Last year the Virginia men's lacrosse team was mere seconds away from a chance to play Duke for the national championship. It was the longest 1.7 seconds of their lives as John Hopkins scored to tie the Cavaliers in regulation and went on to win in overtime 9-8 in the NCAA Semifinals. This year, Virginia looks to redeem last year's loss and bring the national championship back to Charlottesville.
"The goals for Virginia lacrosse don't change a lot from year to year," Virginia head coach Dom Starsia said. "We look at the lineup, start every year on Sept. 1 with the realistic goal to play at the end of the season, the very last game. This team has the talent to be able to do that."
So far the Cavaliers are ranked third in the nation in all three major lacrosse polls. This particular squad has a unique mixture of experience and youth, something that Virginia will look to capitalize on once the season begins.
"One of the nice bits about college sports is that you get to turn over the roster a little bit every year," Starsia said. "I think we have a nice blend of youth and experience. We've got the pieces that we need in order to be successful."
These pieces include three experienced seniors as captains. Matt Ward, J.J. Morrisey and Michael Culver will look to lead the Cavaliers through the ACC and NCAA tournaments for a chance at championship glory. Last year, Matt Ward had a tremendous season for Virginia, leading the team in scores, goals and assists. The preseason second team All-American looks to continue his stellar play in 2006.
J.J. Morrisey demonstrated he is one of those tough and relentless players. In his four years at Virginia he has become a threat on both the offensive and defensive side of the field. Last year he received the team's Harry Gaver Award for leadership.
Michael Culver has emerged as a defensive leader. His stopping ability will be crucial to Virginia success, as will his ability to lead a relatively young defensive unit.
His leadership will be especially helpful given the loaded schedule the Cavaliers face this year. After starting the season on the road at Drexel this Saturday, Virginia will have four home games in a row -- the last against perennial powerhouse Syracuse March 4. Virginia will benefit by playing Duke and Johns Hopkins at home this year. These schools are the top two in the nation, according to "Inside Lacrosse" and "Lacrosse Magazine," and home-field advantage will be a tremendous edge.
In addition to their experienced seniors, Virginia has some new talent this year, most notably freshmen Garrett Billings and Gavin Gill. Billings has played many years of indoor lacrosse and is just now making the transition to the field. Gill is the youngest of three brothers in his family to play for the Cavaliers. These freshmen will look to make an immediate impact on the offensive side of the ball.
"They bring an energy and a freshness to the process that everybody enjoys," Starsia said.
Men's lacrosse is one of the few sports at Virginia where the team has a legitimate chance at a national championship year in and year out. It's been three years since Virginia defeated John Hopkins 9-7 to take home the trophy, but there is a great deal of hope that it could happen this time around. The experience of the senior class mixed with the passion of the incoming freshmen will hopefully make Virginia a very dangerous team to play this year. Their schedule will be demanding, but that's how champions are made. And the Cavaliers remain confident that a championship is something they can achieve.
"We expect to go a long way, get back to Memorial Day weekend hopefully, Morrisey said. "We're athletic enough that we can do well."
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