Lacrosse Begins Defense Of ACC Crown Tonight
Story Links
April 21, 2000
#1 Virginia (8-1/3-0) vs.
#10 North Carolina (7-4/0-3)
April 21, 2000
6:00 p.m.
Byrd Stadium
College Park, Md.
Game Info
Virginia begins the defense of its ACC crown tonight in the semifinals of the annual ACC Tournament against North Carolina in College Park, Md. The Cavaliers and Tar Heels face-off at 6:00 p.m., with the Duke vs. Maryland clash to follow in the second semifinal contest.
Virginia comes into tonight’s game with an eight-game winning streak. The Cavaliers, who moved back into the top spot in the polls, are 8-1 overall and 3-0 in the ACC this season. North Carolina got back on the winning track with a win over UMBC last weekend and is 7-4 overall and 0-3 in the ACC.The championship game is Sunday at 3:30 p.m.
The Series vs. the Tar Heels
Virginia leads the all-time series with North Carolina by a 35-22 margin. The Cavaliers’ 35 wins over the Tar Heels make the Heels third on UVa’s list of most beaten opponents (UVa has defeated Duke 43 times and Washington & Lee 42 times).
The series goes all the way back to two meetings in 1938 (when the teams split the contests). After a brief hiatus in the series in the ’50s and ’60s, the teams have met every season since 1964.
The Cavaliers have had a terrible time with the Tar Heels in the ACC Tournament, losing five of the six meetings. They lost the first five times they met North Carolina, but gained a 17-13 win in the 1997 tournament in Charlottesville.
This is the fourth time the two teams have met in the semifinals of the tournament. Virginia is 1-2 in the semifinals and 0-3 in the finals vs. the Tar Heels.
Virginia has won the last five meetings in the series dating back to 1997, the Cavaliers’ longest winning streak in the series since they won 17 straight from 1949-1975.
The four meetings between 1994-96 were all tight contests, with every game decided by no more than three goals.
The five games since (all UVa wins) have followed an interesting pattern. Virginia’s first win in the current streak was by a wide margin (20-5), but the next game was a nailbiter won by Virginia 17-13. Two years ago Virginia posted another big win (15-4) in Chapel Hill, while last season’s meeting was another tight game won by Virginia 17-14 in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers won this season’s regular season meeting by a comfortable 13-7 margin and would, no doubt, like to see the pattern end (but the winning streak to continue).
Back to Byrd Stadium
Most of the current group of Cavaliers have not felt the frustration and disappointment so many Virginia teams of the past have felt at Maryland’s Byrd Stadium. Virginia ended many years of disappointment at Byrd last season by downing Johns Hopkins and Syracuse en route to the program’s first national championship in 27 years.
The Cavaliers downed Maryland 11-6 last month to run their Byrd Stadium winning streak to three games.
They no doubt hope to extend the winning streak in College Park as Maryland hosts this weekend’s ACC Tournament, as well as the semifinals and finals of the NCAA Championships in May.
Virginia Has Nation’s Longest Winning Streak
The Cavaliers bring an eight-game winning streak into this weekend’s ACC Tournament. The current winning streak, the nation’s longest at the moment, is Virginia’s longest since a 10-game skein in 1997. The school record is an 11-game streak in 1972-73.
Overall Virginia has won 15 of its last 16 games dating back to last season’s ACC Tournament to mark the best 16-game stretch in school history.
Cavaliers Complete Unblemished ACC Record
Virginia finished with an undefeated record (3-0) in ACC play this season for the first time in three years. This is the fifth time since 1989 that Virginia has been undefeated in league play.
Overall Virginia has completed league play with an undefeated record 14 times, including four under Dom Starsia.
Tonight’s Expected Starting Line-up
Virginia’s roster this season features seven returning starters and 21 other lettermen from last season which gave head coach Dom Starsia and his staff the luxury of not having to do too much tinkering to settle on a starting line-up.
Starting on attack this evening are expected to be All-ACC performers Drew McKnight and Conor Gill, and Ian Shure.
McKnight, a senior, has been a mainstay in the lineup since his arrival in Charlottesville three years ago. He is having an explosive season offensively so far and is the eighth-leading scorer in the country averaging 4.67 points per game. He also leads the ACC in scoring (21g, 21a, 42 pts). The Virginia Beach native is tied for ninth in the country with an ACC-leading 2.50 assists per game mark, while he ranks second in the conference in goals (2.33/g).
