preseason All-Americans. McKnight, the Cavaliers’leading active scorer (68g, 68a), was also named one of nine”Sharpshooters” by Inside Lacrosse magazine. Gill, the ACC Rookie of theYear and MVP of the NCAA Tournament a year ago, will be looked upon toquarterback the attack again this season.

Junior Hanley Holcomb joins Jalbert in the midfield to give head coach DomStarsia two preseason All-Americans on the first unit. Holcomb, whopossesses one of the hardest shots in the nation, found the back of the net27 times last season.

Long stick middie Peter Ragosa, one of the nation’s most underratedplayers, has been cited by Inside Lacrosse, College Lacrosse USA andFace-off for preseason recognition.

The Virginia face-off duo of Jason Hard and David Jenkins were bothrecognized for their face-off ability by the preseason pickers. Both werealso among 11 of the nation’s top face-off specialists selected by InsideLacrosse.

Defensively, junior John Harvey and sophomore Mark Koontz were named to thepreseason squad presented by Inside Lacrosse. Koontz was also named toFace-off’s preseason squad.

Goalie Derek Kenney, who last year became the first freshman to start ingoal for the Cavaliers in 20 years, has also been named to severalpreseason All-America squads.

Avoiding the “Sophomore Slump”
Attackman Conor Gill came to UVa with the reputation as being a giftedoffensive player and he lived up to his billing as UVa captured lastseason’s national title.

For the season he finished with 22 goals and 30 assists for a total of 52points and was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Year.Saving his best for the biggest stage in the college game, Gill turned theNCAA Tournament in College Park, Md., into his own personal show. He scoredfive goals in the first quarter to lead the Cavaliers to a 16-11 win overJohns Hopkins in the semifinals. He then scored UVa’s 11th goal andassisted on the 12th in the national championship game vs. Syracuse as UVagained a 12-10 win. For his play he was named the MVP of the title game andto the NCAA All-Tournament squad.

Given all that he did last year, one accomplishment he will certainly lookto keep off his resume is the dreaded “sophomore slump.”That looks to be a difficult task considering his 30 assists tied Army’sTim Pearson for the national lead among rookies, while he tied for third inpoints (52) by a freshman last season. He also finished fourth among thenation’s rookies in scoring, averaging 3.25 points per game, and eighthwith 22 goals.

Cavaliers at Klockner Stadium
Today’s game vs. Princeton is a rare early-season match-up at KlocknerStadium. Ordinarily the Cavaliers play their early home games at theUniversity Hall Turf Field in an effort to allow the grounds crew toprepare the grass after the winter.

As a result the last two times these two teams have played inCharlottesville the games have been on the U-Hall Turf Field.

Klockner Stadium has been very good to the Cavaliers since they first beganplaying games there in 1993 as their 28-6 record at Klockner attests. TheCavaliers had their five-game Klockner winning streak snapped by Syracuselast weekend. That was only their second non-conference loss at Klockner,joining a 1998 loss to Johns Hopkins.

Virginia has never lost two consecutive games at Klockner and hasn’t losttwo straight home games since 1992 when UVa lost early season home games atScott Stadium to Duke and Princeton.

Five Seniors Named Co-Captains
Five members of Virginia’s senior class this season have been namedcaptains for the 2000 season-Ryan Curtis, Jason Hard, Jay Jalbert, DrewMcKnight and Peter Ragosa.

Curtis and Jalbert were recipients of prestigious national awards lastseason for their play as the Cavaliers won the national title. Curtis wonthe Schmeisser Cup as the nation’s top defenseman, while Jalbert wasawarded the McLaughlin Award as the nation’s outstanding midfielder.

Hard teams with David Jenkins to give Virginia the top face-off unit in thecountry. Hard finished sixth in the nation in face-off winning percentage.

This is the second year in a row McKnight has served as a team captain. Oneof the more overlooked members of the nation’s most potent offense,McKnight is poised to break into the top 10 in career scoring at Virginia.He currently is tied with Perry Frazer for 14th with 132 points (66g, 66a)and needs just 28 points to crack the top 10.

Ragosa, considered by many as the nation’s top long stick middie, hashelped spearhead Virginia’s defensive efforts throughout his career. He wastied for 46th in the nation a year ago in ground balls, averaging 4.4 pergame (70 in 16 games).

Jalbert Looks to Overcome Slow Starts
Senior midfielder Jay Jalbert has been UVa’s offensive MVP in each of thelast two years. But a curious thing happened to the way to winning the teamaward. He got off to very slow starts in 1998 and 1999. And after one gamethis season it looks like the trend might continue.

Two years ago, playing on the attack, Jalbert scored 11 goals in theseason’s first six games as the Cavaliers got off to a 3-3 start. He scoreda career-high five goals in a win over North Carolina in the seventh gameto start a stretch in which he scored 23 goals in the season’s final sevengames. Virginia was 6-1 during that span.

Last season he moved back to the midfield and seemed to take some timegetting into the flow of the offense. Through the first seven games of theseason he had just six goals, including none against Princeton, JohnsHopkins and Maryland.

Once again it was North Carolina that got him going. His three goals in atight game against the Tar Heels began a stretch that saw him find the backof the net 25 times in nine games. During the span he tallied four timesagainst Stony Brook, Butler and Delaware in the quarterfinals of the NCAATournament.

In last weekend’s season opener against Syracuse, Jalbert was held to nogoals and two assists. In addition, he only took three shots.To show just how important Jalbert is to the Cavaliers’ success on offense,UVa is 7-6 since 1998 when he scores none or one goal and nine of thosegames have come in the first half of the season.

Hard, Jenkins Form Potent Faceoff Duo
Virginia head coach Dom Starsia unleashed a monster last season as theCavaliers stormed to the national championship-the two-headed beast ofJason Hard and David Jenkins.

Hard, a senior co-captain in 2000, met with varying success as UVa’sprimary faceoff specialist his first two years. Named the ACC Rookie of theYear in 1997 after winning 61.8 percent of his faceoffs, he slumped in ’98and won just 42.4 percent of his faceoffs.

Jenkins was UVa’s second faceoff man during his rookie campaign two yearsago, winning 56.9 percent of his faceoffs to lead the team.

Following the experiment of alternating faceoff men, Starsia adopted themethod full-time last season and reaped immediate dividends.

Hard returned to form by winning a career-high 62.8 percent of hisattempts, while Jenkins did even better by winning 64.3 percent of hisfaceoffs. Both finished in the top 10 nationally in faceoffs-Jenkins wassecond, Hard finished sixth-as the Cavaliers finished second nationallyamong the team leaders. Virginia’s 62.3 winning percentage was its bestsince the 1988 squad posted a 63.2 winning percentage.

Last season the Cavaliers lost the faceoff battle in the first two games(Syracuse, Princeton) but had the advantage in 13 of the last 14 games ofthe year (all but the ACC Tournament win over Maryland). In the NCAAplayoffs, Virginia captured an amazing 68.3 percent of the faceoffs taken.

Weisleder’s Return Bolsters Defense
Defenseman Court Weisleder graduated last May with a degree in economics onthe same day the Cavaliers defeated Delaware in the quarterfinals of theNCAA Tournament.

Following Virginia’s NCAA championship, Weisleder accepted a job with aNASDAQ trading firm on Wall Street.. He worked there throughout the fall,but longed to use his remaining year of eligibility and return to UVa.

Just after Christmas break he contacted head coach Dom Starsia of hisintentions. Without much hesitation Starsia accepted Weisleder back for thespring. Weisleder quit the firm he was working for, enrolled in classes atUVa and will be competing as a graduate student this season.