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Men's Lacrosse Squares off Against Georgetown Sunday in the NCAA Quarterfinals
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May 19, 2006
Charlottesville, Va. –
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NCAA Championships–Quarterfinals
#1 Virginia (1st seed) vs. #5 Georgetown (8th seed)
May 21, 2006 • 3 pm
Unitas Stadium • Towson, Md.
Game Info
The Records:
Virginia: 14-0
Georgetown: 12-2
The Rankings: (USILA/Inside Lacrosse)
Virginia: 1/1
Georgetown: 5/5
The Series vs. Georgetown:
Overall: 1-0
Current Streak: W1
Biggest UVa Win: 5, 2003 (12-7)
Starsia (UVa) vs. GU: 1-0
UVa in the NCAA Championships:
Appearances: 29
Years as #1 Seed: 1980
Overall Record: 34-25
Quarterfinals Record: 17-8 (.680)
Broadcast Information
Television: Sunday’s game is being televised by ESPNU. Dave Ryan calls the play-by-play, while Quint Kessenich provides the color commentary. Please check with your local cable provider to see if it offers ESPNU. Comcast SportsNet is also airing the game in the Mid-Atlantic Region.
Radio: WINA AM 1070 in Charlottesville is providing live play-by-play coverage of this game. Jed Williams calls all the action. He is joined in the broadcast booth by Doug Tarring, a member of UVa’s 1972 national championship team.
Game Overview
Top-ranked Virginia takes on No. 5 Georgetown in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships Sunday afternoon at 3:00 pm at Towson University’s Minnegan Field/Johnny Unitas Stadium. The game is being televised on ESPNU, as well as Comcast Sportsnet in the Mid-Atlantic area.
The Cavaliers hope history repeats itself in this match-up. They defeated Georgetown 12-7 in the quarterfinals on this very field on the way to the 2003 national championship. Curiously, this is only the second meeting all-time between the two schools.
The Cavaliers are the tournament’s top seed for the first time since 1980 and have won a school-record 14 games in a row. They remain the only undefeated team in the country and posted the first undefeated regular season in school history.
This is Virginia’s 29th appearance in the national playoffs, second most behind Johns Hopkins (35). UVa’s all-time tournament record is 34-25. The Cavaliers are 17-8 all-time in the quarterfinals and have not lost in the QF round in eight years. They are attempting to advance to the Final Four for the fourth time in the last five years.
Virginia has won three NCAA Championships (1972, 1999, 2003) and was the USILA national champions in 1952 and 1970 (pre-NCAA Championships).
The Cavaliers feature a potent offense and a stingy defense. The offense is averaging a nation-leading 15.50 goals. There have been 11 Division I games in which one team has scored at least 20 goals and Virginia has four of them.
The defense is ranked eighth nationally, allowing just 7.43 goals per game, the second year in a row they have allowed fewer than seven-and-a-half goals per game.
The Hoyas are 12-2 this season and have won their last four. This is the fourth opponent in a row Virginia has faced with at least a three-game winning streak.
The Series vs. the Hoyas
Despite the relative proximity of the two schools, this is only the second time they have met (Although they have scrimmaged regularly in the preseason.)
The first meeting occurred under similar circumstances. The Cavaliers gained a 12-7 win over the Hoyas in the quarterfinals of the 2003 NCAA Championships right here at Unitas Stadium. Among active Cavaliers Kyle Dixon, Matt Poskay and Matt Ward also scored a goal, while Ward added three assists. Virginia outscored Georgetown 4-0 in the second quarter to seize control.
Several Common Opponents
Virginia and Georgetown have three common opponents this season. They have both played Maryland, Mount St. Mary’s and Syracuse this spring.
This chart shows the result of each match-up.
UVa GU
Maryland W, 15-5 L, 10-4
Md. (ACC Trn.) W, 11-5
Syracuse W, 20-15 W, 10-8
Mt. St. Mary's W, 16-5 W, 17-7
Cavaliers vs. the Tournament Field
Virginia is 6-0 against teams in the NCAA Championships, with wins over Denver (13-7), Johns Hopkins (12-6), Princeton (7-6) and Syracuse (20-15).
The Cavaliers also have two wins over Maryland–15-5 during the regular season and 11-5 in the ACC Tournament championship game.
