SPORTS WRAP
The Week in Review:
No Place Like Home: The UVA women's lacrosse team faced a daunting task after a late fourth-quarter rally helped them defeat the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays 10-8 in the NCAA tournament's first round Thursday, May 12. The sixth-seeded Cavs (16-4) were set to meet third-seeded Boston University (17-2) Sunday, May 15, on the Terriers' home turf (BU had an undefeated record at home). But thanks to a conflict with graduation ceremonies, the Terriers had to travel to Charlottesville for the national quarterfinal showdown. The defending champion Cavaliers outscored Boston 8-4 in the second half en route to a 13-9 victory and a berth in the national semifinals. "It doesn't matter who we play," Wahoo attack Amy Appelt told The Daily Progress following Sunday's win. "We have to beat them in order to reach our goal."
Worst Heat-stroke: The Washington Wizards' surprising and often thrilling NBA season suddenly comes to an end in game four of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Even without the most dominant player in the game (Shaquille O'Neal), the Miami Heat ride young star guard Dwayne Wade right through the nation's capital to complete a four-game sweep. Wade caps off another brilliant series with a 42 point effort in the closeout game. Despite O'Neal's injury, Wade has carried the Eastern Conference's top-seeded squad to playoff perfection (8-0 through the first two rounds of play). "To me it's like a remake of A Star is Born," shell-shocked Wizard's coach Eddie Jordan tells the AP. "You could take those two series and make a movie out of it, because he's certainly raised his game."
Best overdue breakthrough: After three weeks of wishing for better days, the UVA men's lacrosse team finally explodes as they host Albany (10-6) in the NCAA first-round game at Klockner Stadium Saturday, May 14. Recent lackluster performances– UVA had dropped two of their last three games (one, a bitter overtime loss to Maryland in the ACC tournament two weeks ago)– worried coach Dom Starsia.
"We had not played in the last two weeks, and that was a concern," Starsia told the Progress. "We wanted to make sure we came out and played hard." The Wahoos did just that from the opening face-off, thanks to a relentless scoring attack that quickly destroyed any Albany hopes of a first round upset. The Cavs blasted the Great Danes early and often to score a season high 23 goals, while also holding the nation's fifth leading scoring offense to nine.
Earliest Hurricane Warning: Hurricane season begins in June, and so does the college world series. The fourth-ranked baseball powerhouse Miami Hurricanes (38-12-1, 19-7-1) invaded Charlottesville for an exciting weekend of baseball at Davenport Field. Each game was decided by a single run: the 'Canes grabbed a 7-6 victory Friday and a 1-0 win Saturday, but the Cavs (34-17, 11-14) bounced back to win two must-win games by salvaging a 4-3 triumph over Miami Sunday and then squeaking by in a 2-0 decision over North Carolina A&T Monday (27-25).
The Week Ahead:
UVA BASEBALL
vs. Duke
Thursday, May 19 & Friday, May 20 @ 7pm
Saturday, May 21 @ 1pm
The dreams of a second straight NCAA tournament berth may be riding on this series. Tickets $6 Adult, $4 Youth/Senior.
NCAA LACROSSE QUARTERFINALS
UVA Men vs. Navy @ John's Hopkins
Saturday, May 21 @ 3pm
Two lacrosse-rich programs clash for a trip to Philadelphia for the Final Four.
NCAA LACROSSE SEMIFINALS
UVA Women vs. Duke in Annapolis
Friday, May 20 @ 8:30pm
Lady Hoos hope the third time's a charm against this season's arch-nemesis.
Call the UVA ticket office for more information about ticket prices for NCAA lacrosse tournament games.
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