If the No. 3 Virginia men's lacrosse team is to win the 2008 ACC Tournament, it will most likely have to defeat the only two teams it has lost to thus far this season -- No.
With a season-high four goals, senior attackman Ben Rubeor led the Cavaliers to a 11-7 win against Dartmouth -- quite fitting on a day reserved for celebrating the Cavaliers' senior players. It was junior attacker Danny Glading, however, who took it upon himself to get things going offensively for Virginia (11-2, 1-2 ACC). In the final four minutes of the first period, Glading's two goals and one assist helped propel the Cavaliers from a two-goal deficit to a two-goal lead. Virginia continued to extend its lead in the second quarter; with a hat-trick and one assist, Rubeor played a role in every goal Virginia scored that period.
There is no doubt that the Virginia men's lacrosse team has potential. The question, rather, is whether the Cavaliers will reach their full potential before the clock on the 2007-08 season runs out. Time is short.
Saturday night's record-breaking crowd of 8,000 began its exodus from Klöckner Stadium in the middle of the fourth quarter as the Duke men's lacrosse team prepared to hand Virginia a 19-9 defeat, the Cavaliers' worst home loss in 21 years. Having battled back to tie the game 9-all in the middle of the third, No.
Contrary to popular belief, Cav Man was not Virginia's first mascot, but its third. Furthermore, orange and blue were not the University's original colors. These facts and other myth-busters are part of the University Guide Service's new athletics tours, which will officially commence tomorrow afternoon at John Paul Jones Arena. The tours are the brainchild of Kase Luzar, a former Cavalier football player and current athletic department employee.
Weird. It's the first word that comes to mind when fifth-year lacrosse midfielder Peter Lamade anticipates this weekend's game against his alma mater, Duke. "It is going to be very, very weird," Lamade said.
A week ago today, the Virginia men's lacrosse team was focused on preventing the previous week's huge win against Johns Hopkins from distracting it from the task at hand -- defeating Maryland. Quite unsuccessful against the Terrapins, Virginia (9-1, 0-1 ACC) tallied its first loss of the season and watched as the lacrosse world second-guessed its ability. After falling from No.
If after sweeping the 2008 ACC Swimming and Diving Championships the Cavaliers did not think their season could get any better, both the men's and women's teams were wrong. Closing out the 2007-08 season with 15th-place and 20th-place finishes, respectively, at the NCAA Championships, the Cavalier men and women proved they are competitive not just regionally, but also on the national stage. "I am really thrilled for both teams and for the athletes that participated in the meets," Virginia coach Mark Bernardino said.
Down by 1 to Johns Hopkins with under a minute left in regulation, the Virginia men's lacrosse team put the ball in senior Ben Rubeor's hands and watched as maturity overcame urgency.
The No. 2 Virginia men's lacrosse team goes head-to-head with Johns Hopkins tomorrow afternoon, as the Blue Jays look to break their losing streak with a win on the road. The defending national champions dropped to sixth in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Coaches Poll this week after their second straight overtime upset.
