Cavaliers Set to Face Off Against Johns Hopkins
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March 21, 2003
Charlottesville, Va. –
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Game 6
#1 Virginia vs. #4 Johns Hopkins
March 22, 2003 * 8 pm
Homewood Field * Baltimore, Md.
Game Info
The Records:
Virginia: 5-0
Johns Hopkins: 3-1
Television:
Tonight’s game is being televised in the Baltimore area by WMAR, channel 2. Scott Garceau, Quint Kessenich and Keith Mills call the action and provide the analysis.
The Rankings: (USILA/Inside Lacrosse)
Virginia: 1/1
Johns Hopkins: 4/3
The Series vs. Johns Hopkins:
Overall: 20-51-1
Away: 7-31-1
Current Streak: W4
Biggest UVa Win: 8, 2000 (16-8)
Biggest JHU Win: 15, 1931 (15-0)
UVa Goals: 605
JHU Goals: 878
Starsia (UVa) vs. JHU: 8-5
Last Meeting:
Virginia won 12-6 last year in Charlottesville
The Series vs. the Blue Jays
Johns Hopkins holds a commanding 51-20-1 record in the all-time series with Virginia. The rivalry between the two schools goes all the way back to two meetings in 1904, well before lacrosse was recognized as a varsity sport at UVa. The series didn’t resume until 1926, the second “official” year of the UVa varsity program (but still 22 years before UVa joined the USILA). The teams have met at least once every season since 1948, the longest current series of any Virginia opponent.
John Hopkins’ 51 wins over Virginia are by far the most wins by any school over the Cavaliers. Maryland is next with 39 wins over UVa.
Virginia has also played more games against Hopkins than any one else (72). Again, Maryland is second with 69 games vs. the Cavaliers.
The Blue Jays have dominated the series in Baltimore, winning 31 of 39 match-ups at Homewood Field (with one tie). However, Virginia has won two of the last three games at Homewood, including a dramatic 9-8 quadruple overtime victory two years ago in the most recent meeting at Homewood. That game is the longest game in both Virginia and Johns Hopkins’ history. Conor Gill scored the winner 1:15 into the fourth overtime period to send the Cavaliers home victorious.
This game features some historical patterns that could bode well for the Cavaliers.
Known as a team that likes the up-tempo pace, Virginia would certainly like to see its offense explode vs. the Blue Jays since the Cavaliers are 17-7 all-time when scoring at least 10 goals. In fact, when UVa scores more than 13 goals they have won 11 of 14 games against Hopkins.
UVa can also be successful if it is able to contain the Hopkins offense because it is 13-3-1 when allowing fewer than 10 goals. The Blue Jays have not scored more than eight goals in the last three games vs. the Cavaliers.
Virginia’s current four-game winning streak against Hopkins is its longest winning streak ever over the Blue Jays. Overall, the Cavaliers have won seven of the last nine vs. Hopkins.
Cavaliers Off to Best Start Since 1996
Virginia is 5-0 this season, its best start since the 1996 squad opened with six straight wins. The Cavaliers are one of seven undefeated teams left this season and have the nation’s second-best record behind Rutgers (6-0).
This is just the third time the Cavaliers have won their first five games under head coach Dom Starsia.
The Cavaliers have frequently been stymied in getting quick starts due to a series of early-season losses to Syracuse. Virginia got over that hurdle, however, with a 16-15 win over the Orangemen earlier this month.
Rankings Don’t Mean Much Tonight
One of the characteristics of the Virginia vs. Johns Hopkins series since the late 1980s is the inability to use rankings as a predictor of victory.
The higher ranked team has lost 11 of the last 16 regular season meetings dating back to 1987. In fact, from 1990-1995, the higher ranked squad lost each time.
Over the last 10 years or so this rivalry has also been death to teams ranked #1. The Blue Jays came to Charlottesville last season as the top-ranked team and suffered their first loss of the season 12-6. Since 1991 a team ranked #1 has lost four of five games in the series. Virginia won as #1 in 1996 and lost in 1991 and 1995. In addition to last year, Johns Hopkins lost as #1 in 1992.
Things have turned somewhat the last few years as the higher ranked team has claimed victory in four of the last six regular season contests.
