Men’s Lacrosse: No. 4 Duke vs. No. 2 Virginia, ACC Semifinals

Game 15 l ACC Tournament Semifinal

Duke (11-3, 1-2 ACC) vs. Virginia (11-1, 2-1 ACC)

Friday, April 22  5:00 p.m.

Byrd Stadium l College Park, Md.

ACC Select l Live Stats l ACC Championship Site l Complete Game Notes

Duke Meets Virginia in ACC Semifinal

Just six days after upsetting top-ranked Virginia 13-9 in Charlottesville, Va., the Blue Devils will take on the Cavaliers again in the ACC Semifinal on April 23 in College Park, Md. … Faceoff is set for 5 p.m., in Byrd Stadium … The winner advances to the championship on April 25 at 3:30 p.m.

Duke-Virginia Series History

Duke and Virginia are meeting for the 71st time since the first meeting in 1938 and for the second time in six days … The Cavaliers own a 48-22 lead in the series, but it is Duke who has had the recent success in winning each of the past eight matches … The Blue Devils upended the No. 1 Cavaliers in Charlottesville on April 17 … Virginia’s last win over the Blue Devils was on April 17, 2004, a 13-4 triumph in Charlottesville … Duke is 5-6 all-time against Virginia in ACC Tournament contests and has won the past three meetings in the postseason competition.

Last Time Out Against Virginia

Sixth-ranked Duke outscored No. 1 Virginia 8-3 in the second half on its way to a 13-9 victory at Klöckner Stadium … Senior Ned Crotty and junior Zach Howell led the attack, combining for seven points, as Duke recorded its eighth straight win over the Cavaliers … CJ Costabile went 10-of-13 in faceoffs and added the game-winning assist in the win.

A Win Over Virginia Would

Be the program’s 451st all-time victory
Be John Danowski’s 281st career victory and 62nd at Duke
Push Duke’s win streak to 11 games
Be the ninth straight win over Virginia
Give Duke an 18-14 record in the ACC Tournament
Make Duke 13-9 in ACC Tournament Semifinals
Put Duke in the ACC Championship game for the 12th time
Put the Blue Devils in the title tilt for the fourth straight season, a first in program history
ACC Tournament Notes

Duke owns an all-time record of 17-14 in ACC Tournament action.
Duke is 11-9 all-time in ACC Tournament semifinal games and 6-5 in championship tilts.
Against the field, Duke is 5-4 vs. Maryland, 7-4 vs. North Carolina and 5-6 vs. Virginia.
Duke is 0-3 in ACC Tournament games played in College Park, Md.
Duke has won six ACC Tournament championships in 1995, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2008 and 2009.
Duke has had six ACC Tournament MVPs in Ross Moscatti (1995), Scott Bross (2001), A.J. Kincel (2002), Matt Danowski (2007), Dan Loftus (2008) and CJ Costabile (2009).
Duke landed seven players on the 2009 ACC All-Tournament Team … CJ Costabile, Ned Crotty, Mike Catalino, Zach Howell, Michael Manley, Max Quinzani and Steve Schoeffel were voted to the squad.
In 2009 CJ Costabile became the first freshmen in ACC lacrosse history to win the ACC Tournament MVP award.
Recent ACC History

Duke has launched itself into the top of the ACC since 2001, winning five league titles and sporting a .667 winning percentage … Here is how it breaks down across the four teams since 2001.

Duke in the National Stats

Duke senior attackman Ned Crotty currently ranks second in the nation in assists (2.79/gm), while fellow attacker Max Quinzani is fourth in goals (3.36/gm) … Senior defenseman Parker McKee is 21st in caused turnovers (1.64/gm) and 14th in ground balls (5.29/gm) … As a team, Duke is fourth in man-up offense, fifth in points per game, sixth in scoring offense (13.07) and ground balls (36.36/gm).