Virginia in the NCAAs
This is Virginia’s 29th NCAA Championships appearance. Only Johns Hopkins has been to the tournament (35 times) more than the Cavaliers. (Maryland has also made 29 appearances.)
Virginia has a 34-25 all-time playoff record and is fourth in tournament wins behind Johns Hopkins (57), Syracuse (49) and Maryland (38).
Georgetown is appearing in the tournament for the 10th consecutive year. The Hoyas have a 9-9 record in tourney play.
Cavaliers Earn NCAA Top Seed
Virginia is the No. 1 seed in this year’s tournament for only the second time.
The 1980 squad had a wild ride to the tourney finals. They entered the tournament with a 10-1 record and an eight-game winning streak. In the quarterfinals of the eight-team tournament, the Cavaliers knocked off Cornell 9-8 in overtime. In the semifinals they downed North Carolina 11-10 in double overtime. In the finals Johns Hopkins won its third national title in a row with a 9-8 win in double OT.
Coaches Know Each Other Well
Virginia assistant coach Marc Van Arsdale and Georgetown head coach Dave Urick will have a chance to renew a friendship and relationship that goes back 30 years to the days when Van Arsdale was a youngster growing up in upstate New York and Urick was a lacrosse and football coach at Hobart.
As a youngster Van Arsdale served as a ball boy at Hobart football and lacrosse games, when Urick coached both sports. He also honed his skills as a camper at Hobart’s lacrosse camp each summer.
When it came time to pick a college, Hobart and Urick were the easy choice. Van Arsdale was a key member of four consecutive national championships at Hobart under Urick (1982-85).
Following his graduation in 1985, Van Arsdale spent a year as an assistant coach at Nazareth, before returning to Hobart as an assistant on Urick’s staff for three years (1987-89). Van Arsdale remained on the staff at Hobart in 1990 under B.J. O’Hara, who took over the program after Urick left to become the head coach at Georgetown.
This is only the second time in their careers Van Arsdale and Urick have been in the same game and NOT been on the same sideline. The first occurred three years ago on this very field as UVa gained a 12-7 win over Georgetown in the quarterfinals en route to the national championship.
Seniors Miss Graduation Sunday
Lacrosse players come to Virginia with two primary goals in mind–to graduate from UVa and win national championships. In this quarterfinal match-up vs. Georgetown the goals are in conflict.
The university is holding its annual graduation ceremonies Sunday at 10 a.m. As a result, the Cavalier seniors will miss their final exercises.
Instead, in what has become a tradition, they will have their own graduation ceremony Monday afternoon.
Nine Cavalier seniors–G Doug Brody, D Patrick Buchanan, D Michael Culver, M Kyle Dixon, FOM Charlie Glazer, M J.J. Morrissey, LSM Chris Ourisman, D Matt Paquet, M Matt Poskay and A Matt Ward are expected to take part in Monday’s graduation ceremony. M Kyle Dixon is expected to receive his degree during the summer. M Jared Little received his degree last year and is going to receive his master’s degree this summer.
Virginia at Johnny Unitas Stadium
Virginia has found Towson University’s Minnegan Field in Johnny Unitas Stadium to be a very favorable venue.
Since the facility opened in 1978, the Cavaliers have played four games there and won each one.
Virginia has defeated the Towson Tigers three times (2002, 2004 and 2006 by a 14-7 score).
The 2003 Cavalier squad advanced to the final four with a 12-7 win over Georgetown.
Virginia Ranked First in USILA Poll
The Cavaliers are ranked first in the final USILA coaches poll, the seventh consecutive week they’ve been the top team. They have a 14-0 record, the best in school history. Based on available records, this is the longest UVa has been ranked No. 1 in the coaches poll since at least 1971. This is also the first time Virginia has been ranked No. 1 in the final poll since 1980.
Under head coach Dom Starsia, UVa is 20-5 when ranked #1 in the coaches poll. The Cavaliers are 3-2 all-time in the NCAA Tournament as the top-ranked team.
Glading Named ACC’s Top Rookie
Freshman attackman Danny Glading was considered the top recruit in the nation by Inside Lacrosse and he has lived up to his billing by being named the ACC’s Freshman of the Year.
He has started all 14 games on attack for the nation’s top-ranked offense and is one of only four freshmen in the country with at least 15 goals and 15 assists. His 18 assists lead ACC freshmen and are second nationally. He also leads conference rookies in total points (40) and is second in goals (22).