Virginia Scores Many, Allows Few
Despite playing against some excellent defensive squads, the Virginia offense is averaging 13.8 goals per game, fourth in the country. Not to be outdone, the defense is being just as effective, relinquishing an average of 8.0 goals per game and ranks 17th nationally.
Last Sunday’s 10-2 win over Towson is characteristic of the Cavaliers’ play this season. While their 10 goals is a season low, the two goals allowed are the fewest they’ve allowed in two years. It is also the fewest goals the Tigers scored in 11 years as they suffered their biggest defeat of the season.
Virginia has hold the most goal scoring superlative allowed by each opponent so far this season except against Towson. Defensively, the Cavaliers have also given up the fewest number of goals in a game by each opponent except Drexel. Nonetheless, Virginia has handed each opponent their biggest loss of the season (in terms of margin).
Cavaliers at Homewood
This is the fifth year in a row Virginia has played at Homewood Field, a site that’s been very good to the Cavaliers recently.
In addition to winning two of the last three contests against Johns Hopkins dating back to 1997, Virginia’s last two trips to the NCAA final four have been via quarterfinal wins at Homewood.
In 2000 the Cavaliers gained a 10-9 win over Duke, while last season they downed Cornell 11-10.
Virginia’s last loss at Homewood was a 16-15 defeat to Johns Hopkins in 1999.
Johnson Shines in Two Last Week
Junior goalie Tillman Johnson was sensational in two wins last week–14-8 vs. Notre Dame and 10-2 vs. Towson.
In the two games over nationally ranked teams he recorded 23 saves and allowed just 10 goals for a 69.7 save percentage. He also scooped up 16 ground balls in the pair.
In the win over Notre Dame 11 days ago he recorded eight saves, while allowing eight goals, the first time ND scored fewer than 10 goals this season. It must also be noted three goals were extra man goals, scored after the outcome was pretty much determined.
He allowed just three goals in the first half before the Cavaliers extended their lead to six early in the third quarter at 9-3. From that point the Fighting Irish never got closer than three goals (and that was after the three EMO scores). Johnson also led the team with seven ground balls.
Johnson admitted his performance last Sunday against Towson was his best of the year. He was spectacular in the cage and finished with a season-high 15 saves. He also led the team once again with nine ground balls. With Towson applying pressure early in the game, Johnson was unbeatable. He made seven saves in the first quarter, including several from less than seven yards, as UVa held a tenuous 1-0 lead after 15 minutes. Virginia built a 6-0 lead before the clearly frustrated Tigers were able to score their first goal more than 28 minutes into the contest.
He then held them scoreless for another 27 minutes before they scored their second goal. Towson’s two goals are the fewest they’ve scored in a game in 11 years and the fewest UVa allowed in two years.
deVilliers Improves at Faceoff X
One of the big questions for the Cavaliers coming into the season centered on the play of faceoff man Jack deVilliers (pronounced duh-vill-yea). He was the team’s primary man at the faceoff X last season, a tough assignment for a rookie.
He won less than 50 percent of his draws for the season (.478) but improved during the latter part of the campaign and won more than half in two of his last three games. In perhaps his best performance of the season he won 13 (career high at the time) of 24 attempts in the national semifinals vs. Syracuse.
The sophomore from Lutherville, Md., worked hard in the offseason and came back bigger and stronger and has given the squad a big lift with his play.
He was instrumental in the win over then #1 Syracuse earlier this month, winning a career-high 19 of 32 draws (.594), including 11 of 17 in the second half as UVa came from three goals down to win 16-15.
In the win over Princeton the following week, he was equally as effective. He won 11 of 18 draws (.611), including seven of nine in the second half as Virginia scored five of the game’s final six goals to win 10-7.
He was stellar in the win over Notre Dame, winning 14 of 23 faceoffs, the third time this season he won at least 60 percent.
His “worst” performance (and we use the term VERY loosely) occurred last Sunday against Towson when he split 16 attempts. Nonetheless he was able to control the flow well enough to allow the Cavaliers to gain a 10-2 win. It must be noted Towson came into the game winning 64.2 percent of its faceoffs this season.
A look at his statistics on a game-by-game basis is below.
opp., Wins, Pct.