Gill proved himself last year by winning the ACC Rookie of the Year Award and being named the MVP of the NCAA Tournament. Gill continues to be a steadying presence on the attack and has contributed 16 goals and 19 assists this season.
Shure missed all of last season due to a knee injury, but has returned to full strength with 13 goals this season. He is a gifted offensive player who saw limited action as a freshman in 1998, scoring just two goals.
All-ACC selection Jay Jalbert returns to anchor what is a very deep midfield. Faceoff specialist Jason Hard and highly regarded freshman A.J. Shannon join Jalbert on the first unit. Fifth-year player David Bruce, a converted attackman, and junior Hanley Holcomb form the nucleus of the second unit. Freshman Chris Rotelli rounds out this group. The third midfield consists of Jamison Mullen, Will Quayle and Aaron Vercollone. David Jenkins, Brenndan Mohler and Nick Russo also see plenty of action in the midfield, primarily in defensive midfield roles.
Hard and Jenkins continue to alternate as faceoff specialists, while Peter Ragosa is the top long stick middie once again. Richard Reid also sees considerable time at long stick middie and is expected to start on close defense tonight.
All-ACC choice Ryan Curtis, the nation’s top defensemen, headlines the defense. He will be joined in the starting trio tonight by Mark Koontz, also an All-ACC selection, and Reid. Reid is starting in place of the injured Court Weisleder, who is out with an injury suffered last weekend against Duke.
Derek Kenney is expected to make his 26th consecutive start in goal tonight.
Defending Their ACC Title
Virginia attempts to claim back-to-back ACC championships for the first time since winning three straight from 1983-85 (when the champion was determined through regular season play). Virginia’s only ACC titles since the tournament format was adopted in 1989 have been in 1997 and 1999.
The Cavaliers have won 13 ACC titles, including two under head coach Dom Starsia. Virginia won the ACC title last season with an 8-7 win over Duke in the championship game in Chapel Hill.
If the Cavaliers are able to win this season’s tournament, they would become the first team since North Carolina in the early 90s to win consecutive ACC championships. The Tar Heels won the first six ACC Tournaments from 1989-94, but the champion has alternated between the four ACC schools every year since.
Virginia as Regular Season ACC Champions
This is the seventh time since the ACC Tournament began in 1989 that Virginia has won or tied as the regular season ACC champion. Last season UVa and Duke tied as the regular season champs, but Duke was awarded the top seed in the tournament due to its win over the Cavaliers in the regular season.
Virginia captured the regular season championship (and the top seed in the ACC Tournament) in 1990-93-95-97. In 1994, UVa and North Carolina tied for the regular season championship (with UVa gaining the top seed).
Virginia as ACC Tournament Top Seed
This is the sixth time the Cavaliers have been the top seed for the ACC Tournament. However, being the tournament’s top seed hasn’t been very favorable for the Cavaliers. The first four times UVa was the top seed (1990-93-94-95), UVa failed to win the title. Things began to change, though, in 1997 when the top-seeded Cavaliers downed Duke in the championship game.
Being the top seed in the tournament has been a mixed bag for everybody. Only five top seeds have won the ACC Tournament since 1989.
First Time as #1
This is the first time Virginia has been the nation’s top-ranked team entering the ACC Tournament. The Cavaliers began the season atop the polls, but lost their opener to Syracuse and dropped from the top spot. They moved back into the #1 spot this week following Syracuse’s loss to Cornell last week.
This is the first time in 20 years that Virginia has been ranked #1 this late in the season. The last time UVa was ranked #1 anytime prior to this year was for several weeks early in the 1996 season.
Virginia Looks to Extend School Record
This is UVa’s fifth game away from home this season. Over the last two years the Cavaliers have established themselves as a very good team when playing on the road. Going back to last season, Virginia has won 10 consecutive games at road or neutral sites (five road games, five neutral site games).The 10-game winning streak in games away from Charlottesville is the longest such streak in school history. The previous record of nine wins away from Charlottesville was held by the 1994 squad.
The last time Virginia lost away from Charlottesville was a 10-9 overtime loss to Duke on April 18, 1999.
Five Cavaliers Named All-ACC
Five Cavaliers were named to the 2000 All-ACC squad, the largest contingent of Wahoos since 1997, in voting by the league’s head coaches. Two Cavaliers are repeaters from last season, Ryan Curtis and Jay Jalbert, while Conor Gill, Mark Koontz and Drew McKnight were selected for the first time.