Glading’s number this season rank highly on UVa’s all-time freshman lists. His 40 points are ninth all-time by a UVa rookie, while his 22 goals are tied for eighth and his 18 assists are 12th.
Five Cavaliers Named All-ACC
Five Cavaliers–Michael Culver, Kyle Dixon, Ben Rubeor, Drew Thompson and Matt Ward–have been named to this season’s 11-man All-ACC squad. Culver and Ward are two of only four players to repeat from last season.
Ward becomes a three-time selection, only the 13th player in school history so honored. He is the team’s leading scorer for the third year in a row with 50 points (30g, 20a) and is second in the conference with 20 assists. He has been the team’s leading scorer in six games this season.
Culver is the top defenseman in the conference and earned all-conference honors for the second year in a row. He shut down Maryland’s Joe Walters, the ACC Player of the Year, in the league championship game, ending his streak of 45 games with a point. For his efforts Culver became the first defenseman to win the tournament MVP award since 1980. His 36 ground balls are fourth among ACC defensemen this year.
Dixon is having a phenomenal season and is considered by some as the best midfielder in the country. His 17 assists are tied for fourth on team and are tied with Thompson for the lead among ACC middies. A rare scorer and set up man, he is one of only four midfielders in ACC history with at least 50 career goals and at least 50 career assists.
Rubeor is perhaps the most dangerous attackman on the nation’s top-ranked offense. He is second in the ACC in scoring with an average of 3.67 points per game and goals (2.17 gpg). Rubeor is third on the team in goals with 26 despite missing two games due to injury and has been the team’s leading scorer on seven occasions.
Thompson is one of the top all-around midfielders in the country–he plays offense, defense and takes faceoffs. He ranks fourth among ACC midfielders with 32 points and is tied with Dixon with 17 assists. He also ranks third in the ACC in faceoff percentage, winning 56 percent of his attempts, and is fourth in ground balls with an average of 3.86 per game.
Defense Among Nation’s Best
The Virginia offense has been electric this season and leads the nation with an average of 15.50 goals per game. The defense is determined not to be outdone and has been especially stingy this spring. The Cavalier defenders–led by close d-men Michael Culver, Ricky Smith and Matt Kelly and LSMs Mike Timms and Chris Ourisman, as well as stopper Kip Turner-spearhead the nation’s eighth-ranked defense. The Cavaliers relinquish an average of 7.43 goals per game, the second year in a row they have been below seven-and-a-half goals per game.
Only Syracuse (15), North Carolina (13), Bellarmine (10) and Notre Dame (10) have scored more than seven goals vs. Virginia this season. In addition, they are the only schools that have scored more than their season average.
VMI and Maryland have scored their fewest goals of the season vs. Virginia, while Denver, Stony Brook, Towson and Johns Hopkins all have their second-lowest output of the season against the Cavaliers.
Quick Starts Set Tone
One amazing aspect of the Cavaliers’ 14-0 record this season has been the explosive play of their offense. They lead the nation in scoring with an average of 15.50 goals per game, nearly three goals more than the next team (Hofstra, 12.72 gpg). Virginia also leads the nation in scoring margin, winning by an average of 8.07 goals per game.
Like the man who jumps out of bed and hits the ground running every morning, Virginia has been particularly effective in getting off to fast starts. In fact in nearly half the Cavaliers’ games, remarkably quick starts have effectively decided the game in the first half.
Virginia has scored a whopping 64 goals in the first quarter this year, an average of 4.57 per game. (Conversely, the Cavaliers have only relinquished 26 first quarter goals.) Virginia has outscored the opposition 11 times in the first quarter this season, including the last eight games.
The 64 goals are the most in the first quarter of any team in the country this year (Delaware is next with 48 first quarter goals). They are also the second-most goals in a quarter overall behind Hofstra’s 68 second quarter goals are tops.
The Cavaliers have scored more goals in the first quarter this season than they have in the last two seasons combined (60).
Frequently, the lead has been extended in the second quarter as Virginia has outscored the opposition 59-18 in the second. The Cavaliers’ scoring drops to 50 goals in the third quarter, but that’s still double their opponents.
The fourth quarter is the only time the scoring has been close; Virginia owns a 44-35 advantage.
