U.Va. whips Villanova in NCAA first-round lacrosse match

By: | Richmond Times Dispatch
Published: May 11, 2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The University of Virginia men's lacrosse team surrendered six goals and scored none in the fourth quarter yesterday.

Villanova could have outscored U.Va. 17-0 in the final quarter, and it wouldn't have changed the outcome.

In one of the more dominating performances in NCAA tournament history, top-seeded Virginia humbled Villanova 18-6 before a crowd of 2,291 on a postcard-worthy afternoon at Klockner Stadium.

Nearly five minutes passed before a goal was scored in this first-round game, and it came on a shot by U.Va. midfielder John Haldy. What followed was an awe-inspiring display of offense by Virginia, which made the shellshocked Wildcats (11-6) look helpless in their first NCAA appearance.

"All of the sudden, it was just an avalanche," Villanova coach Michael Corrado said.

The score was 15-0 at halftime and 18-0 after three quarters. The Wildcats didn't break through until 8:45 was left in the game, long after U.Va. coach Dom Starsia had begun inserting his secondand third-team players.

For a Virginia team that had suffered two one-sided losses to ACC rival Duke in the previous month, the victory was particularly satisfying.

"I thought that we had been served a pretty significant piece of humble pie that we've had to sit with, live with for the past couple weeks," Starsia said.

"People would ask about the Duke games, and I didn't have answers in every case. Even in the Dartmouth game" a 13-6 win for Virginia "it took us a while to get our hands on that game. It's been a little frustrating, frankly. That's just the way it's been."

The next round figures to be considerably tougher for U.Va., which is seeking its fourth NCAA title under Starsia. Virginia (14-2) faces No. 8 seed Johns Hopkins (10-4) in a noon quarterfinal Sunday at Annapolis, Md.

"Better save some of these for next week," former Cavaliers coach Bob Sandell quipped in the press box yesterday after junior midfielder Brian Carroll's goal made it 17-0.

Virginia has won four straight over Hopkins, including a 16-15 thriller March 21 in Baltimore.

"We've had some classic games with Johns Hopkins over the years," Starsia said, "and we expect this to be in the same mold."

Yesterday's game was the first in which the Wahoos led at halftime since their regular-season clash with Hopkins. By the end of the first quarter, it was 9-0, and senior attackman Danny Glading had two goals and two assists.

"I thought it was important to kick off the game today and get after it in the beginning, and we clearly did that," Starsia said.

Chad Gaudet's supremacy on faceoffs meant Villanova rarely had possession in the first half. Gaudet, a graduate student who transferred to U.Va. from Dartmouth, won 12 of 15 draws before intermission and 14 of 17 for the game.

"That was pivotal," Starsia said.

Carroll finished with five goals -- two more than his previous career high -- and Glading added four goals and two assists. In addition to Glading, Cavaliers playing at Klockner for the final time included another all-ACC selection, long-stick midfielder Mike Timms.

"I couldn't be happier about the way the game turned out," Timms said. "The day was perfect."

Contact Jeff White at (804) 649-6838 or jwhite@timesdispatch.com.

Villanova ------------------------- 0 0 0 6 -- 6
Virginia ------------------------- 9 6 3 0 -- 18

Goals -- Villanova: Langan 2, Driscoll 2, Arvan, Fritts. Virginia: B. Carroll 5, Glading 4, Stanwick 3, Haldy 3, S. Bratton, R. Bratton, Billings.

Assists -- Villanova: Arvan, Brennan, MacDonald. Virginia: S. Bratton 2, Glading 2, Stanwick 2, R. Bratton, Gaudet, Giannone, Gill, Huguely.

Goalies -- Villanova: DiLoreto (51 minutes, 15 seconds, 18 goals allowed, 9 saves); Bogdanor (6:45, 0, 2); Guitierrez (2:00, 0, 0). Virginia: Ghitelman (39:01, 0, 4); Wade (15:36, 3, 5); Eimer (5:23, 3, 0).