Coming off two straight home victories to open the season, the Virginia men’s lacrosse team will travel to Long Island to face a solid Stony Brook squad. With a 2008 national semifinal rematch against Syracuse looming next week, the Cavaliers must remain focused Saturday to stay undefeated.
Neither Drexel nor Bryant posed much of a challenge for Virginia, as the talent-heavy Cavaliers easily dispatched both, and Stony Brook, despite being a respectable opponent from the America East Conference, will play the underdog against Virginia. Still, the Cavaliers are only a week away from the heart of their difficult schedule and need to be firing on all cylinders if they want to take down the defending national champions next Friday.
Stony Brook’s scouting report is incomplete because it has not yet played a regular season game, but the Seawolves return 18 letter-winners from a team that finished 7-7 last year. Stony Brook is led by sophomores Jordan McBride and Kevin Crowley, who ranked first and second on the team in scoring in 2008, respectively. McBride and Crowley are just about the only returning firepower for the Seawolves, however; Stony Brook’s next six leading scorers all graduated last spring.
Most of the players Virginia will take on Saturday will be inexperienced, something on which Virginia should be able to capitalize. The Cavaliers, however, will certainly have to weather a storm of enthusiasm and excitement from Stony Brook, as a home opener against the No. 2 team in the nation could bring out the best in the Seawolves’ players and fans.
In addition to defeating a motivated opponent, Virginia has some tactical issues to sort out, particularly in the midfield, where Virginia coach Dom Starsia has been rotating a number of different lines and players.
“I don’t think there is a timeline,” Starsia said. “I don’t think there necessarily has to be. It’s harder for me on the sideline to orchestrate the bodies, but I like what it does for us; it creates some different matchups out there.”
Although he said the midfield variation is beneficial, Starsia also said he expects a core of five or six players to emerge as the top choices in the midfield. He also added that he will continue to work to improve the team’s scoring, both from the midfield and the attack.
“I see [scoring] as a continuing process,” Starsia said. “We are not where we want to be exactly, but we’re going to get there. Rhamel [Bratton], Shamel [Bratton], John Haldy — they’re young. They’re sophomores and they’re just kind of figuring it out.”
Though the scoring may be behind schedule, Monday’s matchup against Bryant showed that the defense is ahead of the learning curve. After playing together all of last season, Ryan Nizolek, Ken Clausen and Matt Kellys are familiar with each other and Virginia’s schemes, providing an advantage against less experienced opponents.
“I think the defense played really well,” junior midfielder Brian Carroll said. “They’ve been playing really well together, getting used to each other.”
Sophomore goalie Adam Ghitelman also has been performing well this season. Ghitelman has 18 saves in two games, including 12 against Bryant while limiting the Bulldogs to just four goals.
“Obviously that’s good, anytime you only let in four goals,” Carroll said.
Ghitelman initially won the 2008 starting position, but was later benched for fifth-year senior Bud Petit. This season, though, he is firmly entrenched as the starter, and has played with poise.
As the season continues, the Cavaliers will look to gain more confidence at each position. Stony Brook will be another important test that will help determine how the team needs to play to keep moving forward. For Virginia, preseason rankings predict a Final Four appearance in Foxborough, Mass., but the focus must remain on steady improvement and taking its tough schedule one game at a time.
Read More
Virginia annihilated 41-14 in a must-win contest versus North Carolina
By Peter Kriebel | 1 hours agoJust about everything that could have gone wrong for Virginia football went wrong.
No. 24 women’s soccer not to be denied in late win over Clemson
By Sam Chun | 6 hours agoThe Cavaliers topped Clemson 1-0 in front of a packed out Klöckner Stadium.
Men’s soccer, totally discombobulated, capitulates early to No. 5 Pittsburgh
By Michael Liebermann | 8 hours agoPittsburgh set a program record for the quickest cluster of three goals.