The chart below shows the scoring totals by quarter this season, as well as the national rank for that quarter.
Quarter UVa NCAA rank
First 64 1
Second 59 2
Third 50 2
Fourth 44 T6
Getting the Lead, Holding the Lead
One of the Cavaliers’ most notable characteristics this season has been an ability to score early, get the lead and retain the lead.
Virginia has scored first 11 times this season, including each of the last seven games. (In fact, the only times UVa didn’t score first came in consecutive games against Syracuse, Princeton and Mount St. Mary’s.)
The Cavaliers scored in the opening minute three times in a row recently (Maryland, North Carolina, Bellarmine) to get off to fast starts.
After relinquishing the first goal to Mount St. Mary’s on March 14 and falling behind 1-0 the Cavaliers have not trailed at all (a span of nearly eight games). Virginia tied the score a short time later to limit The Mount’s lead time to a mere 51 seconds.
Overall, the Cavaliers have led in 454:05 of the last 477:26 (95.1%). The rest of the time the score has been tied.
The chart below shows a game-by-game breakdown of Virginia’s lead time this season.
UVa led
UVa Tied Opp. for last ...
Drexel 42:04 15:12 2:44 26:33
Denver 42:34 17:26 0 41:14
S. Brook 58:38 1:22 0 58:38
VMI 58:08 1:52 0 58:08
Syra. 41:38 8:04 10:18 40:00
Prince. 13:12 13:11 33:37 7:31
MSM 56:04 3:05 0:51 56:04
Towson 58:05 1:55 0 58:05
JHU 48:46 11:14 0 45:20
Md. 59:45 0:15 0 59:45
UNC 59:27 0:33 0 59:27
Bell. 59:12 0:48 0 59:12
Md. (ACC) 57:26 2:34 0 57:26
N. Dame (NCAA) 55:20 4:40 0 32:40
Total 710:19 82:11 47:30
Poskay’s Streak Reaches 19 Games
Matt Poskay is the nation’s fifth-leading scorer among midfielders with 30 goals. Michael Farley of Providence and Hartford’s Josh Wasson-McQuigge lead the way with 33 goals.
Poskay has scored at least three goals on six occasions this season and led the team five times.
He has also scored in every game this season to run his streak to 19 consecutive games with a goal, the longest by a UVa midfielder since David Curry scored in 22 straight games in 1996-97.
Overall, Poskay has scored at least once in 29 of the last 30 games (Duke 2005 was his only shutout).
Shooters Have Been Hot All Season
With four games in February and five in March during the coldest parts of the year (and only four games in the last five weeks during spring), perhaps it’s remarkable to learn that Virginia has been hot all year.
The Cavaliers lead the nation in scoring with an average of 15.5 goals per game. But they are also an extremely accurate shooting squad, connecting on 31.96 percent of their shots to rank third in the nation in shooting percentage. (Albany leads at 34.11 percent, followed by Hartford at 32.32 percent.) Virginia’s shooting percentage this season is its best since the 1999 team won the national title while shooting 34.6 percent.
The hot shooting is all the more remarkable considering they also lead the nation in shots per game (48.50), nearly eight shots per game more than the next closest team (Georgetown 40.77). The shots per game average is the program’s highest since topping 50 shots per game each year from 1993-1997.
As mentioned elsewhere in this notes packet, the Cavaliers have only trailed for 51 seconds in the last eight games. During this span they are shooting 35.8 percent (124 of 346) and have shot at least 30 percent seven times.
Since 1998 Virginia is 62-4 (.939) when shooting 30+ percent.
Culver Shuts Down His Man
Being a team’s top defenseman requires an ability to shut down the opposition’s top attackman. Senior defenseman Michael Culver has clearly demonstrated he’s been among the nation’s leading d-men the last two seasons.
He earned All-ACC honors for the second year in a row this season and has helped limit the opponents to fewer than eight goals per game.
As the top defenseman he is matched against with one of the nation’s leading attackmen each game.
His remarkable ability to shut down his man is best shown by his play in two games against Maryland’s Joe Walters this year, one of the nation’s leading scorers.
In the regular-season match-up, Culver held Waters to a lone assist and 0-for-8 shooting in a 15-5 UVa win.