Against The ACC

Duke is 66-140 all-time against ACC foes … The Blue Devils own the most wins over North Carolina with 26 and the fewest over Maryland at 17 … In regular season contests, the Blue Devils are 38-117 against conference foes.

Duke starts ACC Tournament play as the No. 4 overall seed with an 11-3 overall record and 1-2 mark against conference foes … The starting attack unit of Max Quinzani, Ned Crotty and Zach Howell lead the Blue Devil offense … Quinzani is tops in goals and points with 47 and eight, respectively … Crotty has 53 points from 14 goals and a team-high 39 assists, while Howell has 46 points (34g, 12a) … Redshirt sophomore Justin Turri has 25 points to round out the top scorers … Defensively, Duke is allowing just 8.90 goals per game and has held each of its past four opponents under 10 goals … Senior Parker McKee leads the team with 23 caused turnovers and 74 ground balls … Junior Tom Montelli has forced 13 caused turnovers … At the X is the trio of Sam Payton, CJ Costabile and Terrence Molinari .. Payton leads the way with a .545 win percentage (85-of-156), while Costabile is 54-of-100 (.540) … Molinari has won 34-of-65 restarts for a .523 win percentage … In goal, freshman Dan Wigrizer has started 13 games and owns a 9.16 goals against average and a .543 save percentage.

Scouting Virginia

Virginia heads into the ACC Tournament as the nation’s No. 2 ranked team with an 11-1 overall record and 2-1 mark in the ACC … The Cavaliers are 17-16 all-time in ACC Tournament contests and 12-8 in semifinal games … Chris Bocklet and Steele Stanwick pace the offense with 42 points apiece … Bocklet has a team-high 33 goals, while Stanwick has a team-best 21 assists … Brian Carroll has 26 points and Matt White and Shamel Bratton round out the 20-point scorers with 23 and 21, respectively … Ryan Benicasa and Brian McDermott split faceoff duties … Benicasa is 62-of-107 (.579) and McDermott is 69-of-114 (.605) … Ken Clausen anchors the defense with 26 caused turnovers and 40 ground balls … In goal, Adam Ghitelman sports an 11-1 overall record with a 7.90 goals against average and a .538 save percentage … The Cavaliers are allowing just 7.83 goals per game.

Duke Riding a Nine Game Win Streak

With the 13-9 win over top-ranked Virginia, Duke extended its winning streak to nine games … The Blue Devils have not lost since March 10 against North Carolina … Duke’s nine-game run is currently the nation’s longest winning streak.

-d-u-k-e-

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The top-ranked Orange (2-1) staged a late rally, but couldn’t overcome a 7-0 run by No. 2 Virginia (4-0) and lost to the Cavaliers, 11-10, on Sunday, March 7 in front of 7,501 fans at Klöckner Stadium.

The game was another classic, fast-paced Syracuse-Virginia matchup that featured momentum swings and high drama. In the end, the Cavaliers prevailed, but not without one last charge from Syracuse.

The Orange trailed 10-6 with 13:46 left in regulation after Rhamel Bratton scored his fourth goal of the day for Virginia. But when the Orange and Cavaliers get together no lead is safe and Syracuse proved it.

The Orange scored four of the game’s last five goals, including consecutive tallies by senior Chris Daniello (Cross River, N.Y.) and junior Jeremy Thompson (Nedrow, N.Y.) five seconds apart, to make the score 11-10 Virginia with 5:21 to play.

With the game likely hinging on the next goal, Syracuse and Virginia played solid defense down the stretch. Both offenses held the ball for long stretches. The Cavaliers had possession late, but junior Thomas Guadagnolo (Jordan, N.Y.) forced a turnover to give Syracuse the ball back and head coach John Desko called timeout with 1:15 remaining.

On the restart, the Cavaliers held firm for the next minute. The Orange searched for cracks in the Virginia defense, but never got off a shot, and the Cavaliers eventually forced a turnover by junior Josh Amidon (Lafayette, N.Y.) with 14 seconds left to secure the win.

