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April 25, 2007
The Virginia Cavaliers will open the 2007 ACC Women’s Lacrosse Tournament with a contest against the Boston College Eagles in quarterfinal action at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 26 in Chapel Hill. The No. 6 Hoos, the 2006 ACC Champions, defeated Boston College 13-6 in regular-season action last Saturday (April 21) in Newton, Mass, behind four goals and two assists from Blair Weymouth. Jess Wasilewski scooped up six ground balls and Jessy Morgan had four caused turnovers to lead the Virginia defensive effort.
The Cavaliers have an all-time record of 10-7 in the ACC Tournament and are 5-1 in the last three years, after reaching the finals in each of the last three years, winning it all in 2004 and 2006. Kate Breslin was named to the All-Tournament team in 2005; Blair Weymouth was also honored in 2006 after scoring a tournament-record six goals in the final game against Duke. The last time the tournament was held in Chapei Hill was 2004; Virginia defeated Maryland in the semis and Duke in the finals.
Virginia ranks 16th nationally in scoring offense, averaging 12.75 goals per game. The `Hoos are led offensively by Kate Breslin, who was recently named a 2007 Tewaaraton Trophy nominee. She leads Virginia in points (67), goals (45), and assists (22). All three are career highs for the fourth-year from Manhasset, N.Y. She was named to the womenslacrosse.com National Honor Roll March 12 for her efforts in the Penn State game. Breslin has 115 career goals and needs just three to move into a tie for 10th all-time at Virginia; ironically, she would tie current UNC head coach Jenny Slingluff Levy, who had 118 from 1989-1992. Breslin ranks 21st nationally in scoring and 28th in goals per game. 2006 National Rookie of the Year Blair Weymouth ranks second on the team in goals (39) and points (60). Her 21 assists ties her effort from last year and ranks as the fourth-highest total for a second-year in school history. She ranks behind classmate Ashley McCulloch, who has broken out this year with 22 assists; she needs just six to set the standard for second-years at Virginia.
Virginia’s midfield is led by a pair of first-years, Brittany Kalkstein and Kaitlin Duff. Kalkstein ranks nationally in draw controls (42); she is just one draw control away from breaking into the top-10 all-time for a single season. She needs just four to set the record for draw controls as a first-year (Lauren Aumiller, 2001, 45). Kalkstein also ranks fourth in scoring with 35 goals and seven assists; her 42 points ranks sixth all-time in school history and her 35 goals is the fifth-highest total in school history, passing All-American Lauren Aumiller who had 33 in 2001. Duff leads the Cavaliers in ground balls (38) and caused turnovers (24). She was named the National Rookie of the Week March 4th.
The Cavalier defense is ranked fifth nationally and is consistently one of the top defenses in the nation. The 2007 average of 8.06 goals allowed per game includes 12 games of eight goals or less allowed, with six of those games against ranked teams. Kendall McBrearty, who was named to the national honor roll on March 27, ranks eighth nationally in goals-against average. US teammates Jessy Morgan and Jen Holden anchor the Cavalier defense; they rank third and first, respectively, among field players for minutes played this season. Holden ranks second to Duff in ground balls while Morgan ranks second in caused turnovers. With 2003 world champion Claire Bordley in the mix, these three are averaging less than a foul a game, a testament to the maturity and the patience of the Cavalier defense.
Virginia has played the same team in back-to-back games just one other time in school history; the Cavaliers defeated Loyola 7-6 to end the regular season before falling to the `Hounds 13-7 in the first round of the NCAA Championships.
This year’s tournament bracket includes all six teams; host UNC plays Virginia Tech before Virginia and Boston College draw on Thursday. The winner of the first game will face Duke while the winner of the Virginia-BC game will face Maryland in semifinal action. The finals will be at 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 29 and televised by RSN. ACC Select announced today that the Quarterfinal and Semifinal rounds of the 2007 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Women’s Lacrosse Championship will be available for fans across the country to watch with live and on-demand online video streams exclusively on ACCSelect.com.
Exclusive Quarterfinal and Semifinal coverage of the ACC Women’s Lacrosse Championship, which is being hosted by the University of North Carolina, will be available for fans to watch live on Thursday, April 26 and Friday, April 27. The matches will also be available for fans to watch on an on-demand replay basis.
Viewers can watch the Quarterfinals and Semifinals live or on-demand with an All Event Pass ($9.99 per month) or on a per-event basis ($3.99 per event).
ACC Select is a broadband network that gives fans exclusive video access to the sports they love, the teams they care about and the games not available anywhere else. With full-screen video delivered right to the computer, ACC Select provides front row access to events whenever fans want–live or on-demand replay. Fans can go to www.accselect.com for complete details and see their sports in a whole new way.