Gill and McKnight give UVa two All-ACC attackmen for the first time since 1997, when Doug Knight and Michael Watson were selected.
Jalbert’s selection marks UVa’s first two-timer in the midfield since Andy Kraus in 1988-89.
Known for their offensive prowess, it’s not unusual to see several Cavalier attackmen or midfielders selected. But this season the ACC coaches have properly rewarded the UVa defense for its outstanding play in 2000 with the selection of Curtis and Koontz. This marks the first time since 1991 (George Glyphis and Mike Schattner) that two Cavalier defensemen were named All-ACC. Curtis joins Tommy Smith (1996-97) as the only two-time All-ACC defensemen under Dom Starsia, while Koontz is UVa’s first sophomore defenseman named to the all-league team since Scott Lind in 1984.
Gill and Koontz are the only sophomores named to this season’s All-ACC team.
Cavaliers Down Duke the Last Time Out
Virginia dominated the second quarter against Duke at home last Saturday night and hung on to beat the Blue Devils 12-7 to capture the ACC regular season title and claim the top seed in this weekend’s ACC Tournament.
Virginia extended two streaks with the win. The Cavaliers have now won eight consecutive games after an opening-day loss to Syracuse, and have held opponents to eight or fewer goals in all eight of those games. The eight-game win string is the nation’s longest.
Tied at 2-all with just under seven minutes to play before the half, Virginia scored five straight goals to go into halftime ahead 7-2. Attackman Conor Gill, who scored two goals and assisted on three others for the game, scored one and assisted Aaron Vercollone and A.J. Shannon in the run. Two of the goals came in extra-man situations. The Cavaliers scored on four of six extra-man opportunites for the game.
Duke tallied three straight goals in the third quarter to cut Virginia’s margin to 7-5, but the Cavaliers’ Ian Shure stopped the Duke momentum by notching his lone goal of the contest. Shure came off a screen in front and cleanly put David Jenkins‘ pass into the back of the net. Hanley Holcomb scored his second goal of the game with 16 seconds remaining in the period to push UVa’s lead to 9-5 and keep the Blue Devils at bay.
Jay Jalbert, Holcomb, and Shannon each scored two goals for Virginia, and Jalbert added two assists. T.J. Durnan led Duke with four goals. Greg Patchak had a goal and two assists.
McKnight Joins Exclusive Club
Drew McKnight has been a remarkably consistent scorer throughout his career, scoring between 19 and 25 goals and assisting on between 20 and 24 more goals.
This season, however, McKnight’s scoring has exploded. He leads the ACC in scoring, averaging 4.67 points per game (42 points). He also leads the ACC in assists (2.33/g), and ranks second in the ACC in goals scored (2.33/g).McKnight has scored 21 goals and added 21 assists for 42 total points and barring something unexpected should easily surpass all of his previous offensive highs.
He is only three assists away from tying his career high for assists, while he needs four goals to equal that career high.
He is one of only six members of Virginia’s ’80-80 Club’, players who have scored at least 80 goals and recorded at least 80 assists in a career and is bearing down on becoming only the fifth player in school history to record both 90 goals and 90 assists (the ’90-90′ Club).
The members of the ’80-80′ club are listed (chronologically) below. McKnight’s place on UVa’s goals, assists and points lists is listed on page four.
Who? Goals Assists
Tom Duquette 107 92Kevin Pehlke 138 101Tim Whiteley 85 159Doug Knight 165 84Michael Watson 142 98Drew McKnight 87 86
McKnight Claims ACC Weekly Honors for Play vs. North Carolina
Attackman Drew McKnight was named the ACC Player of the Week following Virginia’s wins over Radford and North Carolina two weeks ago.
In the a 15-3 win over Radford, he assisted on Virginia’s first goal and scored his lone goal of the game with two seconds left in the first half as the Cavaliers held a 10-2 halftime lead.
He followed that performance by leading the Cavalier offense to an important ACC road win over North Carolina on April 8 by scoring four goals and adding two assists. In the first half he scored two goals and had an assist as the Cavaliers held a slim 4-3 lead at the break. In the third quarter he scored twice more and had another assist as UVa scored five goals to open a 9-4 lead. Overall he had a hand in six of UVa’s first nine goals as the Cavaliers stretched the lead to a comfortable margin by the beginning of the fourth quarter.
