The No. 2 Virginia men's lacrosse team boasts the ACC's top two goal scorers this year, and neither of them is Conor Gill. Neither has ever played college lacrosse before. This doesn't sound like the Virginia lacrosse team the world is used to watching, as freshman attackmen John Christmas and Joe Yevoli have become the Cavaliers' newest scoring sensations.
These two highly touted recruits only have surpassed their advance billing. Yevoli leads Virginia with 22 goals; Christmas' 17 goals and nine assists have him tied with Gill as the team's leader in points. Both are equally dangerous and equally feared by opposing defenses.
Their talents are as similarly matched as their stories. Christmas and Yevoli both started playing the game in elementary school. Each was inspired by a family member - Christmas followed the example of his older brothers who played lacrosse to stay in shape for football; Yevoli modeled himself after his father, playing dad's position and wearing his number 42.
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This explosive offensive tandem made acquaintances and began their joint efforts as early as their recruiting trip.
"We actually met in the airport," Yevoli said. "His mom came over and asked if I was Joe, and then she brought me over to meet his family. I've actually heard of John for a while. I'd heard a lot of different things about him - even that he was 6'2" and about 205."
The 5'9", 175 Christmas, however, only plays larger than his current stature, and his high school record - a three-time All-American - only is testament to that.
The good-spirited friendship between Christmas and Yevoli, evident in the jovial way they talk about each other, may have begun in the Charlottesville-Albemarle airport but has spilled onto the field, mediated by the attack squad's anchor, Gill.
"Coach talked about how great a leader [Gill] was, that he was willing to back down a little and give us some of the scoring," Christmas said. "He being a senior, captain and potential three-time All-American - that's the best leadership you can get."
In the past, Gill has had to shoulder a greater share of the scoring load and has not been able to do what he does best: finding the open man in front of the net. With the talent of Christmas and Yevoli playing alongside him, Gill has been able to focus on what he does best.
"He gets the number one defenseman every game, so that helps both of us," Christmas said. "He gets all the attention because he is a great scorer and feeder. When he gets the double teams, it's not that hard of a job to put the ball in the net."
Christmas' modesty is apparent, but his numbers speak for themselves. Yevoli and he are sharing the spotlight in the same way they are sharing the scoring - together. It is the mental aspects of the game that usually take the longest to learn, especially with the added demands associated with instant production, but this dynamic duo appears well ahead of schedule.
"I felt some pressure for myself to come in and play well," Yevoli said. "But Conor helped us out the whole way."
Deflecting praise onto each other and citing their collective teamwork is the only way Christmas and Yevoli know how to deal with their success.
Yevoli is "a great player," Christmas said. "He's basically got the total package. We complement each other with our styles and with Conor's playing style as well. It's rare that you find three attackmen that complement each other so well, and I think that's why we're doing so well."
As good as Christmas and Yevoli are now, their careers only have just begun, and yet already they seem to be playing in sync.
"We have good chemistry now, but it will just get better," Yevoli said. "We just have to build that - that's the most important thing. We're going to be playing together for four years."
Now that's a scary proposition for opposing defenses everywhere.
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