Walters, his school’s all-time leading scorer, was ineffective in the championship game of the ACC Tournament in UVa’s last game. Walters was held scoreless (no goals, no assists) for the first time in 45 games and only the second time in his career. He also misfired on all 10 shots. For his efforts, Culver was named the tournament MVP, the first defenseman to win the honor since 1990 (Joe Breschi, North Carolina).
Make `Em Pay for Their Mistakes
With the nation’s top offense, Virginia has clearly shown it can score goals with the best of them. The opposition frequently makes it easier for the Cavaliers by frequently giving them extra-man opportunities. Virginia is getting nearly four man-up chances per game (55 in 14 games).
The Cavaliers continually cash in, scoring on 50.9 percent of their EMO chances to rank third nationally. This is currently the third-best rate in school history. UVa converted on a record 46.0 percent of EMOs in 1992.
They have scored 28 EMO goals, the most in the nation. This is UVa’s most extra-man goals since scoring 32 in 1994 and 1995.
Senior midfielder Matt Poskay has scored 11 of his 30 goals on extra man and leads the nation.
Rookie Production
Dom Starsia knew when he signed this year’s class of freshmen that he was getting some talented players. However he might not have anticipated getting quite the production he’s gotten so far from this precocious group of youngsters.
Two rookies start (A Danny Glading, D Matt Kelly), while the several others see lots of playing time.
Glading has tallied 22 goals and 18 assists while starting every game. His 40 total points are fourth in the country among freshmen, while his 18 assists are second.
Kelly has started every game as well and usually draws the opponent’s third attackman; he has 27 ground balls.
Canadian attackman Garrett Billings has started several games and is the fourth attackman when he doesn’t start. His 36 total points are seventh most by a freshman, while his 25 goals are fifth.
Steve Giannone runs on the second midfield unit and has tallied nine goals and added four assists. He was the team’s leading scorer against Mount St. Mary’s with three goals and an assist.
Gavin Gill has played in nine games as a reserve on attack. He has scored just twice, but is 13th in the country among freshmen with 10 assists.
In addition, the top longstick midfielder is redshirt freshman Mike Timms. He second among the team’s LSMs with 26 ground balls.
Overall, this year’s freshmen have scored 64 goals (29.5% of team total) and had 47 assists (30.9%) and are the most productive freshmen since the 2002 newcomers scored 84 goals and 26 assists.
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 were exceptional and averaged 44.8 ground balls per game, up seven from the year before, and almost six more than the opposition. They also won the ground ball war in 11 of 15 games.
This year’s group of Cavaliers have done their best Brooks Robinson impersonation, sucking up ground balls at a nation-leading rate of 50.0 per game. Against Mount St. Mary’s, they gobbled up 67 and have had at least 50 six other times. They also have a ground ball margin of 14.4 gb/g, also the nation’s best figure
The Cavaliers have won 56 of their last 61 games (7-0 this year) dating back to 1998 when snapping up at least 50 GBs.
Virginia Has Nation’s Top Offense
Virginia comes into this game ranked No. 1 in the nation in scoring with an average of 15.50 goals/g.
The Cavaliers have scored 217 goals in 14 games, their most at this stage since they scored a whopping 255 goals in 1997. Overall, it is the seventh-highest total in school history.
The Cavaliers have scored at least 12 goals in 12 of 14 games, including at least 20 four times. The last time UVa scored 20+ at least three times occurred in 1997 season when they did it five times.
The offense features several of the top scorers in the country, led by senior All-American Matt Ward and sophomore Ben Rubeor. Rubeor is 11th nationally in scoring with an average of 3.67 ppg, while Ward is 13th at 3.47 ppg.
Ward’s 50 total points are a team high, while Rubeor is next with 44 (despite playing two fewer games).
Virginia features five 20-goal scorers for the first time since the 2003 championship year when six Cavaliers notched at least 20 goals.
Seven different Cavaliers also have at least 10 assists for the first time in school history. In addition, seven players have recorded at least 30 points for the first time in program history.
School-Record Winning Streak
The Cavaliers have won a school-record 14 games in a row, breaking the record previously set in 2000.
Virginia’s winning streak is the fourth-longest in ACC history, but well short of Maryland’s 31-game run from 1954-57.
It also appears to be tied for the 14th-longest streak in NCAA Division I history. It should be noted, however, that the NCAA records only begin in 1971.
