This season, the team certainly has the potential to repeat as champs and the media has voted them #1 in every major preseason poll. The keys to success this year are basically the same as last year’s: consistently playing to their potential and playing as a team. Thankfully, the Bratton twins are long gone and, as we saw in the NCAA tournament, the team immediately plays more cohesive without them. While the team lost plenty of talent (most notably defender/longstickmiddie Bray Malphrus and goalie Adam Ghitelman), most of the important pieces are left and the incoming class of freshman is a great one. Let’s take a look at who’s back:
Dom Starsia – Coach
Aha- you thought I was going to start with Stanwick. Well, no one is more important to this team than their Hall of Fame ALL TIME WINNINGEST COACH IN D1 LACROSSE. Starsia has dealt with an extraordinary amount of turmoil in the past couple of years: tragedy off the field, suspensions and disunity on the field. Without a coach like Dom, this team would’ve been in complete shambles. Instead, they won the National Championship. His importance to the team can’t be overstated- he is the team.
Steele Stanwick – Attack
What else is there to say about Steele that hasn’t already been said? He’s the Mike Scott of Lacrosse. The guy is the reigning National Player of the Year coming back for his senior season. (Important LAX TRIVIA ALERT: The Heisman of Lacrosse is the Tewaaraton Trophy). He’s routinely scored some of the most amazing goals I’ve ever seen and is particularly clutch late in the game. He alone makes us a National Championship contender.
I give this one a 6/10 in difficulty, 9/10 in importance
Chris Bocklet – Attack
Bocklet is another veteran attackman back for his senior year and while Stanwick gets most of the press, Bocklet can light up the scoreboard with the best of them. Bocklet paced the Cavs in the NCAAs last year, with a hat trick in the quarterfinal against No. 2 Cornell and in the semifinal against Denver. He was 10th in the country last year in goals per game and can be counted on as a great compliment on the front line to Stanwick.
Colin Briggs – Middie
Good teams have a couple guys that they can rely on for scoring. Great teams have three go-to scorers. Briggs is our third. Going into last year’s final, Briggs wasn’t sure if he would even play. When the chance to start opened up, he made the most of it by scoring 5 of UVA’s 9 goals. He’s back for his senior year this year and should pick up right where he left off in his last game. Teams are going to focus hard on Stanwick and Bocklet up top, which should provide ample open looks for the middies to score. Production from the middies is always a key for the Hoos and they should be in good shape with Briggs leading the unit.
Matt White – Attack/Middie
Did I say great teams have three go-to scorers? Oh, well UVA has four. When Matt White shoots it, the ball usually goes in – he scored a ridiculous 60.6 % of his shots last year. A junior, White scored the game-winner in the Bucknell game last season and should see plenty of looks with teams doubling Stanwick. Look for White to see a good increase in shots/goals as he establishes himself as the heir to the go-to scorer roll.
Chris Clements/Matt Lovejoy/Scott McWilliams – Defense
No, I didn’t forget about the defense, but they only get one paragraph. UVA’s historically been a run-and-gun high-scoring team with limitations on the defensive end, but in recent seasons, the Hoos D has taken a step up. These three look to be the starters this year and form a solid base with plenty of experience. McWilliams is particularly exciting, as he started every game last year as a true freshman. The sky’s the limit with him.
Question Marks – Goalie, Faceoffs
Gone this year for the Hoos is apparent nine-year-starter Adam Ghitelman from the cage. Adam kept the Hoos in plenty of games and his leadership/decision-making will be missed sorely (I fully supported his reckless behavior when he regularly ran up the field, others may disagree). Senior Rob Fortunato looks to be the starter this year, but he hasn’t done much to keep back the competition. Look for this spot to be settled early in the year. The Hoos also need to replace their faceoff specialist now that Garett Ince and Brian McDermott have graduated. I’m sure they’ll find someone, but this could be a HUGE area of weakness in the team if it isn’t shored up. Faceoffs are critical to possession and unlike most other sports, you don’t automatically get the ball back when another team scores. For now, I’ll assume Dom sorts this out fine.
Wahooze Outlook:
There’s no reason this team can’t compete for another title and they should dominate inferior competition for most of the season. I really think the chemistry issues are behind the team at this point and you can’t say enough about the senior talent they have all over the field. That being said, the ACC is absolutely STACKED this year, with both Duke and UNC looking like title contenders. When Syracuse is out of most people’s top 5, you know the competition is tough. There’s little chance the Hoos run the table and they’ll probably pickup their fair share of losses, especially if there’s no one reliable between the pipes. Plus, starting the season #1 puts the target of every other team squarely on your back. Can the Wahoos handle the expectations and keep their cohesive play they found at the end of last year? The first step is making the NCAA tournament, which they should do easily. Once they’re in, we know it doesn’t really matter where they line up, but avoiding a matchup with their kryptonite in the Duke Blue Devils could be a key to a repeat.
Prediction:
Glory, Fame, Victory, Trophies for everyone.
(Photos: Daily Progress, AP, virginiasports.com, The Cavalier Daily)
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