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May 27, 2005
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NCAA Tournament-Semifinals
#6 Virginia (4th seed) vs. #1 Johns Hopkins (1st seed)
May 28, 2005 o 2 pm
Lincoln Financial Field o Philadelphia, Pa.
Game Overview
Virginia clashes with top-ranked Johns Hopkins at 2 pm in Saturday’s second semifinal game at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Both semifinal games are being televised live on ESPN2.
The Cavaliers advanced to the final four for the third time four years following a 10-8 win over Navy in the quarterfinals. This is their 17th appearance in the national semifinals.
Virginia has won the last two semifinal match-ups with Johns Hopkins-16-10 in 1996 and 16-11 in 1999.
UVa is the tournament’s fourth seed with an 11-3 record, while top-ranked Johns Hopkins has been atop the polls all season and steamrolled to a perfect 14-0 record. This is the fourth year in a row the Blue Jays have played in the semifinals.
The teams have a long history in the NCAA Tournament. This is the 13th time they have clashed in the playoffs, the most in tourney history. The Blue Jays have won seven contests, but UVa has won the last three. This is the eighth meeting in the semifinals.
The winner advances to Monday’s championship game to face the winner of the Duke vs. Maryland game. The title game is slated to begin at noon and will be televised live on ESPN.
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 33-24 all-time playoff record and is fourth in tournament wins behind Johns Hopkins (54), Syracuse (48) and Maryland (37).
Cavaliers are NCAA Fourth Seed
UVa 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 three times (1979-85-2005).
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, including 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.
The Series vs. the Blue Jays
Johns Hopkins holds a commanding 53-22-1 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.
The Cavaliers have closed the gap recently by winning nine of the last 13 vs. the Blue Jays.
John Hopkins’ 53 wins over Virginia are by far the most wins by any school over the Cavaliers. Maryland is next with 43 wins over UVa.
Virginia has also played more games against Hopkins than any one else (76). Again, Maryland is second with 75 games vs. the Cavaliers.
The two are no strangers to each come playoff time either. This is the 13th NCAA Tournament meeting between the two powers, the most in tourney history. Johns Hopkins has won seven of the 12 playoff meetings, but UVa has won the last three. In the national semifinals, the Blue Jays have won five of seven match-ups, but the Cavaliers have won the last two (’96, ’99).
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.
The Cavaliers can also be successful if they are able to contain the Hopkins offense because they are 15-5-1 when allowing fewer than 10 goals.
Five Newly Minted Grads Take the Field
Lacrosse players come to Virginia with two primary goals in mind-to graduate from UVa and win national championships. Last weekend was a big occasion on both fronts.
On the field, the Cavaliers defeated Navy 10-8 on Saturday to advance to this weekend’s final four in Philadelphia. Less than 24 hours later, five Cavaliers “walked the Lawn” before more than 30,000 people attending the University’s final exercises and received their degrees.
The quintet who received their degrees and will see action this weekend as college graduates include A John Christmas (sociology), M Jack deVilliers (sociology), A Brendan Gill (English), M Hunter Kass (sociology) and M Jared Little (religious studies). It’s interesting to note, that LSM Rob Bateman graduated from Penn State last season and has played at UVa this year as a graduate student.
Six More Wins Than Last Year
Virginia has rebounded from last year’s disappointing 5-8 record, more than doubling the number of wins on the way to an 11-3 mark this spring.
The Cavaliers are one of 23 teams to win more games this year than last and their six-game improvement is tied for the fourth-best this season.
The six-win improvement is also the best improvement in program history. Previously the 1967 (7 wins) and 1999 (13) squads improved by five wins.
Not surprisingly, No. 2 Duke is the nation’s most improved team, winning 11 more games than last year.
Slow Starts Plague Cavaliers
One disturbing characteristic of Virginia’s play this season has been a tendency to start slowly. The Cavaliers are tied for sixth nationally in scoring (11.79/g) and have reached double figures 10 times, while scoring at least 15 goals on four occasions.
With such an impressive resume it’s curious to note that Virginia has not been a very good offensive club in the first quarter throughout most of the season.
