CHARLOTTESVILLE -- First the mourning, now the healing.
At least, that's the plan for the U.Va. women's lacrosse team, which attended Yeardley Love's funeral yesterday in Baltimore and will find out today where and when its first game will be in the NCAA tournament.
The men's and women's teams are continuing their seasons after unspeakable tragedy, both as a way to honor the memory of Love and to try to inject some normality into lives that have been jarred from the normal.
That's the intention, but the reality could be different.
The men's team and coach Dom Starsia will face reporters for the first time since senior midfielder George Huguely was charged Monday with first-degree murder. They will find themselves the focus of a national media that last covered lacrosse extensively during the Duke sexual-assault case in March 2006.
Even though the Duke players were acquitted, the negative image remains, and the fact that both cases trace back to the same prep school -- the Landon School in Bethesda, Md. -- makes for a natural connection.
"It's unfortunate that some people outside the sport last heard about lacrosse with the Duke case, but to make any connection between the two situations is pretty inaccurate and irresponsible in my opinion," said John Jiloty, editor in chief of Inside Lacrosse magazine, an authority within the sport.
He said the magazine will continue to keep its focus on the games being played as opposed to anything happening in a courtroom.
The sport is trying to break into the national mainstream, with additional coverage on ESPN in recent years, but developments like this week's are unlikely to help it gain a national footprint. This year's tournament likely will include Denver and Notre Dame, further evidence that lacrosse is gaining traction elsewhere.
But it was a blow to that progress this week when The Washington Post reported that eight Cavs players have been charged with alcohol-related offenses, though they were dropped for two of them.
U.Va. coach Starsia also is dealing with the loss of his father, Dominic, who died Friday at age 86. The elder Starsia had been living with his son.
The rest of the Cavs steam also is familiar with loss, as teammate Will Barrow died just a year and a half ago in a death that was ruled a suicide.
All that will weigh heavily on the players as they chase a national championship, though the challenges also will be immense for the women's team.
The women's squad is ranked No. 5 nationally, and also figures to get a home game for next Saturday. For those players, there is no negative attention but the struggle to return to the practice fields and play so soon after the death of a teammate.
The NCAA will announce the pairings for both tournaments today, as the selection committees wrap up the work they began yesterday. The women's pairings will be released sometime today by the NCAA, while the men's pairings will be unveiled tonight in a selection show on ESPNU at 8:30 p.m.
Contact Michael Phillips at (804) 649-6546 or mphillips@timesdispatch.com.
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