Virginia Insider
Dave Curry, our Virginia Insider, spent the weekend convinced that Javier Bardem's ruthless character in "No Country for Old Men" must've played defense for Maryland. Curry was an assistant coach at Virginia when it won the national title in 2003; he also was an all-American midfielder there and played on the US World Team in 1998. He gives us his thoughts on the loss to Maryland, the upcoming game against North Carolina and Virginia's goalie situation.
On the 13-7 loss to Maryland
We said last week that Maryland had always thought of Virginia as a "country club." Then I heard Quint Kessenich talk about how [former UMd coach] Dick Edell had a saying: "These kids come from the same schools but they're not the same kids." He meant that Maryland's kids were blue collar; Virginia's kids had a reputation for being soft. And last week, those descriptions were right. I give Maryland a ton of credit; they punched Virginia in the mouth. For the first time in years, it played out the way Maryland people always described it.
Why the game this weekend is a battle of cultures
Carolina has spent the better part of 10 years trying to get back to where it feels like it belongs in the lacrosse world. Their alumni and fans have been waiting for it, and from talking to them, a lot of times they had no idea what was going on. That's been the culture of Carolina lacrosse. But Carolina had a huge statement game in winning at Homewood Field the way they did. If they beat Virginia, they can make the argument that they're back. They can say, "We're legit again."
Virginia had its culture tested against Maryland. They need to get that taste out of their mouths. That's why I expect both teams to play with a sense of urgency.
On Virginia's goalie play
The question for the head coach is, will the starter make your team better in May? [Backup] Bud Petit is an incredible talent...He was the under-19 goalie and he sat behind Kip Turner, and now he's behind a first year. It's got to be hard from his standpoint. Think about what he and his family are going through...The question in sticking with Adam Ghitelman is, 'Will that make us better in May? Because it may not make us better now.'
What will we learn from this weekend?
It's a battle of the program's cultures. And it's a big weekend for Virginia's goalies.
What do the readers think?
By Christian Swezey |
April 3, 2008; 10:34 AM ET
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Insider Information
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Posted by: Dave Block | April 4, 2008 1:43 AM
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Seems like everyone's beating Hopkins these days. If the Jays keep losing, it's not much of an upset anymore when it happens, is it? All of which to say that I don't think Carolina is more pretender than contender. Yes, Virginia may have been a bit overrated, but look for them to rebound with a fairly convincing victory.