There have been sporadic instances of fast starts, including the seven-goal explosion against Albany in the first round, but generally UVa has been rather poor coming out of the gate. The Cavaliers have scored 30 first quarter goals and been shutout four times.
They scored three goals in the first quarter of the ACC opener against Maryland on April 2 to end a first quarter scoreless streak that exceeded 40 minutes.
In the three games leading up to the NCAA Tournament, the Cavaliers scored just two first period goals (Denver, Maryland).
Perhaps there is something in the pregame meal that was causing the slow starts because once the Cavaliers get past the first quarter their scoring increases significantly. Their scoring the rest of the way (listed by quarter) goes: 51-41-37.
Defense Best Since 1986
The Virginia offense has been much improved this season compared to last. The defense, on the other hand, has been rock solid throughout both seasons.
The Cavalier defenders completely stifled Albany in the first round. The Great Danes came in fifth in the country in scoring with an average of 11.8 goals per game. Merrick Thomson was the nation’s leading goal scorer with 54 and the second-leading scorer with 74 points. His linemate, Luke Daquino, was fifth with 36 assists and fourth with 65 points. Thomson failed to register so much as a point, while Daquino scored four goals and had an assist but they all came after the UVa lead reached double digits.
Virginia is currently seventh in the country in defense, allowing an average of 7.29 goals per game, the Cavaliers’ lowest average since 1986 (7.20). This year’s average is down 1.87 goals from last season, the best improvement since 1980 (2.18).
Manhattan, Mount St. Mary’s, Towson, Maryland, and Denver all have scored their fewest goals of the season vs. Virginia, while Johns Hopkins and Navy had their third-lowest output of the season against the Cavaliers.
Offense Fourth Nationally
One of the most surprising aspects of last season (besides the team’s losing record) was UVa’s inability to generate much offense. The Cavaliers averaged 9.2 goals per game, their lowest since 1967 (8.8) and almost three fewer than they averaged during the 2003 national championship season.
This season the offense has improved dramatically. The Cavaliers are currently tied for sixth in the nation in offense, averaging 11.79 goals per game. The 2.63 gpg improvement is the best since the 1990 squad improved by an average of 3.14 goals per game.
deVilliers Winning Nearly 60 Percent
Senior faceoff specialist Jack deVilliers had somewhat of a down season last year, winning just 49 percent of his attempts.
This season he’s been tremendous and leads the ACC in faceoff winning percentage and ground balls. He has captured nearly 60 percent of his draws (.571, 160×280), while snagging an average of 6.50 ground balls per game.
deVilliers is 13th in the country in winning percentage and eighth in ground balls.
Heading down the homestretch, deVilliers has been one of the team’s most consistent performers.
After finishing under 50 percent in successive weeks vs. Johns Hopkins, Maryland and North Carolina, he has been outstanding since.
He was one of the few bright spots in a 17-2 loss to Duke, by winning 12 of 18 attempts. His 66.7 winning percentage is his fifth-best of the season and the best of his career against a top-five team.
In the overtime loss to Maryland in the ACC Tournament, deVilliers was excellent once again. He won 10 of 18 faceoffs against a trio of Terrapins who couldn’t contain him. He even won the crucial overtime draw, but the Cavaliers were unable to capitalize.
He followed that by taking 14 of 19 attempts against Denver. His 73.7 winning percentage is the second-best of the year.
He had his third-best percentage of the spring against Albany in the first round. He won 15 of 21 draws in three quarters of play, while scooping up a career-high 12 ground balls. He also scored once and had an assist.
He had an off day against Navy in last week’s quarterfinals, winning just six of 22 draws. He proved, however, that it’s not always how many you win, but when you win them. Following UVa’s insurance goal from Ben Rubeor with 1:40 left, deVilliers got his only win of the fourth quarter to give the Cavaliers possession as they burned valuable time off the clock on the way to the win.
During his career he has won 52.0 percent (78×150) of his faceoffs in eight playoff games.