The senior from Virginia Beach, Va., is tied for eighth in the nation (and first in the ACC) in scoring, averaging 4.67 points per game. He also leads the ACC and is tied for ninth in the nation in assists with an average of 2.33 per game. McKnight also averages 2.33 goals per game, second in the ACC.
Virginia Wins with Comfortable Margins
Virginia’s current eight-game winning streak is closing in on the school record for the longest winning streak. The current record of 11 consecutive wins was established from 1972-73.
While the eight-game winning streak is impressive enough, it’s even more impressive when you consider all eight wins have been by at least five goals, marking the first time in school history the Cavaliers have won as many as eight straight games by 5+ goals.
But perhaps even more impressive is what you see upon closer examination. Looking through UVa’s all-time results one sees that there have been only four occasions in school history when Virginia had eight wins (with some losses mixed in) in a row by at least five goals. During the 1950-51 seasons, Virginia had a run when its 11 victories were all by 5+ goals (with three losses along the way). The feat was repeated from 1952-54 as the Cavaliers’ 11 wins in an 18-game span were all by at least five goals.A look at the times when UVa had eight wins by 5+ goals is below.
Year(s) Wins # Games in Stretch
1950-51 11 141952-54 11 181969-71 10 141985 9 111959-61 8 161979-80 8 112000 8 8
Defense Doesn’t Budge
Virginia hasn’t allowed more than eight goals in a game since the opener when Syracuse scored 13 in a 13-12 overtime win over the Cavaliers. In the eight games since (all UVa wins) only Princeton, Rutgers and Johns Hopkins have been able to score as many as eight times vs. UVa.
The current run of games of holding the opposition to fewer than 10 goals is the longest since the 1986 squad also held eight straight opponents under 10 goals.
The last time a nine-goal stretch occurred was in 1980. An 11-game streak in 1971 is the longest such streak in school history.
Cavaliers Down UNC in Regular Season Match-up
Virginia broke open a close game with a 5-0 scoring run in a span of 5:26 late in the third and early in the fourth quarter as the second-ranked Cavaliers defeated 10th-ranked North Carolina 13-7 in Chapel Hill on April 8. The Cavaliers set a school record by winning their 10th consecutive game away from home with the victory.
Senior attackman Drew McKnight led the Wahoos offensively as he fell just one point shy of career high for points in a game, totaling four goals and two assists. Jason Hard and A.J. Shannon each scored twice for Virginia and senior midfielder Jay Jalbert added his 100th career goal. North Carolina was led by Matt Crofton’s two goals and one assist.
The Tar Heels kept the score close for three quarters behind the play of goalie Kris Blindenbacher, who made 10 first half saves to hold Virginia to a 4-3 halftime lead.
Hard’s second goal of the game, with 28 seconds left in the first half ended up giving Virginia the lead for good in the game. McKnight scored his third goal of the game with 10:42 left in the third quarter but that goal was answered by UNC 2:08 later.
The score remained Virginia 5-4 for over five minutes before the Wahoos exploded for a five-goal run and for eight of the game’s next nine goals. Conor Gill’s goal with 3:33 left in the third quarter started the scoring skein and was followed by goals by McKnight, Jalbert and David Bruce before the end of the third quarter. Shannon’s first goal of the game, with 13:17 to play in the fourth quarter ended the run and put Virginia up 10-4. After a North Carolina score, the Wahoos ran off three more goals as Ian Shure, Shannon and Rotelli tallied goals.
Virginia dominated both the faceoffs, 15-9, and the ground balls, 61-49.The Virginia defense was stellar once again and allowed the Tar Heels just one goal in seven extra-man opportunities. Derek Kenney allowed just five goals and recorded seven saves before being replaced with two minutes to play by Duffy Birckhead.
Defense Leads the Way
Virginia has been known as one of the most explosive offensive teams in the country throughout the 1990s. So it might come as a surprise to some lacrosse followers that the Cavaliers have flexed their defensive muscles this season. In fact, the defense has been a leading factor in the current eight-game winning streak.
Headling the close defense are All-ACC performers Ryan Curtis and Mark Koontz. They are joined by Court Weisleder (expected to be out tonight due to an injury) in protecting goalie Derek Kenney.
Along with Peter Ragosa, one of the nation’s most underrated long stick middies, and key reserves Richard Reid, John Harvey and Doug Worthen, Virginia features the nation’s third-best defense, one that allows an average of 7.22 goals per game.
Kenney is second nationally, allowing an average of 6.63 goals per game. He is averaging 7.22 saves per game and has a 54.6 save percentage.
