Virginia held on to a slim shot at an NCAA tournament berth Saturday, defeating No. 13 Duke, 13-4, at Klockner Stadium.
As most seniors in the orange and blue played in their last regular season home game, the team decisively earned its first conference win of the season.
For both the Cavaliers and Blue Devils, the contest was to avoid sinking to the lowest seed in next weekend's ACC tournament. But Virginia also carried the additional pressure of playing to avoid being dropped from NCAA tournament contention. With one more loss on the year, Virginia would not have a berth in the national tournament for the first time since 1992 -- the year before coach Dom Starsia took over the program.
It did not take long for the Cavaliers to realize what they needed to do. After allowing a goal in the first Duke possession and having the Blue Devils tie the game 3-3 early in the second quarter, Virginia exploded with a 10-0 scoring run to secure the victory.
With 4:20 remaining in the first half and the home team holding a 5-3 lead, Virginia midfielder Hunter Kass took a route on the cage baseline and scored just in front of the goalie crease. After the shot, however, Kass was hit by Duke defenseman Paul Jepsen and the officials threw a yellow flag. Jepsen was called for unnecessary roughness and the Cavaliers took the automatic possession in a one minute extra man opportunity.
Less than a minute later, Blue Devil defenseman David Evans picked up a groundball just outside his team's goalie crease and was drilled with a body hit by Virginia attackman Matt Ward and a stick hit by midfielder Matt Poskay. With Duke's goalie Aaron Fenton charging, the loose ball somehow found a way into the net and Virginia extended its lead to 7-3.
"I didn't even know what happened, I was hitting the kid and suddenly I hear a goal," Ward said. "It went in the cage, so it is a team goal."
Rarely during the 2004 season have the Cavaliers been able to achieve the type of combined offensive and defensive output that they did on Saturday afternoon.
"I thought going into the game that we could defend them," coach Dom Starsia said. "But the question for us has been 'Can we throw enough in the goal?' Today was the most opportunistic day for us offensively. We had a bunch of guys step up and make plays, and that's what we need for the rest of the season."
Poskay and attackman Joe Yevoli led all scorers with three goals and one assist each, trailed narrowly by midfielder Foster Gilbert's three goals. Midfielder J.J. Morrissey quietly scooped up eight groundballs to hold or take possession for Virginia.
The Cavalier defensive corps allowed only 18 shots on goal and was once again led by its backbone in the cage, senior Tillman Johnson, who registered 13 saves and allowed just three goals. Defensemen Brett Hughes, Steve Holmes and Mike Culver combined to cause four turnovers and help Virginia succeed in 24 of 28 clears, including a perfect 13-13 in the first half.
"Defensively, we weren't giving up easy shots," Johnson said. "Guys were making great defensive plays and as soon as I saw that, I knew that it was going to be a tough day for Duke."
For the Cavaliers, such a resolute win was needed for self-confidence as the team heads into the postseason conference tournament next weekend at North Carolina. Virginia will face the hometown Tarheels this Friday night. With a win, the team would play either top-seeded Maryland or Duke in the championship game Sunday.
Once again, the Cavaliers succeeded in tempting their supporters with a glimpse of what they are capable of. But Virginia will need to play consistently, as it did Saturday, if the Cavaliers aspire to compete deep into the championship month of May.
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