Drexel, 16 of 23, .696
Syracuse, 19 of 32, .594
Princeton, 11 of 18, .611
Notre Dame, 14 of 23, .609
Towson, 8 of 16, .500
Rotelli, Shannon Atop ACC Lists
Midfielders Chris Rotelli and A.J. Shannon are two of the leading midfielders in the country this season. Both were named preseason All-Americans–Rotelli to the first team, Shannon to the third team–by Face-Off Yearbook. Both have also been placed on the list of candidates for the Tewaaraton Trophy as the nation’s top player.
Shannon led ACC mids in scoring last spring with a career-high 25 goals, while Rotelli was right behind with 24.
Both are continuing their scoring tears this season and are tied for the team lead with 13 goals apiece. Each is on a pace to establish career highs for both goals and points.
In addition to tying for the team lead in goals, Rotelli is tied with Joe Yevoli for the lead with six assists. His 19 points are tops on the squad.
Shannon is close behind in the scoring race tied with John Christmas with 17 points (13g, 4a).
The senior duo is among the leading active ACC players in goals and points. Their place on each chart is shown below.
Career Goals
Player, school, pos., goals
1. Chris Rotelli, UVa, M, 72
2. Kevin Cassese, Duke, M, 70
3. A.J. Shannon, UVa, M, 69
4. Kevin Brennan, Duke, A, 63
5. Mike Mollott, Md., M/A, 59
Career Points
Player, school, pos., points
1. Mike Mollott, Md., M/A, 145
2. Kevin Brennan, Duke, A, 108
3. Kevin Cassese, Duke, M, 105
4. Dan Lamonica, Md., A, 97
5. Chris Rotelli, UVa, M, 96
6. A.J. Shannon, UVa, M, 94
Johnson Reaches Top 10 in Saves
Junior goalie Tillman Johnson is considered by many to be the top goalie in the nation. He was a preseason first-team All-American and is the only Division I goalie named to the list of candidates for the Tewaaraton Trophy, given annually to the top player in the nation.
He has been the starter throughout his career. Last season he was an honorable mention All-American after turning aside 173 shots, the most by a Cavalier netminder since 1996.
The junior from Annapolis, Md., has been steady during the season’s early stages while going up against some of the top teams in the nation.
He had his best performance of the young season last Sunday against Towson with a season-high 15 saves and allowing a season-low two goals. The 15 saves is tied for the fifth-highest total of his career (18 is his high).
The 15 saves enabled Johnson to jump into UVa’s top-10 career list. He is currently 10th with 378 saves.
Johnson is averaging 10.6 saves per game this season and has a 57.6 save percentage.
A look at UVa’s career saves list is below.
Player, years, saves
1. Rodney Rullman, 1972-75, 553
2. Deeley Nice, 1960-62, 498
3. Bo Moore, 1952-54, 494
4. Chris Sanderson, 1995-98, 493
5. Peter Sheehan, 1984-88, 491
6. Cam MacLachlan, 1975-78, 470
7. James Ireland, 1991-94, 458
8. Tom Groeninger, 1988-91, 455
9. Bob Hoover, 1955, 57-58, 403
10. Tillman Johnson, 2001-pres., 378
Hughes Shuts Down Syracuse’s Powell
Junior defenseman Brett Hughes has started throughout his career at UVa. His first two years he played in the shadow of 2002 ACC Player of the Year Mark Koontz, who like Hughes hails from Upper Arlington, Ohio.
But with Koontz graduated and off to a career on Wall Street, Hughes has assumed the role of defensive stopper. He got a taste of it late last season following Koontz’ season-ending knee injury, but this season the role is all his.
An outstanding athlete–Hughes was an all-state football player in Ohio–he will draw some of the top offensive players the nation has to offer this season.
His first big test of the season came against Syracuse at the Carrier Dome in the season’s second game.
By all accounts Hughes was one of the unsung heroes in UVa’s 16-15 win by holding the explosive Michael Powell to just two assists. The game was only the fourth of Powell’s career in which he failed to score a goal and the third-lowest point total of his career.
Hughes also contributed a big play on offense that proved to be a key in the one-goal win. With six seconds left in the third period he launched a 90-yard pass downfield for Joe Yevoli. Yevoli snared the ball one handed and fired the ball past a stunned Jay Pfeifer for a goal at the buzzer.
Hughes leads the team’s close defensemen with 19 ground balls this season.