Defense Stiffens in Second Half
Virginia has found itself in several tight contests at halftime so far this season, including games against Princeton and Syracuse.
The Cavaliers fell behind to Syracuse 9-5 in the season opener and then blanked the Orangemen in the third quarter. The shutout that period enabled Virginia to claw its way back into the contest, eventually knotting the score and forcing overtime.
UVa got off to a slow start offensively (and defensively) against Princeton and fell behind 4-2 after 15 minutes of play. But the Cavaliers used an 11-2 run in the second and third periods to build a 13-6 lead at one point.
Entering the fourth quarter with a 13-8 lead, the Cavalier defense pitched a shutout in the fourth quarter and handed the Tigers their first loss of the season.
Virginia held a 10-5 lead at halftime against Rutgers and used a third quarter shutout of the Scarlet Knights to push the lead to double digits.Overall Virginia has posted eight shutout quarters this season. The Cavaliers have also had some long stretches where they haven’t allowed a goal, 22:28 vs. Syracuse, 15:26 vs. Princeton, 26:11 vs. Rutgers, 35:01 vs. Stony Brook, 45:35 vs. Maryland, 39:37 vs. Radford and 20:34 vs. Duke.
The Cavaliers have allowed just 13 goals in the third quarter and 19 in the fourth quarter. However, it must be noted that most of the fourth quarter goals have come when the game’s outcome has pretty much been decided.
Scoring Comes From Unlikely Sources
Head coach Dom Starsia and his coaching staff were no doubt looking to midfielders Jay Jalbert and Hanley Holcomb to be the Cavaliers’ big guns in the offensive zone this season. But so far, the Cavaliers have gotten a lot of their offense from some unlikely sources.
Although a proven offensive player, Drew McKnight has almost surely surpassed what was expected of him. He has found the back of the net 21 times already and is on a pace to easily surpass his career high of 25 goals established last year.
Fifth-year midfielder/attackman David Bruce has been a reserve throughout his career, never scoring more than 11 goals. He moved to the midfield for his final season and the move has paid off. Using the knowledge gained over the previous four years, Bruce has tallied 15 goals. It took him just five games to surpass his previous career high for goals. Bruce has made opponents pay in 2000 with good positioning around the crease that has enabled him to score almost all of his goals from in close.
Ian Shure missed all of last season due to a knee injury and saw limited action as a freshman two years ago. But playing at full strength, Shure has contributed 13 goals so far (on just 37 shots).
A.J. Shannon, a highly regarded freshman from Canada, leads UVa’s rookies wtih 11 goals while running with the first midfield. He goals have come in pairs two against Syracuse, Rutgers, Stony Brook, North Carolina and Duke.Faceoff specialist Jason Hard has been more involved on offense this season than in the past and has scored 10 goals. Like Bruce, it took him only five games to exceed his previous career high (five in 1997).
Jalbert has not had to make as much noise offensively this season, but he is showing signs of warming up as the temperature rises. He is second on the team with 18 goals, and has scored 15 in the last six games. He scored a season-high four goals vs. Stony Brook and Radford.
Holcomb has had a particularly tough time this season, scoring just five times, while battling leg injuries early in the spring. He has scored two goals in two of the last three games (Radford, Duke).
UVa Defense Among Nation’s Best
Virginia is allowing just 7.22 goals per game this season and is third in the nation in scoring defense.
Since allowing 13 goals in the opener to Syracuse, Virginia hasn’t allowed more than eight goals in a game. The current eight-game streak of allowing fewer than 10 goals is the longest since the 1986 squad also put together an eight-game stretch of allowing fewer than 10 goals.
The defense is also proving adept at limiting the opposition’s shot opportunities lately. In the last six games, Virginia has held the opponents to fewer than 20 shots three times, while allowing an average of 22.8 shots per game.
UVa’s man-down defense has also been outstanding. So far this season Virginia has relinquished just 13 goals in 49 extra-man opportunities (.265) and ranks 12th nationally in man-down defense. In the last five games Virginia’s opponents have scored on just five of 24 extra-man situations.Virginia’s man-down defense was particularly effective in the earlier win over North Carolina. The Cavaliers were whistled for seven penalties, but the Tar Heels were able to score just once in a man-advantage situation. The Tar Heels’ difficulty in scoring with a man advantage proved fatal to their chance to win. In fact, North Carolina took just five shots when it had the man advantage.