The loss ended the nation’s longest winning streak. The Orange had won 11 in a row heading into Sunday’s showdown between college lacrosse’s two highest-ranked teams.

Daniello led the Orange with a personal-best five points, including a career-high three assists. He had a hand in Syracuse’s first four goals, scoring once and assisting on three more. Junior Stephen Keogh (Toronto, Ontario), Thompson and redshirt sophomore Tim Desko (Syracuse, N.Y.) each had two goals Sunday.

Junior goalie John Galloway (Syracuse, N.Y.) finished with a season-high 18 saves, one short of his career high.

The Orange needed the late rally because the Cavaliers held Syracuse’s high-powered attack without a goal for 28:23 during the second and third quarters. Virginia scored seven goals in that time to turn a 5-2 deficit into a 9-5 advantage. Bratton, Brian Carroll and Chris Bocklet each had two goals for the Cavaliers during the run.

It was an uncharacteristic scoring drought for the Orange, which looked to be in control of the game early after outstanding man-up efficiency and great goaltending by Galloway propelled the team to a 5-2 lead.

All five goals were extra-man tallies as Syracuse benefitted from five Virginia penalties in the opening half.

At the other end of the field, Galloway turned in eight first-quarter saves, including six in a row after Bratton opened the scoring with a goal on the game’s first shot.

Galloway’s play helped keep Virginia at bay until the team’s man-up unit could take over, which it did when Desko scored twice on passes from Daniello after Ryan Nizolek was called for unsportsmanlike conduct. Desko’s back-to-back goals gave SU a 2-1 lead with 8:13 left in the first quarter.

Keogh added a third extra-man goal before an unassisted tally by Steele Stanwick with 4:44 to go in the first stopped the Orange surge. It was but a brief respite for the Cavaliers, who committed two more penalties that Syracuse took advantage of.

Daniello found the cage at the 2:58 mark of the first and Thompson scored 1:29 into the second period to give the Orange its largest lead of the game (5-2).

But then the Orange went dormant. Thompson’s goal was the last for Syracuse until junior Jovan Miller (Syracuse, N.Y.) rifled a shot past Virginia goalie Adam Ghitelman with eight seconds to go in the third. By then the score was 9-6 Virginia and the Orange was never able to even the game.

Bratton’s four goals paced the Cavaliers, while Stanwick (2g, 1a) and Carroll (2g, 1a) each had three points. Stanwick’s second goal was the winner, coming in transition with 7:27 remaining in the contest.

Ghitelman totaled 10 saves to earn the win.

The Orange held a slim 13-12 advantage at the faceoff X. However, the Cavaliers won 10 of the 15 draws in the first half to limit Syracuse’s possessions and help key their 7-0 run.

In the second half, the Orange went 8-for-10 on faceoffs and won 5-of-7 in the fourth quarter to help spark its comeback.

Thompson was the catalyst for Syracuse. He was 7-for-12 on draws and collected a career-best five ground balls.

Syracuse returns to action on Saturday, March 13. The Orange hosts Georgetown in its inaugural BIG EAST Conference game at 2 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. The game will be televised live on ESPNU.

Game Notes: Virginia has won seven of the last eight meetings with Syracuse and Sunday’s contest was the fourth consecutive one-goal game between the two teams … Syracuse has lost five games since start of the 2008 season, three of which have been to Virginia … Desko’s two goals tied his career high for the second straight game … Thompson’s two goals were also a personal best … The Orange went 5-for-6 on man-up opportunities against Virginia … SU’s five extra-man goals were the most for the team since it scored six against Providence in the 2009 season opener.

BALTIMORE, Md. –  Orange junior goalie Al Cavalieri (Lathrup Village, Mich.) was named the NIKE/Inside Lacrosse Player of the Week on Tuesday, May 19 for his performance in SU’s NCAA quarterfinal win against Maryland. Cavalieri made a career-best 14 saves in his first collegiate start to propel the Orange into the national semifinals.