Glading is Underrated Warrior
Senior midfielder Billy Glading is frequently overshadowed by classmates Chris Rotelli and A.J. Shannon, among others.
However it is interesting to note that of the team’s middies Glading spends more time on the field than anyone.
An extremely gifted athlete–he was a standout point guard in high school–Glading’s speed and athleticism enable him to be effective on both ends of the field.
Offensively he is an opportunistic scorer, who has connected on nearly 35 percent of his shots in his career. This season he has found the back of the nets seven times and has scored in three consecutive games.
He led the team for the first time with three goals in the win over Towson on Sunday.
Defensively he is frequently the player the poles look to to carry the ball downfield on clears. He is also adept at checking the ball free and leads the team’s short stick middies with 13 ground balls.
Christmas Shines vs. Blue Jays
Attackman John Christmas came to UVa amid much fanfare last season. After a nice early start, it was his performance against the top-ranked Blue Jays in the season’s sixth game that got everyone talking last year.
He completely took over a tight ballgame by having a hand in UVa’s final six goals as the Cavaliers broke a 6-all tie and upset Hopkins 12-6.
Christmas assisted on four third quarter goals and scored twice in the fourth to lead UVa to one of its biggest wins last spring. For his efforts he garnered National Player of the Week honors en route to being named National Rookie of the Year by Inside Lacrosse.
This season Christmas is tied for second on the team with 17 points (12g, 5a).
He scored four goals in the upset of then #1 Syracuse, including the winner with 22 seconds left in the game.
He also led the way with four goals and two assists as Virginia handed Notre Dame its first loss of the season.
Hoo’ll Lead the Offense Tonight?
The Cavaliers feature one of the most balanced offenses in the country with a host of players capable of putting up big numbers in any given game.
Five different players have led the team in scoring and there doesn’t seem to be any pattern getting established as to who might lead on any particular occasion.
A.J. Shannon led the team in goals in the first two games, but has cooled since. He scored five in the opener vs. Drexel and four the next time against Syracuse.
Shannon was one of three Wahoos to lead the way with four goals vs. the Orangemen. John Christmas and Joe Yevoli joined Shannon in the scoring parade.
Midfielder Chris Rotelli featured the hot hand with four goals and an assist to pace the offense in the win over Princeton.
Christmas followed with a 4-goal, 2-assist effort to lead the way against Notre Dame.
Senior middie Billy Glading became the most recent player to lead the team in scoring after netting three goals last Sunday against Towson.
Rotelli and Shannon (13 goals each) lead six players with at least seven goals.
Cavaliers Adapt to Any Style
The season is barely a month old, but the Cavaliers are proving adept at playing just about style that confronts them.
In the season’s second game Virginia defeated Syracuse 16-15 in an up-and-down game. Both squads are renowned for their fast-paced style and the fans in attendance at the Carrier Dome weren’t disappointed in that regard.
In that game both teams built three-goal leads only to see the other team charge back and tie the score. In Virginia’s case, the Cavaliers saw their three-goal fourth quarter lead evaporate to a tie at 15 before John Christmas’ game winner with 22 seconds remaining.
Against Princeton the next week, the Cavaliers played a team that prefers to slow the pace.
The methodical approach didn’t deter the Cavaliers, who withstood a three-minute non-releasable penalty by matching the Tigers’ one goal during the span.
After the Tigers scored two quick goals to start the second half to take their only lead at 6-5, the Cavaliers clamped down on defense and picked up their play on offense by scoring five of the game’s last six goals to win handily 10-7.
Virginia defeated a Notre Dame team last week that also likes to slow things down much like Princeton. The opening quarter was a wild one with both teams racing up and down the field. The Cavaliers built a 4-2 lead after 15 minutes, but the pace slowed considerably in the second quarter with UVa holding a 5-3 halftime lead.
The Cavaliers blew the game open with a lightning fast four-goal outburst to open the second half, but the Fighting Irish closed the period with a three-goal run of their own. Virginia clinched the win with another four-goal run that opened the final quarter as the teams traded goals the rest of the way.
Virginia Ranked First in USILA Poll
Following their win over Syracuse three weeks ago, the Cavaliers moved into a tie for number one in the first USILA coaches poll with Johns Hopkins. A win the following week at Princeton moved the Cavaliers ahead of the Blue Jays by a slim margin. The Blue Jays have fallen to fourth in this week’s poll following their loss at Syracuse last Saturday.
