The preseason goal of the 2002 Virginia lacrosse team was to send exceptional seniors Conor Gill and Mark Koontz out in style with a return to national prominence by making a run at the national championship.
So far, Virginia (10-3) is in the perfect position to do just that, having snagged the third seed in this year's NCAA tournament.
By virtue of their high seed, Virginia earned a first-round bye in the tournament and now faces sixth-seeded Cornell (11-3) tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Johns Hopkins' Homewood Field.
Virginia will have to contend without star defender Koontz, whose torn ACL required reconstructive surgery, ending his college career prematurely.
"Losing Mark Koontz is a blow to the team, but hopefully we'll be ready to play our best lacrosse here at the end," coach Dom Starsia said. "We feel like we haven't played in a long time. We hope that the infusion of energy from the excitement of playing again can offset what may be a rough start in terms of stick handling and technique."
The two teams have not faced each other since a 1988 NCAA semifinal match in which the Big Red routed Virginia 17-6. Cornell also has fared better against common opponents, going 2-1 compared to Virginia's 1-2 record against Penn State, Princeton and Syracuse.
Cornell is "a solid lacrosse team," Starsia said. "The kid in the cage [Justin Cynar] is excellent, and they are disciplined and balanced offensively."
Cynar, a senior goaltender, has allowed only 6.76 goals per game this season with a .559 save percentage. As one of the country's best goalkeepers, he poses a roadblock to the explosive Virginia offense.
Cornell's main weapon offensively is freshman attackman Sean Greenhalgh, who has scored 37 goals to lead the Big Red squad.
The time of the game precludes the seniors from marching the Lawn with the rest of their graduating class in tomorrow's commencement exercises. Instead, the seniors will graduate together in a special ceremony Monday morning, and it is fitting for this particularly remarkable class that they again will have the stage to themselves.
This year's seniors were freshmen in 1999 - the last time Virginia won the national championship. Two of those seniors, Gill and Koontz, were main components on that title team and have continued to marvel opponents, fans and teammates ever since. Gill and Koontz are each two-time recipients of All-American recognition, and Koontz recently was named ACC Player of the Year - the first defensive player to be so honored in a decade.
"There are certain kids who define a program over a period of time," Starsia said. "Mark and Conor have been the guys at the forefront of our program since the national title their freshman year."
With the addition of freshmen phenoms John Christmas and Joe Yevoli, Gill has seen his goal output reduced but has more than twice the number of assists, 32, than any of his teammates. The leader and team player in Gill has made adjustments back to what he does best - finding the open man.
"When you get an influx of new talent like that, it can be disrupting at first," Starsia said. "Attack is the most obvious example, but they've worked hard to make it work well. John and Joe have been respectful of Conor and their relationship has grown out of that."
Christmas and Yevoli, along with junior midfielders Chris Rotelli and A.J. Shannon, each have scored 20 or more goals. Rotelli, Shannon and the rest of the midfielders - junior Billy Glading, senior tri-captain Eric Leibowitz, senior Brendan Moehler and senior Nick Russo - have been real assets for the Cavaliers this season.
"The difference between this year and last year is that no matter who's out there, we always have six guys on offense who can make plays," Rotelli said.
Junior longstick midfielder Trey Whitty has been a find - he has improved with every game and is second on the team with 62 ground balls in addition to three goals and five assists.
Without Koontz to challenge the opponents' best attackman, Virginia will have to rely on the collective effort of Ned Bowen, David Burman and Brett Hughes. This unit, along with steady goalkeeper Tillman Johnson who has compiled a .571 save percentage and scooped a team-best 63 ground balls, has been solid all year and even sensational at the end of games, allowing only 22 fourth-quarter goals all season.
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