They are at it again. Whereas most Virginia students returned to their second semesters focused on classes and social life, the Virginia men's lacrosse team returned to Charlottesville with a loftier goal -- to win a second consecutive NCAA championship.
Spring practice opened with the resumption of classes a little over a month ago, yet this year's lacrosse squad has been together since August preparing to defend their title. The 2004 Cavaliers, however, are a conspicuously different team than their predecessors.
Virginia does return four of the eight 2003 All-Americans who catalyzed the team's success. The Cavaliers do have seven players who were named 2004 pre-season All-Americans by the "Face-Off Yearbook." In the cage, the Cavaliers retain All-American goalie Tillman Johnson, the stalwart leader of the defense. Protecting the goal they also return second-team All-American defenseman Brett Hughes, a senior who has started every game of his college career. Leading the offensive attack once again is the athletic trio of juniors John Christmas and Joe Yevoli and sophomore Matt Ward.
"Yevoli was our leading goal scorer as a freshman and our leading assist man as a sophomore," coach Dom Starsia said. "He and Matt are sort of the quarterbacks of our offense. Joe is going to be a more natural leader of the attack."
Aside from the obvious stars, Virginia will rely on a strong core of young talent to fill the gaps left from last year's graduates. While several of these young players did perform important roles in the 2003 championship, most are entering full-time starting roles for the first time.
With three of last season's star midfielders gone, a huge role needs to be filled at this position. Junior Ted Lamade, returning from two seasons on the sideline with an ankle injury, has been elected a tri-captain this fall, an honor which speaks to both his ability and the respect he receives from his teammates. Lamade and sophomore Kyle Dixon will perform important roles as midfielders.
The two defensemen to accompany Hughes will in all likelihood be sophomores Steve Holmes and Mike Culver, each with enough experience to compete with the best on the college level.
"We have some new faces out there -- fortunately last year I could get my feet wet a little bit," Culver said. "Steve and Brett are teaching us the way -- it's going pretty well. We're starting to become a cohesive unit."
Starsia, now in his 12th season at Virginia, will once again be expected to shape a team that is filled with both refined All-American leadership and young, raw talent. In his tenure leading the Cavaliers, Starsia has won 125 games, taking home victory in nearly 75 percent of his 167 contests.
In attempting to bring the third NCAA championship since 1999 to Virginia, the Cavaliers will face one of the toughest schedules in the nation. Through the season, the team will host contests at Klockner Stadium against Princeton, Syracuse, Johns Hopkins and Duke -- all perennial NCAA contenders.
"Every game is a big game, and that's why people come to this school," Johnson said. "Looking at the schedule we have, every game is an important game, and playing the Syracuses, Hopkinses, Princetons, you just have to fight through it."
Despite the fact that young players will be filling half of the starting positions for Virginia, the story for the 2004 Cavaliers is not inexperience. Instead, Virginia has experienced elder statesmen that have the opportunity to mold a team.
"Something really important to me is that [Coach Starsia] emphasizes how special it is," Hughes said. "Not just the fact that we are defending the title, but just the fact that we are all 40 kids, pushing for one thing. And how many times in life does that happen that 40 kids are all ready to give up so much to really push for something? That is really amazing."
Though no one would admit it during the first few weeks of practice, the tale of the 2004 season is of a team who currently holds the national title and intends to defend it with vigor. For Virginia, this year is about a unique opportunity. Despite the obvious goal of working to defend a hard-earned title, the Cavaliers also stand on the brink of creating a Virginia dynasty.
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