Bruce Records Three Hat Tricks vs. Nationally Ranked Teams
When David Bruce decided to return for his fifth year this season he wasn’t sure what his role would be for head coach Dom Starsia. He missed all of the 1998 campaign due to a knee injury and played on the second attack unit last season. With Drew McKnight, Conor Gill and Ian Shure penciled into the starting attack this season, Bruce volunteered to move to the midfield despite never having played there in college before, to get more time.Whatever Bruce lacked for playing in the midfield, he makes up for with good overall knowledge of the game. And he’s put his four years of college experience to good use so far this season.
Finding himself in the right place at the right time, Bruce has capitalized on virtually all of his scoring chances this season.
In the season opening loss to Syracuse, Bruce scored three times, with all three scores coming from point-blank range.
Bruce’s scoring parade continued in the win over Princeton as he scored three times for the second game in a row. All three goals came in just over a nine-minute span in the middle of the first half and helped erase an early deficit.
He scored three goals against Johns Hopkins for his third hat trick of the season.
He is fourth on the team with 15 goals. It took him just five games to exceed his previous career high of 11 goals in 1997.
McKnight Becomes 20-20 Man
Senior attack Drew McKnight is the 27th Cavalier in the last 30 years to score 20 goals and record 20 assists in a season. As one of the nation’s leading attackmen, his offensive ability has never been questioned.
But considering some of the offensive standouts, Tom Duquette, Kris Snider, Roddy Marino, Kevin Pehlke, Tim Whiteley, Doug Knight, Michael Watson, Tucker Radebaugh, that have worn the orange and blue throughout the years, perhaps it is interesting to note that McKnight got to ’20 & 20′ as fast as anyone. It took him just eight games to reach 20 goals and 20 assists, the same amount of time it took Tom Duquette in 1970, Mike Caravana in 1982, and Doug Knight and Michael Watson in 1997. Since 1970, no Cavalier has gotten to ’20 & 20′ as fast as this group.
Hard, Jenkins Share Face-off Duties
Jason Hard and David Jenkins give head coach Dom Starsia the rare luxury of having two of the nation’s top face-off men.
They began alternating face-offs last season and the change in strategy proved to be beneficial to both players.
Jenkins finished second in the nation in winning percentage last season (.643), while Hard was sixth (.628).
This season it’s much the same. Hard is 10th nationally with a 62.1 winning percentage while Jenkins is 21st at 58.2 pecent.
Overall Virginia is sixth in the country in face-off winning percentage at 60.0 percent.
Virginia has won the face-off battle in eight of nine games this season (every game but last week’s Duke contest).
Jalbert Likes to See the Tar Heels
Jay Jalbert scored the 100th goal of his career two weeks ago. Perhaps it’s fitting that he reached the milestone against the Tar Heels as they have been one of his most favorite victims.
In five games vs. the Tar Heels, he has scored 11 times. In fact, he has scored nine times in the last three meetings vs. UNC.
North Carolina is one of four teams that Jalbert has scored at least 10 goals against. He has tallied 14 goals in seven games against Duke, 11 in six games against Syracuse and 10 in seven games against Maryland.A notoriously slow starter, Jalbert scored just three goals in the first three games of the season, but he’s found the back of the nets 15 times in six games since.
This season Jalbert is second on the team with 18 goals and is third in total points with 28 (18g, 8a).
Eleven Cavaliers Earn Preseason Recognition
Virginia’s roster this season features 11 players who have been named to various preseason All-America squads.
Defenseman Ryan Curtis, last season’s Schmeisser Cup winner as the nation’s top defenseman, returns to anchor the Cavalier defense. Lacrosse magazine listed him as its Player of the Year and one of five ‘Players to Watch’ this spring. Curtis has also been named to preseason All-America teams by Face-off, Inside Lacrosse, College Lacrosse USA and the Baltimore Sun.Joining Curtis as a Lacrosse magazine ‘Player to Watch’ is midfield Jay Jalbert, winner of the 1999 McLaughlin Award as the nation’s outstanding midfielder. And like Curtis, Jalbert has cited by Face-off, Inside Lacrosse, College Lacrosse USA and the Baltimore Sun as a preseason All-America.Two of UVa’s starting attackmen, senior Drew McKnight and sophomore Conor Gill, have been selected preseason All-Americans. McKnight, the Cavaliers’ leading active scorer (87g, 87a), was also named one of nine ‘Sharpshooters’ by Inside Lacrosse magazine. Gill, the ACC Rookie of the Year and MVP of the NCAA Tournament a year ago, quarterbacks the attack once again this season.Junior Hanley Holcomb joins Jalbert in the midfield to give head coach Dom Starsia two preseason All-Americans in the midfield. Holcomb, who possesses one of the hardest shots in the nation, found the back of the net 27 times last season.
