The Virginia men's lacrosse team looks to earn its sixth straight victory tomorrow at Klöckner Stadium against Towson University.
After a first-week upset to Drexel, the Cavaliers (5-1) have tallied wins against perennial powers Princeton and Syracuse. Towson (2-1) recently suffered a one-goal loss to Maryland, but won an impressive 14 of 18 face-offs in the match.
Towson will likely prove the toughest challenge yet for Virginia senior Adam Fassnacht, who is quickly developing as a strong face-off player and was named last week's "Unsung Hero" by Inside Lacrosse Magazine.
Winning the face-off battle is key to dominating possession time. Fassnacht's success in his new role also permits senior Drew Thompson to focus his energy on midfield play.
The Cavaliers will depend on another strong performance from senior goalkeeper Kip Turner, who has headed a defense that has become smothering in the past few weeks.
"Kip has been a lot of help as far as adjusting to the defense," freshman defender Ken Clausen said.
Clausen is another player who has adjusted to Division I lacrosse well, starting in his first year and constantly forcing turnovers.
Two other young Cavaliers have shown improvement this season. Sophomore Danny Glading has been quickly improving, being named player of the game against Mount St. Mary's, while sophomore Garret Billings has filled out the third attack spot. After seeing limited time with major production last year (30 goals, 13 assists), Billings now has a chance to expand his role at attack.
In addition to relying on their talent, the Cavaliers will also benefit from junior co-captain Ben Rubeor's familiarity with the play of his high school teammate, Towson's junior goalkeeper Matt Antol.
Towson has a strong, physical midfield, but Virginia should be able to stand up to the test. Missing the first several games, junior Will Barrow's return has been crucial to cementing the defensive midfield and transition game. His speed and sharp sense of the game combine to make him a very dangerous player. Freshman midfielder Brian Carroll has lived up to expectations earning a spot on the first midfield line with his cannon of a shot and physical toughness.
The game against Towson may affect the rest of the Cavaliers' season. The Cavaliers cannot overlook a strong Tiger squad, but they need to use this game to make adjustments and gain momentum before playing at Johns Hopkins next weekend. Many experts have picked Hopkins to win the national championship; Virginia will need to be firing on all cylinders to pull out a victory. Virgina has improved every game -- the same will be expected this week against Towson.
Read More
Buchanan jolts arena with season-best performance
By Michael Liebermann | YesterdayRon Sanchez challenged his players to rebound better, and Buchanan answered resoundingly.
Third-quarter surge pushes women’s basketball ahead of Virginia Tech
By Lauren Halak | YesterdayVirginia conquered its rival, earning an ever-important ACC victory.
With last-second three-pointer, SMU silences men’s basketball
By Michael Liebermann and Thomas Baxter | 2 days agoThe late shot crushed a bouncing arena.
