The No. 1 Virginia Cavaliers (8-1, 3-0 ACC) and the No. 7 North Carolina Tar Heels (7-3, 1-2) are set to battle in the semi-finals of the ACC tournament tonight at 6 at host Duke University's Koskinen Stadium. Maryland and Duke square-off in tonight's second game - the winners will meet Sunday at 3 p.m. to determine the champion.
All of the pressure this weekend lies solely on Virginia. The Cavaliers already were crowned regular season champions by virtue of their perfect 3-0 record, but they now must win two more games to claim their third postseason title in the past four years. Virginia also boasts the most players on the recently announced All-ACC team with five - two three-time members, senior attackman Conor Gill and senior defenseman Mark Koontz, headline a list that also includes freshman attackman John Christmas, junior midfielder Chris Rotelli and sophomore goalie Tillman Johnson.
The Cavaliers enter the tournament with the added outside pressure of not only holding the ACC's top seed but also carrying the nation's best ranking.
"It doesn't mean anything to us," Johnson said. "Rankings don't really matter right now."
This is especially true with the particular dynamics of this year's tournament. After undefeated Virginia, all three other ACC teams finished 1-2 - a lottery determined their tournament seedings.
"Any pairing was going to be a difficult chore," coach Dom Starsia said. "It's a real challenge for the number one seed. Having played these three teams in our three most recent games and then to turn around and play them again is going to be difficult."
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No. 6 Maryland was the Cavaliers' most feared first-round opponent, but playing the seventh-ranked Tar Heels will not be much easier.
"North Carolina is a good team," Starsia said. "They have nice balance. It's going to be a real tough game."
Virginia won the teams' previous meeting, 10-9, two weeks ago in Chapel Hill behind Gill's two goals and two assists. UNC nearly overcame a late 10-6 deficit before losing by a single goal. Jed Prossner led the Tar Heel attack with three goals and an assist.
Koontz hopes to play despite injury
Stopping Prossner and the rest of North Carolina's offense will present an added challenge for a Virginia defense that will not have two-time All-American defenseman Koontz at full strength. An MRI earlier in the week revealed a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. For most athletes, an injury of this magnitude spells immediate surgery and a year of rehabilitation. For Koontz, it means postponement of surgery until after the season and every effort to play this weekend.
"He's going to try to play," Starsia said. "He hasn't practiced but there's a chance he'll play tomorrow night though it'd be in limited capacity. He really wants to give it a 'go' and I'm inclined to give him that chance"
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