After watching the Virginia men's lacrosse team secure its first ACC win against Maryland this past Saturday, fans might view tonight's contest against the Binghamton Bearcats as anti-climatic. The Cavaliers themselves, however, learned at the beginning of the season to never underestimate their opponents. They will play tonight the same way they hope to play in the National Championship in two months: hard, focused and hungry.
A win tonight would extend Virginia's (8-1, 1-0 ACC) winning streak to nine games. The current eight-game streak is the longest in the country, and Binghamton (2-4, 1-0 American East Conference) will face a Cavalier squad eager to defend that record.
"When we have these quick turnaround games, we concentrate on getting ourselves ready," junior attackman Ben Rubeor said. "We focus on us, preparing and making sure we play our best lacrosse." Rubeor was named ACC Player of the Week yesterday after his strong performance Saturday against Maryland.
Despite a rough beginning to the season, Binghamton, like Virginia, won its conference opener this past Saturday. Freshman Drew Wichmann, last week's America East Conference Men's Lacrosse Rookie of the Week, has led the Bearcats to victory in two of their last three contests. As Virginia's defense focuses on restraining Wichmann this afternoon, the team as a whole must come ready to play only two short days after Saturday's ACC battle.
"Preparing starts with taking it easy this weekend, getting some rest and mentally preparing to come back and play another game," junior Will Barrow said after Saturday's game. "It's not anything new for us to come back and play another game -- we just have to get mentally ready and physically ready."
In March, the Cavaliers were extremely successful in their mid-week outings. In each contest, Virginia posted at least 20 goals, defeating VMI 20-0 and Mount Saint Mary's 23-6.
Indeed, Virginia's current eight-game win streak is due in large part to an offensive line that has consistently found a way to score. Regardless of the opposing team's defensive style, man-on-man or zone, Ben Rubeor, sophomores Danny Glading and Garret Billings, senior Drew Thompson, Barrow and freshman Brian Carroll have worked together to create the quality shots that produce goals.
This past weekend, the Cavalier offense posted 12 goals against Maryland, a team many consider to be the best defensive squad in the country. The Terrapins three pre-season All-American close defenders, however, failed to contain Virginia on the fast break; they were also no match for Rubeor, the nation's leading scorer, as he found the back of the net five separate times.
"We don't really want to be in the box fighting you six on six," Virginia coach Dom Starsia said. "That is not our strength right now. If we can get behind you, we are much better doing that than getting into a slug fest with a team."
Aware of Virginia's predilection for unsettled play, opposing teams' strategies often include slowing the tempo of the game down. Today, Binghamton knows forcing the Cavaliers into slow, evenly-matched contests in the box will be necessary to put the brakes on Virginia's offense.
Face-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. this afternoon at Klöckner.
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