Starsia is UVa’s All-Time Wins Leader
In his 13th year at the helm of the Virginia program, head coach Dom Starsia has guided his Cavalier squads to many outstanding achievements, including two national championships.
Starsia’s list of accomplishments grew following the Cavaliers’ 15-9 win over North Carolina on April 9, his 138th victory at Virginia as he passed Jim “Ace” Adams for the most wins in program history. Starsia now has a 141-53 (.727) record at UVa.
Starsia has also won 21 NCAA Tournament games in his illustrious career, third all-time.
In addition to setting the school record for most wins, Starsia has moved into a tie for 10th in wins by Division I coaches. He and Bucknell’s Sid Jamieson, who retired recently and has coached his last game, are currently tied for 10th all-time with 242 wins.
Starsia is also one of three coaches to win 100+ games at two different schools. In addition to his 141 UVa wins, he won 101 games at Brown from 1983-92. Jack Emmer won 100+ games at both Washington & Lee and Army, while Dave Urick topped the century mark at Hobart and Georgetown.
Virginia vs. #1
Johns Hopkins comes into this game as the No. 1 team in the nation, a spot the Blue Jays have found themselves in many times throughout the years. They have been ranked first all season and have had several close games, but won them all to remain #1.
This is the fourth time in a row Virginia has played the Blue Jays when they’ve been ranked No. 1. Earlier this season the Blue Jays gained a 9-7 win at Homewood Field. Last season the Cavaliers posted a 9-8 come-from-behind overtime win at home to hand Hopkins its first loss of the season. The previous season Virginia captured its second national championship in five seasons with a 9-7 win over the Blue Jays, who finished the season ranked number 1 (polls done before completion of playoffs).
Not surprisingly, the Blue Jays are UVa’s most frequent #1 opponent-16 meetings. The Blue Jays have won 11 of those meetings, but UVa has won four of the last five going back to 1992.
Virginia is 15-19 vs. the #1 team since 1973, including an 11-5 mark under Dom Starsia.
Turner Excels as First-Year Starter
The two candidates to replace the graduated Tillman Johnson in goal-Kip Turner and Bud Petit-ran even at the beginning of preseason drills and through the first several games of the season. They split time during the three scrimmages and continued the pattern in the first two games.
Turner got the starting nod in the first big game of the season against Syracuse in the Carrier Dome. His play was instrumental as UVa became the first team ever to win back-to-back games in the Dome.
He finished with 18 saves and allowed just 11 goals, the fewest the Orange has scored vs. UVa in the Dome in 10 years. The game featured five ties and four lead changes and Turner was a standout when it mattered most. He made nine saves in the second half, including six in the fourth quarter as the Cavaliers came from behind in the final 12 minutes to win.
Turner wasn’t really tested in his first NCAA Tournament start against Albany. He didn’t make his first save until the waning seconds of the first half with the Cavaliers holding a 14-3 lead. He finished with three saves and allowed five goals in three quarters of action.
Unlike the first round, Turner was forced to make some big saves vs. Navy in the quarterfinals. He recorded 10 saves, his most in a win in a month, while holding the Midshipmen to eight goals, their third-lowest total of the season.
Turner is sixth nationally in goals allowed average (7.02) and 15th in save percentage.
His 119 saves are 16th most in school history by a first-time starter, while his .580 save percentage is fifth.
deVilliers Sets School Records
Jack deVilliers is in his fourth year as the team’s faceoff man. He has taken the opening faceoff in 58 of 59 career games and holds several school records, including most faceoffs taken (1108).
In the championship year in 2003 he set UVa records with 204 wins and 347 attempts.
This season’s 160 wins are fourth in Virginia history, while his 280 attempts are third.
In the win over North Carolina on April 9, he set perhaps the most significant faceoff record-most career wins. He has won 597 faceoffs in his career.
The NCAA is slowly compiling all-time records for lacrosse and on the initial list of faceoff wins, deVilliers is currently sixth. deVilliers is also fourth all-time in most attempts.
Ground Balls Key to Victory
One of the goals of the Virginia coaching staff every game is winning the ground ball battle.