Long stick middie Peter Ragosa, one of the nation’s most underrated players, has been cited by Inside Lacrosse, College Lacrosse USA and Face-off for preseason recognition.
The Virginia face-off duo of Jason Hard and David Jenkins were both recognized for their face-off ability by the preseason pickers. Both were also among 11 of the nation’s top face-off specialists selected by Inside Lacrosse.
Defensively, junior John Harvey and sophomore Mark Koontz were named to the preseason squad presented by Inside Lacrosse. Koontz was also named to Face-off’s preseason squad.
Goalie Derek Kenney, who last year became the first freshman to start in goal for the Cavaliers in 20 years, has also been named to several preseason All-America squads.
Virginia’s All-Time ACC Tournament Results
Year (seed) SF F Site
1989 (3) L, North Carolina 7-5 UNC
1990 (1) W, Duke 18-13 L, North Carolina 10-6 UVa
1991 (2) L, Maryland 10-9 Duke
1992 (4) L, North Carolina 14-5 Md.
1993 (1) L, Maryland 9-8 (ot) Md.
1994 (1) W, Duke 19-13 L, North Carolina 15-7 UVa
1995 (1) L, Duke 17-10 UNC
1996 (3) W, Maryland 13-9 L, North Carolina 13-11 UVa
1997 (1) W, North Carolina 17-13 W, Duke 12-6 UVa
1998 (2) W, Duke 11-9 L, Maryland 14-11 UVa
1999 (2) W, Maryland 15-6 W, Duke 8-7 UNC
TEAM W L Pct. SF FDuke 5 1 .833 3-1 2-0Maryland 2 3 .400 2-2 0-1North Carolina 1 5 .167 1-2 0-3Total 8 9 .471 6-5 2-4
THE SERIES
vs. North Carolina
(UVa leads 35-22)
All-Time Results:
Year UVa UNC site
1938 5 9 UVa
1938 4 2 NA
1939 2 4 UNC
1939 2 9 UVa
1941 4 12 UNC
1949 12 1 UNC
1950 17 0 UVa
1953 18 3 UVa
1954 17 5 UNC
1955 15 2 UNC
1964 18 4 UNC
1965 12 9 UVa
1966 8 5 UNC
1967 11 5 UVa
1968 13 7 UNC
1969 7 3 UVa
1970 11 4 UNC
1971 14 2 UVa
1972 15 5 UNC
1973 14 6 UVa
1974 17 11 UNC
1975 10 6 UVa
1976 10 13 UNC
1977 15 7 UVa
1978 (ot) 9 8 UNC
1979 8 5 UVa
1980 5 14 UNC
1980 (ot) 11 10 UVa #
1981 6 11 UVa
1982 9 15 UNC
1983 16 10 UVa
1984 (ot) 12 11 UNC
1984 2 11 UVa #
1985 8 17 UVa
1986 11 9 UNC
1986 (ot) 9 10 Del. #
1987 7 18 UVa
1988 5 15 UNC
1989 5 11 UVa
1989 5 7 UNC @
1990 14 13 UNC
1990 6 10 UVa @
1991 10 11 UVa
1992 9 14 UNC
1992 5 14 Md. @
1993 (ot) 13 12 UVa
1994 16 6 UNC
1994 7 15 UVa @
1994 12 10 UNC #
1995 15 12 UVa
1996 18 19 UNC
1996 11 13 UVa @
1997 20 5 UVa
1997 17 13 UVa @
1998 15 4 UNC
1999 17 14 UVa
2000 13 7 UNC
# NCAA Tournament
@ACC Tournament
UVa goals: 617
UNC goals: 508
UVa at home: 17-11
UVa at UNC: 17-9
UVa at neutral sites: 0-2
CAREER LEADERS
Goals
4. Chase Monroe 116
5. Tom Duquette 107
6. Tucker Radebaugh 106
7. Jeff Nicklas 104
8. Jay Jalbert 102
9. Roddy Marino 97
10. Pete Eldredge 94
11. Drew McKnight 87
Emmett Voelkel 87
Assists
1. Tim Whiteley 159
2. Kris Snider 144
3. Jay Connor 129
4. Mike Caravana 104
5. Kevin Pehlke 101
6. Michael Watson 98
7. Tom Duquette 92
8. Drew McKnight 87
Points
1 Doug Knight 249
2 Tim Whiteley 244
3 Michael Watson 240
4 Kevin Pehlke 239
5 Kris Snider 209
6 Jay Connor 203
7 Tom Duquette 199
8 Tucker Radebaugh 181
9. Drew McKnight 174
10 Mike Caravana 168
11. Roddy Marino 160
12. Jeff Nicklas 147
13. Gordon Jones 141
14. Bill Hooper 139
15. Jay Jalbert 138
THE STARSIA PROFILE
Dom Starsia is in his eighth year at UVa and his 18th season overall on the collegiate level.
