While watching junior Ben Rubeor score a career-high seven goals Saturday against Towson, someone in the press box remarked how different the Virginia men's lacrosse team would be without its star attackman. Yet after a car accident three years ago, doctors thought it was not only likely, but probable, that Rubeor would never play collegiate lacrosse, much less be the Cavaliers' leading scorer.
"I've been blessed with a different perspective," Rubeor said. "The period where there was doubt as to whether I would play again has definitely carried over into how I appreciate each day for what it is."
Rubeor committed to play for Virginia at the end of his junior year. The team had just secured the 2003 NCAA National Championship and Virginia coach Dom Starsia and Ben Rubeor's father, Bob Rubeor, had been teammates at Brown.
"I'd have to say that my main reason for choosing Virginia was coach Starsia" Ben Rubeor said. "I was looking for a coach that had the big picture in perspective. Besides that, the school kind of sells itself."
Later that same summer, Rubeor's plans changed when he sustained major injuries in the car accident. Fortunately, his injuries were not life threatening but substantial blood loss required him to spend nearly a week in shock trauma. He also suffered a severe compound fracture of his arm with both bones protruding through the skin. Though he was initially expected to make a full recovery, the arm became infected and Rubeor's lacrosse future became jeopardized.
"Immediately after the accident [lacrosse] wasn't the first thought to cross my mind," Rubeor said. "But once I came out of that first surgery, I started really thinking about my future and it was actually Starsia who made contact first."
Even though doctors were pessimistic about Rubeor's athletic future, Starsia and the University of Virginia promised to honor their commitment. Looking back, Starsia remembers trying to be optimistic, but believing deep-down that Rubeor would not play his senior year in high school and thought it was unlikely he would be ready to take the field as a freshman.
"Once these young men make a commitment to us, we have an obligation to stand by ours," Starsia said. "I knew that Ben would bring a lot to the University of Virginia no matter what and so there was no question that we were going to stand by him."
To his astonishment, as well as his family's, his high school coaches', and Starsia's, the following winter doctors gave Rubeor the go-ahead to play lacrosse his senior year. By the close of that season, he had tallied 43 goals and two assists for Loyola High School and was named All-MIAA and All-Met. In retrospect, that season was a sign of things to come.
Indeed, Virginia's gamble on Rubeor has certainly paid off. His freshman year, he stepped into the starting line-up right away and scored the second most goals of any freshman in the ACC. In his second year, he became the only sophomore on the All-ACC team and had already earned a reputation as one of the most dangerous offensive players in the nation. This season Rubeor is one of the team's captains and, in the season opener against Drexel, became the 38th player in school history to surpass the 100 career-points mark.
Additionally, this year Rubeor has stepped up and filled the leadership shoes Matt Ward wore last season.
"Certain guys get here and they just do it right from the first day," Starsia said. "He's not yappering all the time like some guys, but when he does speak people listen, and that's the best leadership of all."
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