No stopping Cavs’ offense in 19-8 rout of Hopkins
ANNAPOLIS – Fans speak in reverence about the 2006 Virginia lacrosse team, which scored a tournament record 66 goals on its way to the NCAA title.
Three years later, with a few holdovers from that undefeated squad, the Cavaliers’ offense looks ready to re-write the record book. Sunday at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium, Virginia swarmed Johns Hopkins, 19-8, in an overwhelming display of firepower before 12,142.
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Led by senior attack Garrett Billings (four goals, three assists), freshman attack Steele Stanwick (two goals, five assists), and sophomore midfielder Shamel Bratton (five goals), the Cavaliers delivered coach Dom Starsia his 300th career victory and rolled to the Final Four for the 11th time in the last 16 years. Virginia (15-2) will face Cornell (12-3) Saturday in Foxborough, Mass.
“We were moving the ball so well, it didn’t matter who was at the end of the play,” said senior attack Dan Glading (Georgetown Prep), who contributed two goals and one assist. “We were taking such high percentage shots, people were burying it.”
Virginia spotted Johns Hopkins an early goal, but scored the next six in a span of 5 minutes, 53 seconds. Sensational sophomore midfielder Rhamel Bratton, limited by an injury much of the regular season, scored two of the first three goals, both unassisted, while twin brother Shamel followed with a blazing sidewinder from 18 yards out.
“The Brattons were a handful and Billings. We didn’t have answers,” said Hopkins coach Dave Pietramala. “[Virginia] played great. They dodged hard. They played so unselfishly. Every time we did something right, there was no room to make plays and it snowballed.”
On a day when Hopkins won more faceoffs (17-13) and ground balls (33-27), the Blue Jays were helpless to stop the deluge. The Cavaliers scored three goals in the first 2:29 of the second half. After Bratton faked a defender to the turf and scored, Billings tallied off a feed from Stanwick, then fed Gavin Gill (two goals) for a 15-4 lead and the rout was on.
Virginia senior defender Matt Kelly and juniors Ken Clausen and Ryan Nizolek also excelled along with sophomore goalie Adam Ghitelman (14 saves), holding Hopkins’ starting attack to one point.
But the day belonged to the Virginia offense, which is on a record-setting pace with 37 goals in two tournament games.
“This year, we had a rougher go than in ’06,” said Billings. “But we have really come together in the last two weeks.”
