The home field advantage: It receives a lot of press, but really how important is it?
Truth be told, it depends on the host's opposition and, as the Towson men's lacrosse team (1-2) will discover Saturday, the Cavaliers (7-0) welcome the opportunity to play on hostile turf.
"I have always been a fan of going on the road," Virginia coach Dom Starsia said. "For the guys it's part of the experience of being a college athlete and I think we view it in a positive light."
In fact, the team thrives on it. During Spring Break the Cavaliers vanquished both Syracuse and Princeton on the road and this past Tuesday they beat Mount St. Mary's 20-2 in Emitsburg, Md.
"It's an unusual situation for us to have three games on the road in one week, the way we do this week, but I personally don't see it as a burden," Starsia said.
Starsia is far from alone in his sentiments regarding away games, and his attitude has either rubbed off on his players, or he has recruited guys who are as appreciative of the quiet time road games provide as he is.
"I have always been a fan because you have a lot less distractions staying in the hotel the night before," junior attackman Danny Glading said. "You have the team all together the night and morning before the game and it's kind of easier to get more focused on the task at hand when you are traveling."
The Cavalier bus will travel north to Maryland for the second time this week as Virginia heads to Towson armed with a 7-0 undefeated record and the No. 2 spot in the national polls.
More importantly, however, there is an overwhelming consensus within the team that the Cavaliers have improved considerably since the beginning of the season. Certainly rankings and accolades help to reinforce this sense, but the true testament to the Cavaliers' progress is their recent caliber of play as well as an increase in the effort put forth in daily practices.
"From being around the players, I have a strong sense that they do not want to give anything back now," Starsia said. "The progress that we have made, the momentum that we have -- we have worked hard for it and we don't have any desire to take a step back. We want to keep getting better, keep moving forward."
Saturday's game will test the Cavaliers in more ways than one. Starsia admits that the schedule he put together for early in the season was grueling and said he has asked his team to play quite a bit of lacrosse in the past few weeks. Though it has required the team to focus on preparing emotionally to play twice a week, the Cavaliers have handled the challenge thus far and give no indication that they will approach the Towson game any differently.
The matchup also pits an admittedly young Cavalier team against one loaded with veterans, especially at the offensive end of the field. The defensive challenges will not be easy, either. Indeed, Virginia may be younger than Towson, but it has an experienced group of leaders at its helm. With senior attackman and co-captain Ben Rubeor off the injured list, there is a new sense of wholeness as the Cavaliers take the field.
"It is kind of hard to explain how big of a plus it is to have Ben back," Glading said. "He is definitely the leader out there and his energy on the field is contagious. He is someone where not having him is a big loss and we are a much better and a much different team when he's out there"
Read More
Roy Horovitz is done waiting, and ready to make up for lost time
By Thomas Baxter | 20 hours ago"He's probably the hardest-working guy on the team right now," Dietrich said.
No. 3 Virginia field hockey continues undefeated start with gritty win over No. 16 Rutgers
By Eleanor Buchanan | YesterdayVirginia has started the season with three consecutive ranked wins.
Virginia falls short in nail-biting five-set match against Appalachian State
By Victoria Blankenship | 3 days agoVirginia frittered away two match points in the fifth set.
