When his career at Virginia is complete, sophomore Matt Ward will probably look back at the 2004 season as his breakout year -- the year he jumped from just another name in a long lineup of scorers to the most reliable shooter in the Cavalier offense. The attackman enjoyed surprising success in his inaugural season of 2003, finishing with 26 goals and 20 assists, but this year Ward has emerged as Virginia's scoring leader.
Entering this season, three Cavalier attackmen were solidified in the starting lineup more so than at any other position on the field. The preseason NCAA lacrosse buzz, however, centered primarily on the well-known names of John Christmas and Joe Yevoli. As neither of these two stars has played completely healthy this season, the third attacker, Ward, was expected to step up and perform. Now, approaching the ACC tournament, the youngest of the trio has established himself as a standout offensive player.
At the beginning of the season, the sophomore began his reign as the team's scoring leader, a position he has yet to relinquish. Ward has performed admirably for the Cavaliers in victory and defeat. For five of the first six games -- four of which were losses -- he led the team in scoring. Facing Syracuse on March 6, a game that Virginia would eventually lose 18-12, Ward almost single-handedly kept his team in the game with two goals to tie the score early in the first quarter. He would finish that afternoon with three goals and four assists, the latter of which is more than any other Cavalier has registered this year.
During the seventh game of the season, however, Maryland succeeded in its defensive game plan by holding Virginia's blazing hot attackman to zero points in the contest. In a battle which saw the Cavaliers score only two goals, Ward was held scoreless for the first time in 13 games. Yet the best players in all of sports always bounce back from their low performances.
Exactly one week later, on April 10 at North Carolina, Ward blitzed the Tarheels with five goals and two assists. Late in the fourth quarter, he also scored twice in 39 seconds to narrow the Virginia deficit to 11-9, the eventual final score. Five goals for a Cavalier attackman were the most since Connor Gill notched the same scoring output in the 1999 national semifinals.
On the season, the McLean, Va. native has scored 22 goals -- one more than the combination of fellow attackmen Christmas and Yevoli. Ward's 33 points lead the next Virginia scorer by a margin of 12 and his 3.44 points per game ranks third in the ACC.
"Ward is wise beyond his years," coach Dom Starsia said. "His number of goals and assists show a balance in his game."
For a highly underrated Cavalier who entered the year with obvious potential but little publicity, these individual accomplishments should have brought a small amount of satisfaction in a disappointing overall season for Virginia. However, this competitor exhibits a constant graciousness and a powerful devotion to the team ahead of himself.
"Everyone can score," Ward said. "What we've been saying all year is that we are a young team, you've just got to give us time to grow. The rest of the offense is filled with really talented players, and we're all starting to come together -- that's just awesome to see."
In watching the 2004 Cavaliers take the field week in and week out while enduring disappointment and loss, Ward has been a refreshing reminder that personal achievement can be attained and demonstrated in a humble fashion, even when a team struggles to find success.
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