Last season the Cavaliers weren’t very good in the ground ball game and averaged just 37.8 per game. They were also “out-ground balled” by the opposition by nearly four per game. Both figures are all-time lows for the program since 1969 when ground balls were first compiled by Hall of Fame statistician Doyle Smith. UVa was “out-ground balled” five times and lost four.
This season the performance is markedly better. The Cavaliers are averaging 45.6 ground balls per game, more than seven more than their opponents (38.4). They have also won the ground ball war in every game but three (Towson, Duke, Navy).
The Cavaliers have won 49 of their last 54 games (5-0 this year) dating back to 1998 when snapping up at least 50 ground balls.
Topping Last Year’s Performance
The rejuvenated play of virtually every player on the roster has contributed significantly to the Cavaliers’ 11-3 record.
This year’s roster features nine players who have scored more goals this year than last. The lone player who hasn’t equaled last year’s offense is Chris Ourisman; but as a long stick middie, he’s not expected to score.
Morrissey Makes MVP Case
Inside Lacrosse magazine recently called short-stick defensive midfielder the “most important position in lacrosse” and the characterization perhaps is appropriate in UVa’s case. Virginia’s most valuable player this season could easily be underrated junior defensive middie J.J. Morrissey.
One of the best athletes on the team, Morrissey has evolved into one of the top all-around players on the squad.
He was one of five Cavalier rookies to play every game during 2003’s national championship season.
While primarily filling the d-middie role last season, he saw his role expand a bit into the offensive end. An excellent ground ball man, he was second on the team with 50 GBs, fifth in the ACC and second among non-faceoff men.
This season has continued his progression on both ends of the field. He has notched five goals and added six assists. Once again he’s been among the ground ball leaders, ranking sixth in the conference overall and fourth among non-faceoff men with 49. He had a season-high seven vs. Princeton and led the team with six against Johns Hopkins.
Culver Shuts Down His Man
Being a team’s top defenseman requires an ability to shut down the opposition’s top attackman. Junior defenseman Michael Culver has taken over the stopper’s role at Virginia and earned All-ACC honors for the first time.
As the top defenseman he is matched against with one of the nation’s leading attackmen each game.
He went against Albany’s Merrick Thomson, the nation’s leading goal scorer, in a first round contest and completely shut him down. Thomson came into the game with 54 goals on just 97 shots and managed to take only one shot against Culver late in the third quarter. (Thomson got a second shot later in the game against the Cavalier reserves, but didn’t score.) Thomson also didn’t record an assist and was a non-factor in the game.
Shooting Falls Off Lately
The Cavaliers have done a much better job of shooting this season, improving from 23.0 percent last season to 28.0 percent this year.
They started the season extremely accurate, shooting better than 30 percent in five of the first six contests, and stood at 31.1 percent during the season’s first month.
The accuracy cooled during the second month, however, as the Cavaliers shot just 21.7 percent and reached 30 percent once in six games.
With the start of the playoffs, the offense has picked back up. In the first round win over Albany, Virginia shot 35.9 percent (23×66), the second-best effort of the season.
The Cavaliers were above 30 percent for the second week in a row in the quarterfinals against Navy following a 31.3-percent performance (10×32).
Not surprisingly, shooting percentage has been a significant indicator of wins and losses this season.
In their 11 wins this season the Cavaliers are shooting 30.7 percent and average 13.5 goals per game.
When the Cavaliers shoot at least 30 percent they have had remarkable success recently. This season they are undefeated (8-0) when hitting at least 30 percent. Since 1998 UVa is 53-4 (.930) when shooting 30 percent or better, with a current 19-game winning streak.
This contrasts dramatically with the shooting in losses. In this season’s three losses, UVa is shooting 15.4 percent with an average of 5.3 goals per game.
Freshman Rubeor Plays Like Vet
Ben Rubeor came to Virginia as one of the nation’s top incoming freshmen. He was named high school player of the year in Maryland last season after scoring 48 goals and adding 27 assists.
After being nicked early in the season, he has been much healthier the second half of the season and his play reflects that.
He opened the second half of the year with two goals in a win over Maryland in the ACC opener on April 2.