Starsia Wins 150th at Virginia
In his 14th 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 a bit last season when he passed former head coach Jim “Ace” Adams for the most wins in program history. Starsia won his 150th game at UVa with a 12-6 win over Johns Hopkins earlier this season. He now has a 155-54 (.742) record at UVa.
In addition to setting the school record for most wins, Starsia is seventh all-time (as best we can tell) in coaching wins at the Division I level. (This list includes only time spent coaching at the DI level, which is why Dave Urick, Carl Runk and several others are not listed.)
He is also one of three coaches to win 100+ games at two different schools. In addition to his 154 UVa wins, he won 101 games at Brown from 1983-92. Jack Emmer won 100+ games at both Washington & Lee and Army, while Urick topped the century mark at Hobart and Georgetown.
The list of the winningest all-time Division I coaches is below.
Coach, school(s), years Wins
1. Jack Emmer, Cortland, W&L, Army, 1970-2005 326
2. Dick Garber, UMass, 1955-90 300
3. Roy Simmons, Jr., Syracuse, 1971-98 290
4. Jim Adams, Army, Penn, UVa, 1958-92 284
5. Glenn Thiel, UVa, Penn State, 1970-pres. 276
6. Richie Moran, Cornell, 1969-97 257
7. Dom Starsia, Brown, UVa, 1983-pres. 256
Morrissey Unheralded Standout
Last season Inside Lacrosse magazine called short-stick defensive midfielder the “most important position in lacrosse” in a story about the seldom-noticed contributions of those playing the position.
Virginia’s J.J. Morrissey certainly falls into this category. Last season he could have easily been named the team’s most valuable player (it went to Matt Ward). He scooped a career-high 51 ground balls to rank sixth in the ACC (3.40/g), scored six goals and assisted on seven more.
This season he has been named a team captain in recognition of his leadership skills. Once again he is a demon on ground balls, ranking third in the ACC with an average of 3.93 per game while snaring a career high of 55 GBs. Deadly in transition, he has scored four five and has six assists.
This is the third year in a row he has snared at least 50 ground balls, only the sixth midfielder in school history to do so.
Morrissey has led the team in ground balls three times this season and tied his career high with eight GBs vs. Syracuse.
Hoo’ll Lead the Offense Today?
Virginia features one of the most balanced offenses in the country with a host of players capable of putting up big numbers in any given game.
Thirteen different players have led the team in goals and there doesn’t seem to be any pattern as to who might lead on any particular occasion.
Ben Rubeor led the team in goals in the first two games, but missed the next two due to an injury. Since his return he has been the leader five times in the nine games. Overall he has been the leader a team-high seven times.
Matt Ward led three times in a four-game span (Stony Brook, Syracuse, Princeton), but was held without a goal by Towson and wasn’t the leader again until the Bellarmine game. He’s been the high man the last two times (Bellarmine, Maryland, Notre Dame). He has been the leader six times overall, including a season-high four goals against Notre Dame despite a broken hand.
Midfielder Matt Poskay has led on five occasions. He scored three goals each four times in an eight-game stretch, leading in three of them (Drexel, Syracuse, Towson).Middie Drew Thompson led the way in three straight games–VMI, Syracuse, Princeton–but has not been the leader since.
Freshman middie Steve Giannone led in two midweek games–VMI, Mount St. Mary’s. Classmate Danny Glading was a consistent scorer early on but was not the leader until the ninth game against Johns Hopkins. Since then he has also shared the leadership honors the last two games.
Fellow rookie Garrett Billings (Glading’s roommate) was the goal-scoring leader against Towson with three goals. He blew up with a career-high five scores vs. North Carolina, the most by a Cavalier this year.
All-American midfielder Kyle Dixon had not been the leader until the ACC Tournament finals vs. Maryland when he was among five Cavaliers to lead the way with two scores.
Starsia Wins ACC Coaching Honor
Head coach Dom Starsia has been named the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Coach of the Year after guiding the Cavaliers to the first undefeated regular season (14-0) in school history and their fifth ACC Tournament title. This is the seventh time Starsia has won the award, a league record.
Ward Moves Up ACC Goals List
Senior attackman Matt Ward has earned his way onto a select list of Virginia’s all-time greats. He has led the Cavaliers in goals the last two seasons and has notched at least one in 52 of 59 games in his career.
