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No. 1 UVa Welcomes Mount St. Mary's to Klockner Stadium for Tuesday Matinee
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Cavaliers (1-0), ranked No. 1 in this week’s USILA coaches poll and No. 2 in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse media poll, conclude their two-game homestand on Tuesday when the Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers (0-0) come to town. The game will be contested inside Klöckner Stadium and faceoff is slated for 4 p.m. UVa looks to make it nine-straight against the Mountaineers in the all-time series, a team they beat twice in 2010.
Tuesday’s contest with Mount St. Mary’s is the ninth all-time meeting. Virginia holds an 8-0 advantage in the all-time series, including a 15-7 triumph in last year’s regular season matchup, followed by an 18-4 victory in the NCAA First Round. Head coach Tom Gravante is in his 16th season at the helm for the Mount. The Mountaineers won the MAAC title in their final season in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and finished with a 12-5 record. The Mount have joined the rest of its sports in the Northeast Conference for the 2011 season. The Mountaineers are picked to finish in third place behind Robert Morris and Bryant in the preseason poll.
Virginia enters the contest on the heels of a 12-9 triumph over No. 18 Drexel on Saturday evening. Chris Bocklet picked up where he left off in 2010, scoring four goals, including his highlight reel worthy score when a serendipitous bounce gave him a ground ball off his own fumble, and in one fell swoop he was able to rocket a shot into the goal with one arm. Bocklet added an assist for a game-high five points.
Shamel Bratton added three goals, including two of the game’s final three that gave the Cavaliers the lead for good. Goalie Rob Fortunato filled in for All-American Adam Ghitelman and made 12 saves, 10 of which came in the second half to pace the UVa defense.
Tuesday’s game will be the season opener for Mount St. Mary’s and leading the way for the Mount this season will be goalkeeper T.C. DiBartolo, who earned honorable mention All-America honors last season. DiBartolo posted a 9.39 GAA and a .590 save percentage on the year, finishing fifth in the nation in that category. DiBartolo twice recorded 20 or more saves in a game last year. He was at his best in the MAAC Tournament, posting a combined 33 saves in wins over Manhattan and Siena in leading the Mount to the title.
On attack, the Mount is led by the trio of Cody Lehrer, Brett Schmidt and Andrew Scalley. Lehrer led the Mount with 48 goals and 57 points last year, earning Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Co-Offensive Player of the Year honors. He was a first team All-NEC and All-MAAC selection while earning MAAC Offensive Player of the Week honors on three occasions and NEC Offensive Player of the Week two times.
The 2011 campaign will include a season-long quest for head coach Dom Starisa as the Cavaliers try to put his name atop a list as the head coach with the most victories while coaching at an NCAA Division I school. Starsia currently stands with 317 lifetime wins, trailing coaching legend Jack Emmer’s 326 wins. Emmer coached at Cortland State and Washington & Lee when both participated as NCAA Division I lacrosse institutions, and he concluded his storied career at Army.
Tickets for Virginia lacrosse games can be purchased online at VirginiaSports.com, by phone at (800) 542-8821 or in person at the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office in Bryant Hall at Scott Stadium Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Virginia lacrosse season tickets for 2011 are $30 (adult general admission) and $20 (youth, senior, faculty/staff general admission). Single-game tickets to lacrosse games are $7 (adult general admission), and $5 (youth, senior, faculty/staff general admission).
All reserved seats are sold out for the 2011 season.