The next week vs. North Carolina he had a career-high three goals and an assist to tie his high (at the time) of four points.
He scored just once vs. Duke, but it must be noted he scored half of UVa’s goals. The next day against Denver he scored once and led the team with two assists for his third multi-point game in a four-game span.
Rubeor failed to score in a rematch vs. Maryland in the ACC Tournament, but he had a goal and an assist against Albany in the first round of the playoffs.
In the quarterfinal win over Navy, Rubeor had perhaps the quietest five-point game in history. He scored two of UVa’s first three goals to get the team started against a tough Navy defense that allowed fewer than seven goals per game.
In the third quarter, he assisted on two of UVa’s three goals as the Cavaliers maintained the lead.
He gave his team some breathing room with an insurance goal with 1:40 remaining to play to provide the final two-goal margin (10-8). His five points are the second-most allowed by Navy this season.
A lefty with a keen sense of the field, Rubeor has notched 17 goals and added 15 assists for 32 points, and is eighth in the country in points by a freshman.
Bateman a Factor All Over Field
Preseason All-American Rob Bateman redshirted last season and, after receiving his degree in real estate from Penn State last spring, made the move south where he is using his final year of eligibility.
He hasn’t let a year’s layoff slow him down. He earned All-ACC honors and leads the team’s longsticks with 44 ground balls (second among ACC LSMs), while contributing a goal and nine (!!) assists on offense.
Known for his ability at ball disruption that leads to transition opportunities for the Cavaliers, Bateman is also an excellent on-ball defender.
He has shut down some of the nation’s most explosive offensive midfielders in a series of strong performances the last half of the season.
Johns Hopkins’ leading goal scorer (at the time), Greg Peyser, took just three shots and failed to score a goal or register an assist.
The Cavaliers held Maryland to just two goals in an April 2 win, tied for the fewest the Terps have scored since 1948. Assigned to All-American midfielder Bill McGlone, Bateman used his long arms to make things difficult for McGlone. McGlone came into the contest with 16 goals and left with 16. He finished with just one assist (and even that was on extra man), while being held without a goal for the first time in 24 games.
Matched up against North Carolina All-American Bryant Will, Bateman again was outstanding and held his man without a goal for the third game in a row. Will finished with just one assist (on extra man), tied as his fifth-worst performance of the season. Bateman also displayed tremendous skills on offense with a career-high three assists.
In the overtime loss to Maryland in the ACC Tournament, Bateman again neutralized McGlone, allowing him just one goal on seven shots.
He had his second multi-assist game of the year with two assists against Albany in the first round of the playoffs.
Christmas in Spring
Senior attackman John Christmas was one of the nation’s most exciting players during his freshman and sophomore seasons. He scored 29 goals and 44 points in 2002 to earn National Rookie of the Year honors by Inside Lacrosse. As a sophomore he notched 36 goals and 48 points in helping guide UVa to the national championship.
Last season he struggled throughout the year, resulting in a drop off in production to 11 goals and 10 assists.
His play this season has been a clear indication that “he’s back.”
Christmas scored three times in his first action of the season vs. Manhattan. He had his second hat trick in a row against Syracuse, his first back-to-back hat tricks since late in 2003. In the win over Princeton, he shared the team lead with two assists, while also scoring a goal.
Christmas had another 1-and-2 performance against Mount St. Mary’s, his fourth game in a row with at least three points. That was his longest 3-point streak since he had a four-game run two years ago.
He was blanked by Johns Hopkins, only the fourth time in his career he was held without a point.
Determined not to be shutout for the second week in a row, Christmas was the best player on the field vs. Maryland according to head coach Dom Starsia.
He paced the Cavalier offense with two goals and two assists and was named ACC Player of the Week. His performance was the first time in two years that he had multi-goals and multi-assists in the same game.
He earned league Player of the Week honors for the second week in a row following a 2-goal, 3-assist effort to lead UVa to a 15-9 win over North Carolina. He had two goals and two assists in a high scoring first quarter as Virginia built a 5-2 lead. His five points is a season high.