He scored a trio of goals in the win over Denver on Feb. 20 to become only the ninth player in school history to score at least 100 in a career; he is fourth with 127. Ward is also fifth among active Division I players.
His place on the ACC’s career goals list is shown below.
Player, school, years goals
10. Rob Wurzburger, Maryland, 1988-91 137
11. Josh Dennis, Duke, 1987-90 129
12. Bert Fett, North Carolina, 1972-75 128
13. Matt Ward, Virginia, 2003-06 127
Frank Urso, Maryland, 1973-76 127
Glazer is ACC Faceoff Leader
One of the biggest question marks coming into the season for head coach Dom Starsia and his staff was who was going to replace four-year starter Jack deVilliers in the faceoff circle.
Senior Charlie Glazer and junior Drew Thompson have been the team’s top-two draw men, but with Thompson on the field for both offense and defense, Glazer has had plenty of chances to ply his specialty.
Given the most extended playing time of his career, Glazer has been one of the team’s most pleasant surprises with his excellent play. He is sixth in the country (ACC leader) in faceoff winning percentage with a 61.7 mark (111 of 180). He is also second in the ACC in ground balls, averaging 4.21 per game.
Glazer got the first starting assignment of his career in the opening game against Drexel and played a big role in the Cavaliers’ 15-7 win. He won 11 of 15 attempts (.733) and finished with four ground balls.
He had an even better performance in the win over Stony Brook, going up against Jim Astea, who was 12th last year in winning percentage. Glazer won 12 of 14 attempts (.857) as Virginia built a big lead and won 17-4. He also grabbed a career-high 10 ground balls to lead the team.
One of the keys in wins over Syracuse and Princeton was an ability to gain and maintain possession, particularly when it came to faceoffs.
In the win over the `Cuse, UVa outscored the Orange 8-1 in the second quarter to seize control. Glazer won 14 of 24 draws overall, including five of eight in that period, when the Cavaliers had possession virtually the entire period.
His ability to win draws was significant in the Cavaliers’ comeback from a 4-1 deficit to down Princeton 7-6. He won eight of 12 attempts, including all three in the third quarter when UVa mounted its comeback. Glazer also finished with a game-high seven ground balls.
Glazer had a perfect game vs. Mount St. Mary’s (11 of 11) and was excellent going up against Greg Peyser from Johns Hopkins, winning 10 of 17 draws.
Rubeor is Dangerous Jewel
Ben Rubeor was one of the top freshmen in the nation a year ago and made an immediate impact in the line-up. He led ACC freshmen with 16 assists and was second with 18 goals and 34 points.
Despite being overshadowed by senior All-American Matt Ward, Rubeor might actually be the team’s most dangerous attackman. He was the only sophomore named to this season’s All-ACC squad.
He has scored 26 goals and is second on the squad with 44 points despite missing two games. He has also sat out large portions of several blow outs.Rubeor has led the team in goals a team-high seven times this season, including four of the last six.
He has been the assists leader on three occasions, including three against North Carolina when it seemed unlikely he would play due to illness.
In the big games he’s been even better. He has scored 18 goals (2.25/g) and added 11 assists (1.38/g) in eight games against ranked teams. His goal-scoring average against ranked teams is better than his rate against unranked teams (2.00/g).
After getting injured against Denver in the second game and sitting out the next two, he returned to action against Syracuse as if he had not missed any time. Once again he led the attack with three goals and two assists in a 20-15 win.
Rubeor scored what proved to be the game-winning goal in a 7-6 win over Princeton, interestingly enough on his 20th birthday.
Playing just minutes from his home, Rubeor led the way with five points (2g, 3a) in the 14-7 win over Towson several weeks ago.
He scored a game-high four goals in the 15-5 win over Maryland and was named ACC Player of the Week.
He is averaging 3.67 points per game to rank 11th nationally, while his 2.17 goals per game average is 15th.
Rubeor has also scored three man-down goals, more than every team in the country but two.
Three-Year Starters on First Midfield
The first midfield unit of Kyle Dixon, Matt Poskay and Drew Thompson are in their third year as starters this spring.
After a rough beginning as a unit in 2004, they gelled last season and played a key role in the team’s dash to the final four. Among them they combined to score 56 goals and 23 assists in one of the most potent offensive units under head coach Dom Starsia.
