The third-ranked Virginia men's lacrosse team will look to get its season off to the right start as they take on the Drexel Dragons this Saturday in Philadelphia, Pa. This will be the second consecutive year that the two teams open the season against one another but the first game at Drexel's new athletic complex.
Last year, the Cavaliers pulled off a comfortable 16-7 victory at home. Each team has changed quite a bit since their last meeting, however, and the Cavaliers know that they must focus on the future and not the past.
In last year's game, captain Matt Ward had an auspicious start to a prolific offensive season with five goals and one assist. Despite the stellar individual performance, Ward understands that it is the team that will dictate success.
"Our team is so good, you start playing unselfishly -- people are going to get you the ball back and you'll get open more often than if you tried to do it all by yourself," Ward said.
For Ward and the slew of seniors on both sides of the ball, this game marks the beginning of one last push for a national championship. For players like freshman Matt Kelly, though, tomorrow's game marks his first real experience in collegiate lacrosse. The defensive starter is prepared to take his game to the next level.
"I've been waiting for this a long time," Kelly said. "I'm just excited and ready to get out and play this game. It's a lot different in college, and I've learned a lot this fall and throughout the year."
Kelly is not alone; Virginia has 12 freshmen on the team's roster this season, including two redshirts. Most will be looking to make an immediate impact this Saturday. Virginia coach Dom Starsia knows that the first game for these young players will not be perfect.
"It's a brand new bunch, and I expect them to make mistakes, but hopefully we can turn those mistakes into a learning experience," Starsia said. "Hopefully we can take advantage of some of [Drexel's] mistakes."
The Dragons will look to improve upon last year's 9-5 mark with a team returning 20 letter winners and seven starters to the field. This experience is something that makes Drexel a dangerous team, but with the season just starting, Virginia will look to focus more on its own execution.
"In these early games you're focused on your performance," Starsia said. "Just coming out and playing hard. There's not a lot you can do in terms of preparing and in terms of scouting."
It has been a long wait for the Cavaliers to get the bitter sting of losing to John Hopkins in overtime out of their system. Having been so close to the NCAA championship last year was disappointing, but Virginia has renewed hope. Many of the players from last year's squad are back and anxious to get the season started off on the right note.
"Everyone's been working for this moment right this weekend," Ward said. "We just got to go out there, play hard and play our game. I think we'll be off and running if we do that."
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