Cavalieri stepped in for starter John Galloway (Syracuse, N.Y.), who was out due to illness, and helped hold the Terps scoreless for the first 19 minutes of the game. He later kept Maryland off the board for more than 18 minutes in the third and fourth quarters as a 6-4 Orange lead swelled to 11-4 before Maryland scored again.

Second-seeded Syracuse will face the No. 3 seed Duke at 12 p.m. at Gillette Stadium on Saturday, May 23 in the first NCAA semifinal. The game will be televised live on ESPN2.

Boland’s Six-Goal, Eight-Point Effort Fuels Furious Second-Half Comeback That Falls Just Short

BALTIMORE, MD - Two years ago, the Virginia men’s lacrosse team came to Homewood Field and slipped past host Johns Hopkins 7-5. On Saturday night in front of a crowd of 5,475, the Cavaliers outscored the Blue Jays 7-5 – in the first quarter; and then the game got interesting. When it was all said and done, top-ranked Virginia escaped Homewood Field with a 16-15 victory that included a 7-1 run by the Cavaliers, a 6-1 run by the Blue Jays, and a frantic final two minutes.

Virginia’s Garrett Billings scored all four of his goals and added an assist during the 7-1 Virginia run that turned a 5-5 tie late in the first quarter into a 12-6 lead late in the second. Freshman Steele Stanwick ignited the spree with back-to-back goals in a 33-second span late in the first quarter, the second coming with just four seconds remaining in the period when he took a cross-field pass from Shamel Bratton in a scramble situation and scored from a ridiculous angle.

Chris Boland scored a career-high six goals and a totaled a personal-best eight points in a 16-15 loss to top-ranked Virginia Saturday night.

Billings scored twice in the first 69 seconds of the second quarter to make it 9-5, before a Chris Boland goal for Johns Hopkins temporarily halted the run. Max Pomper added a goal 10 seconds after Boland’s tally after the Blue Jays lost the ensuing faceoff on a procedure call and Billings fired home two more goals over the next six-and-half minutes to give the Cavaliers what most in the crowd probably throught was a comfortable 12-6 lead with just over three minutes remaining in the first half.

The Blue Jays sliced the deficit to 12-8 before the half as senior Brian Christopher dodged from behind the goal and side-armed a shot past Adam Ghitelman and Boland worked from behind the goal and beat Ghitelman while falling to the ground with 1:09 left in the opening 30 minutes.

With the Cavaliers scoring 12 times on just 22 first-half shots and senior Chad Gaudet having his way on faceoffs in the first half (Virginia won 17-of-21 before intermission), few in the crowd saw Hopkins’ third-quarter explosion coming, but what was once a six-goal deficit turned into a one-goal Blue Jay lead in a stunning 15 minutes.

Kyle Wharton swept in from the side and whipped a 12-yarder past Ghitelman less than a minute into the third quarter and an extra-man goal by Christopher followed 80 seconds later. The Blue Jays drew within one with just over 11 minutes remaining in the third quarter when junior Michael Kimmel found Steven Boyle in front and Boyle slipped home a five-yard shot from his knees to make it 12-11.

An unassisted goal by John Haldy, who used stutter step on an alley dodge to create separation from his defender and then beat JHU goalie Michael Gvozden low to the far post, gave the Cavaliers a two-goal advantage midway through the quarter, but the Blue Jays scored four times in the final 3:25 with only a Steven Giannone goal for Virginia mixed in during that time to give Hopkins an improbable 15-14 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Boland ignited the quarter-ending run for the Blue Jays when he scooped up a loose ball in front of the goal and shoveled a shot past a defenseless Ghitelmen from four yards out with 3:25 on the clock. Giannone’s goal game 56 seconds later as Billings worked through a pick behind the goal and slipped a pass to Giannone on the crease and he easily beat Gvozden from the doorstep.