This season they are even better. They have combined to score 61 goals (28.1% of team total) and add 39 assists (25.7%) this season.
Poskay is fifth among the nation’s middies with a team-leading 30 goals, while Dixon and Thompson are tied for fifth in assists by a midfielder with 17 apiece.
Dixon is 40-40 Man
In baseball much is made of a player who combines the strength to hit home runs and the speed to steal bases, specifically hitting 40 home runs and stealing 40 bases in a season. In the entire history of baseball, there are only three members of the “40-40 Club” (Jose Canseco-1988, Barry Bonds-1996, Alex Rodriguez-1998).
In lacrosse a “40-40” midfielder is nearly as rare, as most middies are either scorers or passers, but rarely both.
Senior Kyle Dixon is one of the rare midfielders who does both. Last year he was one of 10 ACC midfielders with 10 goals and 10 assists, and finished second among league mids with 17 assists.
This year his 17 assists are tied for fifth in the country by a midfielder, while his 33 total points are tied for 17th. He is one of only seven midfielders (along with teammate Drew Thompson with at least 15 goals and 15 assists this spring.
With 51 career goals and 53 career assists, he is one of only three “40-40 Midfielders” in school history. Additionally, he is only one of seven midfielders to score 100 points at Virginia.
Perhaps even more impressive is that he is only the fourth “50-50” middie in ACC history.
The list of the ACC’s “50-50” mids is below.
ACC 50-50 Midfielders
Player, school, years goals assists
1. Frank Urso, Md., 1973-76 127 81
2. Jim Gonnella, Duke, 1994-97 55 90
3. Kevin Brennan, Duke, `00-'03 69 53
4. Kyle Dixon, UVa, 2003-pres. 51 53
Billings, Glading are Top Rookies
Danny Glading was named the top recruit in the nation by Inside Lacrosse in the fall, while classmate Garrett Billings was considered the magazine’s “Canadian X-Factor.”
Glading had a stellar high school career at Georgetown Prep and finished his career as the school’s all-time assists leader with 156. As a senior last year he scored 55 goals and finished with 93 points and was named the Washington Post’s Player of the Year.
Billings is a relative newcomer to the field game, but is a prolific scorer indoors, where he starred for the Burnaby Lakers club that won the Minto Cup in 2004 and `05. Last year he won the scoring title with 52 goals, 52 assists and 104 points and was named to the first all-star team.
The pair has given an already potent offense an added kick this season.
Glading is third on the team in scoring with 40 points (22g, 18a) and ranks fourth in the country among freshmen. His 18 assists are tied for second among the nation’s rookies, while his 22 goals are tied for eighth.
He has scored at least twice in the last seven games and has led the team in goals in two of the last three games.
Billings erupted for a career-high five goals and two assists in the win over North Carolina and followed that with two goals and a career-high four assists against Bellarmine.
The Canadian is seventh in the nation in total points (36) by a freshman and is the fifth-leading rookie goal scorer with 25.
They are two of only 11 rookies in the nation with at least 10 goals and 10 assists. (Glading is one of only four rookies with 15&15).
They join a long line of freshmen who have made a mark on the Cavalier attack. Among the freshmen who have starred under head coach Dom Starsia include Christmas, Conor Gill, Doug Knight, Drew McKnight, Rubeor, Matt Ward, Michael Watson, Tim Whiteley and Joe Yevoli.
Poskay Fifth on Midfield Goals List
Matt Poskay set a national high school record with 362 goals during his storied prep career in New Jersey. Still there was some skepticism from some corners about his ability to be a big time scorer on the collegiate level. But Dom Starsia never had any reservations and his confidence in Poskay’s skills has been justified.
This season he is the nation’s fifth-leading midfielder scorer with 30 goals.
Poskay also owns a 19-game streak with at least one goal dating back to last season, the longest streak by a Cavalier midfielder since David Curry scored in 22 straight games in 1996-97.
One of the most prolific scoring midfielders in school history, he is fifth on UVa’s goals list by a middie. A look at the list is below.
Player, years goals
1. Pete Eldredge, 1969-72 92
2. Chris Rotelli, 2000-03 85
3. Greg Traynor, 1992-95 82
4. Jay Jalbert, 1997-2000 78
5. Matt Poskay, 2003-pres. 77