After several quiet performances, he got back on track against Albany in the first round with three goals, his most since the Syracuse game in the third week.
He played a flawless game in last week’s quarterfinal win over Navy. Asked to carry the ball much of the time, he did so to near perfection and had just one turnover. Christmas only took one shot (and scored), while adding two assists for three total points. It is his third multi-point game in a row.
His 18 goals are third on the team, while his 37 total points (18g, 19a) are second (ninth in the ACC). He has a career-high 19 assists, third in the ACC, and almost double his output of last season.
In addition to exceeding his goal and assist totals from last season, a rejuvenated Christmas has seen a marked improvement in his shooting this spring. He is shooting 32.1 percent (18×56), a dramatic improvement over last season (17.2).
First Midfield Erupts in Playoffs
The first midfield unit of Kyle Dixon, Matt Poskay and Drew Thompson is in its second year of playing together. They have had their ups and downs this season, but have picked up their performance recently as the team continues its run for a national championship.
The first round game vs. Albany was delayed 45 minutes due to a thunderstorm, but once play began the fireworks were restricted to the field. UVa banged in seven goals in the first quarter and eight more in the second to build a 15-3 halftime bulge.
Dixon got the Cavaliers started in the opening minute with a blistering shot from 18 yards out, for the first of his three goals. Thompson followed a short time later with the first of his three. Prior to this game, neither had scored more than twice in a game.
In Virginia’s most productive first half in four years, the trio combined for six goals and three assists.
Dixon finished with three goals and three assists, both career-high figures, while Thompson’s three goals are a career high. Poskay scored a pair for his seventh multi-goal game of the year.
They clicked again last week in the quarterfinal win over Navy. Poskay tied his career high with four goals, while Dixon notched a goal and career-high three assists. Thompson only scored once, but it was huge. His goal with 5:21 remaining broke an 8-all tie and proved to be the game winner.
The trio has all scored in the last four games, combining for 23 goals and eight assists in that span.
Poskay leads ACC midfielders with 28 goals and is fifth with 28 points.
Dixon, one of only five ACC middies with double digit goals and assists, leads league middies with 32 points and 16 assists, while his 16 goals are tied for fifth. He is the only ACC midfielder with 10+ goals and 10+ assists the last two years.
Steady Gill Leads vs. Albany
Brendan Gill isn’t the flashiest player on the roster; instead he uses his experience and keen sense of the game to take advantage of opportunities when they arise. Praised for his consistency by the coaching staff, he has served as the fourth attackman throughout his career. This season he has seen extensive action in every game, including three starts, and scored five goals. He is also tied for third on the team with 15 assists. As you might imagine, both figures, are career highs.
His abilities enable the UVa coaching staff to do a variety of things on offense, including creating different things with John Christmas.
This was most evident in the opening round vs. Albany, when Gill assisted on four Cavalier goals, the most of his career, to lead the team for the first time.
He ran his scoring streak to four consecutive games with an assist in the quarterfinal win over Navy.
Ward Sees Scoring Streak End
Attackman Matt Ward has been among the nation’s leading scorers this season. He is currently tied for 14th nationally in goals with an average of 2.43/g.
He scored at least twice in the first seven games this season, including two 5-goal games (Drexel, Towson). He saw his multi-goal streak end at 12 games against Maryland in a regular-season match-up.
His scoring streak reached 18 games until he was held scoreless (no assists even) by Navy last week, only the third shutout of his career.
If history is any indication, Ward is due for a big game against Johns Hopkins. Following a shutout, he has come back with a vengeance. He was held scoreless by Duke in the 2003 ACC Tournament, but came back to score four goals and add an assist in a narrow one-goal win over Penn State the next time out.
He was held without a point in last year’s regular-season contest by Maryland and followed that with a 5-goal, 2-assist effort against North Carolina.
Thompson Picking Up His Game
Drew Thompson was one of the top midfield recruits in the country last year. He suffered a knee injury early in the year and never really got going before injuring the knee again late in the season, necessitating offseason surgery.
He missed fall ball, but was back at full speed for the start of spr