A 1974 graduate of Brown, he was the head coach at his alma mater from 1983-92. He compiled a 101-46 (.687) record at Brown before coming to UVa.He has won the Morris Touchstone award as the Division I Coach of the Year twice, 1985 and 1991, while at Brown. His 100th win came in 1992, when his Bruins topped Cornell to wrap up an NCAA bid.
His Brown teams won two Ivy League championships (’85 and ’91) and went to the NCAA Tournament four of his last six seasons.
In addition to leading Virginia to its first national championship in 27 years last year, he has been tapped the ACC Coach of the Year three times (co-coach in 1995, ’97, ’99).
Virginia has participated in the NCAA Tournament every year under his direction, including three appearances in the championship game.
Virginia claimed two USILA national award winners in the same season for the first time ever in 1996 as Doug Knight was named Player of the Year and Michael Watson was chosen Attackman of the Year.
Two more Cavaliers received USILA national awards in 1999 as Ryan Curtis was selected Defenseman of the Year and Jay Jalbert was named Midfielder of the Year.
Under Starsia’s tutelage, Virginia has produced 41 All-Americans, 23 All-ACC selections, four ACC Rookies of the Year and two ACC Players of the Year.
at Brown at UVa
Overall 101-46 87-28
One-Goal games: 10-14 9-13
In Overtime: 2-4 5-7
When his team scores 10+ goals:
88-13 81-17
When opponents score 10+ goals:
21-33 29-22
When his team scores less than 10 goals:
13-33 5-11
When both teams score 10+ goals:
21-13 31-17
When neither team scores at least 10 goals: 12-13 5-5
NCAA Trn.: 2-5 11-6
At home (UVa only): 50-8 (.862)
Away (UVa only) 25-14 (.641)
Neutral (UVa only): 12-6 (.667)
THIS WEEK’S POLLS
STX/USILA poll
(April 17, 2000)
Pts.
1. Virginia (10) 200
2. Syracuse 190
3. Loyola 177
4. Princeton 171
5. Georgetown 152
6. Duke 148
7. Cornell 140
8. Johns Hopkins 138
9. Maryland 120
10T. Navy 107
10T. North Carolina 107
12. Notre Dame 83
13. Harvard 71
14. Hofstra 59
15. Hobart 56
16. Brown 53
17. Delaware 46
18. Bucknell 32
19. Army 22
20. UMBC 11
Others receiving votes (in order): Villanova, Butler, Denver, Massachusetts, Towson, Penn, Penn State.
Inside Lacrosse media poll
(April 17, 2000)
Rank (No. 1 Votes) Total Points
1. Virginia ( 217
2. Syracuse 211
3. Loyola 193
4. Princeton 191
5. Duke 163
6. Georgetown 161
7. Cornell 158
8. Johns Hopkins 155
9. Maryland 134
10. North Carolina 118
11. Navy 111
12. Notre Dame 94
13. Delaware 82
14. Hofstra 75
15. Harvard 56
16. Hobart 52
17. Brown 40
18. Bucknell 27
19. UMBC 23
20. Army 13
Others receiving votes: Towson 8, Villanova 6, Yale 5, Massachusetts 4, Butler 3, Denver 1, Penn State 1.
The Baltimore Sun
Records through April 16
record
1. Virginia 8-1
2. Syracuse 8-1
3. Princeton 7-1
4. Loyola 8-1
5. Georgetown 9-1
6. Johns Hopkins 5-3
7. Cornell 8-1
8. Duke 8-3
9. Maryland 7-3
10. Navy 7-3
11. Notre Dame 8-3
12. North Carolina 7-4
13. Brown 5-5
14. Delaware 7-4
15. Hofstra 6-4