After fighting their way back for the first 14 minutes of the third quarter, the Blue Jays needed just 40 seconds to turn a 14-12 deficit into a 15-14 lead.

Senior Mark Bryan dodged from behind the goal, beat his defender just behind the goal line and a slide never came as he walked in front and fired home his third goal of the season. Boland completed his six-goal effort on the ensuing faceoff as Matt Dolente cleanly won the faceoff and found Boland on the crease, where he turned and fired home the game-tying goal. When Christopher polished off his four-goal effort with seven seconds remaining in the period, the Blue Jays had come all the way back to take the 15-14 lead. If only the game was 45 minutes long.

Virginia isn’t 10-0 by accident and the Cavaliers needed just under five minutes, 4:59 to be exact, to take the lead back for good. After the teams combined to score between eight and 12 goals in each of the first three quarters, only two shots found the back of the net in the fourth quarter and both were by Virginia.

Billings found Bratton 10 yards in front and Bratton had time and room to fire his second goal of the game into the far corner and Glading gave Virginia the 16-15 lead with 10:01 remaining when Billings again found the right man as Glading had time and room to step and fire home his second of the night.

While the scoring was down in the fourth quarter, the pace was frantic. Hopkins fired five shots at Ghitelman and he came up with three point-blank saves to protect the lead. Both teams turned the ball over seven times in the period, including two by Johns Hopkins in the Virginia zone in the final 1:50. When Boyle’s pass in front in the final seconds failed to connect the loose ball rolled harmlessly towards the edge of the restraining line as time expired.

The frantic finish was fitting for a game that saw 12 first-quarter goals on 19 shots. Five different Cavaliers found the net in the first 7:37, but Hopkins stood toe-to-toe with the consensus number-one ranked team in the nation as Boland got his night started with a pair of first-quarter goals and Boyle and Wharton scored back-to-back goals to turn a 5-3 deficit into a 5-5 tie with 2:30 remaining in the opening period.

Wharton’s goal set the stage for Stanwick’s two first-quarter tallies that gave Virginia the 7-5 lead that quickly swelled to 12-6. As it turned out, the excitement was just getting started when the first quarter ended.

In a game full of offensive stars, Billings led Virginia with eight points on four goals and four assists. Glading added the two goals and three assists, Bratton had two goals and two assists and Stanwick added a hat trick for the Cavaliers, who outshot the Blue Jays, 42-31, won the ground ball war, 40-25, and took 22-of-34 faceoffs. Ghitelman posted nine saves, including the three crucial fourth-quarter stops as Virginia held the Blue Jays scoreless in the final 15 minutes. The scoreless quarter was the first for Johns Hopkins since the first quarter of the game vs. North Carolina last season – a streak of 66 straight quarters with at least one goal.

Boland’s six goals and eight points were both career highs. In fact, he entered the game with career totals of six goals and six assists. His eight points are the most by a Johns Hopkins player since Kyle Barrie had nine against Navy on March 19, 2003. Christopher doubled his previous career-high for goals in a game with four and his five-point showing was also a personal best. Wharton (2g, 1a) and Boyle (2g) also had multi-point games for the Blue Jays, who had won five of their previous six games against teams ranked number one in the nation at the time of the game.

#1 Virginia (10-0) 7-5-2-2/16
< #9 Johns Hopkins (3-3) 5-3-7-0/15

Goals: V: Billlings-4, Stanwick-3, Glading-2, S. Bratton-2, Giannone-2, Carroll, Pomper, Haldy. J: Boland-6, Christopher-4, Whrton-2, Boyle-2, Bryan. Assists: V: Billings-4, Glading-3, S. Bratton-2, Carroll-2, Giannone, Huguely. J: Boland-2, Kimmel-2, Christopher, Dolente, Spaulding, Wharton. Saves: V: Ghitelman-9. J: Gvozden-8. Shots: V-42. J-31. EMO: V: 0-for-1. J: 2-for-3. Attendance: 5,475.

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