This is the third time in the last four years Virginia has been ranked #1 in the country in the coaches poll. Interestingly, the highest the Cavaliers were ranked during their national championship year of 1999 was second.
Virginia is 3-0 this season when ranked #1. Last year the Cavaliers went 1-1 when ranked No. 1, but fell out of the top spot following a loss to #12 Duke in the ACC Tournament. That loss is the lowest ranked team Virginia has ever lost to while ranked first.
Under head coach Dom Starsia, UVa is 14-5 when ranked #1. The Cavaliers are 3-4 in road games as the top-ranked team, but have won three of the last four.
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Cavaliers Vying for a Bit of History
Among followers of the college game, Johns Hopkins, Princeton, Syracuse and Virginia are generally regarded as the top programs in the country. Since 1987 the quartet has won every national title but one.
For much of the last decade the four have played each other during the regular season (and frequently in the postseason as well) in a round robin schedule.
Periodically one school will win all three regular season games against the others–it’s happened four times since 1995.
Virginia is attempting to do something that’s never been done before–defeat all three on the road in the same season. The Cavaliers have already won at Syracuse and Princeton earlier this month.
The Cavaliers downed all three in 1996, but all the games were in Charlottesville.
Johns Hopkins has defeated all three in the same regular season eight times (1931-65-67-68-85-89-95-99), while Syracuse has done it once (2000). However, neither school has won all three on the road. (Princeton has never beaten all three in the same regular season.)
Three Named to Tewaaraton List
Chris Rotelli, Tillman Johnson and John Christmas are among 16 candidates named candidates for the Tewaaraton Trophy this season.
A.J. Shannon and Brett Hughes have been named “Players to Watch” by the selection committee.
Rotelli is considered on of the nation’s top midfielders. A preseason first-team All-American, he leads the team with 19 points and is tied for the lead with 13 goals.
A preseason first-team All-American, Johnson is in his third season as the Cavaliers’ starter in goal. He is the only Division I goalie named to the initial list this year. Johnson recorded a season-high 15 saves in the recent win over Towson.
One of the most dynamic players in the country, Christmas is the only sophomore on the list of candidates. He scored four goals, including the game winner, in Virginia’s 16-15 upset of top-ranked Syracuse early this month.
Owner of one of the hardest shots in the game, Shannon is off to a flying start this season. He has scored a team-tying 13 goals and is on pace to establish a career high.
Hughes is one of the leading defensemen in the country. In his third year as a starter, he draws the opposition’s top attackman. In the win over Syracuse, he held Michael Powell to two assists, just the fourth time in his career he’s ever been held without a goal.
Six Receive All-American Nod
Six Cavaliers have been named to the 2003 Face-Off Yearbook preseason All-American squad. Three Cavaliers were named to the first-team–sophomore attackman John Christmas, junior goalie Tillman Johnson and senior midfielder Chris Rotelli. Junior defenseman Brett Hughes was named to the second team, while senior middie A.J. Shannon and sophomore attackman Joe Yevoli were third-team choices.
Christmas is the only sophomore named to the first- or second-team. He was named National Rookie of the Year last spring after scoring 29 goals to help lead UVa to the national semifinals.
Johnson became the first sophomore goalie named All-ACC in 19 years last season. He recorded 173 saves and is already 11th in school history in saves.
Rotelli was UVa’s only first-team All-American last spring after scoring 24 goals. One of the top middies on the nation, he is one of the few midfielders who makes an impact on both ends of the field.
Hughes has started every game of his career and will be looked upon to shut down some of the nation’s best attackmen again this spring.
Yevoli burst onto the national scene last year and led the ACC with 40 goals en route to winning the league’s Rookie of the Year award. He joins Christmas as the only sophs named to the top-three preseason teams.
Shannon flourished in his midfield role last season after moving from attack. A lethal offensive threat, he scored a career-high 25 goals to lead ACC middies.
Senior long stick midfielder Trey Whitty was named honorable mention preseason All-American. He emerged as one of the top LSMs in the country last season and has an uncanny knack for anticipating plays and picking off passes. A force in transition, he scored three goals and added eight assists.