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May 13, 2005
Charlottesville, Va. –
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Game 13
NCAA Tournament First Round
#6 Virginia (fourth seed) vs. #13 Albany
May 14, 2005 ** 8 pm
Klöckner Stadium ** Charlottesville, Va.
Game Overview
Virginia is one of 16 teams starting the journey toward the 2005 national championship. The Cavaliers host Albany in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Saturday night at 8 pm at Klöckner Stadium in the first meeting between the two schools.
The Cavaliers are the tournament’s fourth seed with a 9-3 record. Their offense has cooled somewhat recently after a hot start, but the defense has remained steady all year behind sophomore goalie Kip Turner.
The Great Danes are 10-5 this season and have won five of their last seven, including a 16-7 win over Stony Brook for the America East Conference championship. It’s the third conference title in a row for them.
The Cavaliers average 11.0 goals per game, but Albany will certainly look to hold them under their average. Three of Albany’s five losses this spring have occurred when giving up more than 10 goals.
Albany has one of the country’s most prolific offenses with an average of 11.80 goals per game, but something has to give as Virginia relinquishes an average of 7.08 goals per game.
The winner advances to next week’s quarterfinals at Johns Hopkins on Saturday to face the winner of the Delaware at Navy match-up. The quarterfinal game is scheduled to start at either noon or 3 pm.
The Series vs. the Great Danes
This is the first meeting between the two schools. Albany is Virginia’s second first-time opponent this season (in addition to Manhattan). This is the second first round game in a row the Cavaliers have played an opponent for the first time. The 2003 national championship run began at home with a 19-8 win over Mount St. Mary’s in the first round.
Albany has been playing lacrosse since 1970 and has been a Division I program since 2000. The Great Danes are one of seven lacrosse-playing members of the America East Conference (along with Binghamton, Hartford, Quinnipiac, Stony Brook, UMBC and Vermont). Among AE members, Stony Brook and UMBC are the only schools the Cavaliers have faced. Virginia is 12-2 all-time vs. UMBC and 2-0 vs. Stony Brook. Virginia’s 19-5 win over Stony Brook five years ago is the most recent contest against the America East.
Several Common Opponents
Virginia and Albany have several common opponents this season, which is perhaps surprising given the geographic location of each.
The two teams have played Drexel, Johns Hopkins and Syracuse this spring.The chart below shows the result of each match-up.
UVa AlbanyDrexel W, 16-7 L, 8-4Johns Hopkins L, 9-7 L, 19-6Syracuse W, 12-11 L, 14-13
Cavaliers vs. the Tournament Field
Virginia is 3-3 against teams in the NCAA Tournament, with wins over Syracuse (12-11), Towson (14-3) and Maryland (10-2). The losses occurred to Johns Hopkins (9-7), Duke (17-2) and Maryland in the ACC Tournament (8-7 in overtime). Albany is 1-3 vs. the tourney field.
Virginia in the NCAAs
This is Virginia’s 28th NCAA Tournament appearance. Only Johns Hopkins has been to the tournament (34 times) more than the Cavaliers. (Maryland has also made 28 appearances.)
Virginia has a 31-24 all-time playoff record and is fourth in tournament wins behind Johns Hopkins (52), Syracuse (48) and Maryland (35).
Albany is making its third consecutive tournament appearance.
Cavaliers Earn NCAA Fourth Seed
Virginia is the fourth seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament for the first time in 20 years and the fourth time overall (1979-84-85-2005).
The Cavaliers have had pretty good success throughout the years playing as the fourth seed, advancing to the final four twice (1979-85).
Virginia also looks to extend a recent run of success by the No. 4 seed in the NCAAs. The fourth seed has won the national championship three times, but twice in the last three years. Princeton won the title three years ago as No. 4 and Syracuse was last year’s champion. Johns Hopkins was the first No. 4 champion in 1987.
Invincible Under the Klöckner Lights
Virginia hopes to continue a trend against Albany. The Cavaliers have never lost a night game at Klöckner Stadium.
UVa has defeated Princeton 11-7, Mount St. Mary’s 11-4 and Denver 9-6 already this season to run its streak to 15 consecutive night wins since moving to Klöckner in 1993.
Johns Hopkins was the first to fall–14-9 on a cold Friday night in March 1996, the first of four night wins at Klöckner that season.
From 1996-98 Virginia played seven night games there, but have played only seven since. In 1999, 2001 and 2002 UVa didn’t play any night games at Klöckner.
Five victims have been ranked in the top 10, including two #1s (Maryland 1996, Johns Hopkins 2004).
Virginia averages 15.2 goals per night game, while winning by an average of 8.3 goals.
Green Grass of Klöckner Bodes Well
As the weather gets warmer and the grass greener, perhaps the Cavaliers will benefit from playing at Klöckner Stadium Saturday night.
Virginia is a combined 37-4 (.902) in April and May since moving to Klöckner in 1993. The Cavaliers have won 25 of their last 27 games in April and May at Klöckner since 1997. They have won 13 consecutive April-May home games going back to 2001.
The Cavaliers have a little bit of history on their side for this game. You have to go back more than a decade for the last time UVa has lost at home in April or May to a non-conference opponent. Towson’s 14-13 win at Scott Stadium on May 15, 1991 in the first round of the playoffs is the last time UVa lost at home to a non-conference team in April or May.
Long Home Winning Streak
Top-ranked Johns Hopkins has gotten a lot of attention for its 34-game home winning streak, which is by far the longest streak in the nation. But the Cavaliers have quietly put together a 10-game home winning streak dating back to last season. This season Virginia has won all eight home games.
The 10-game winning streak is UVa’s longest since a school-record 15-game run from 1994-96. Overall it is tied for the fourth-longest streak in school history.
The winning streak is also one of the longest active streaks in the country. The longest current streaks are listed below.
School, years Wins1. Johns Hopkins, 342. UMass, 2004-05 113. Virginia, 2004-05 10 Duke, 2004-05 10