But my biggest regret from the 2014 season was our ineffectiveness in conference play. For Virginia, 1-4 just isn't good enough. Not for a 5-time national champion. Not for a 17-time ACC champion. Not for a team that boasted six All-Americans. It just didn't feel right for a Cavalier men's lacrosse team not to be competing in the ACC tournament. It's not like we were being blown out (with the exception of Notre Dame, which lost in the national championship today). The talent - for the most part - was there. But it was inconsistencies that plagued this team. Freshman goaltender Matt Barrett had his obvious ups and downs. The defense would look great at moments, and then give up a 9-goal run to Loyola or an 8-goal run to Johns Hopkins. The offense would put up points, but shot accuracy wasn't always there (see our 15 goals on 53! shots vs. Duke).
Ultimately, I think we fell victim to our own lofty expectations. This team simply was not going to make a deep playoff run. Not with a freshman in goal and such inconsistencies on both ends of the field. Coach Starsia said after the Duke game that the team was close, but a full, complete game was simply never put together. Here is some analysis of unit performances.
Attack
For the most part, the attack was the strength of this team. Mark Cockerton led the way with 63 points including 47 goals. James Pannell had 39 goals. And Owen Van Arsdale led the team with 27 assists. Our starting three provided the team's top-three point scorers.
Cockerton will obviously be missed, though Pannell and Van Arsdale should combine with Ryan Lukacovic for another strong unit next season.
In my opinion, what was missing was a truly dynamic scorer - a player that could truly take over games. I'm definitely getting greedy here. After all, only a few of those exist per season. Think Duke's Jordan Wolf and the Thompson brothers at Albany. But after having attack lines that included Matt Ward, Ben Rubeor, Steele Stanwick, and Chris Bocklet among others, I would like to see another heroic scorer join the orange and blue clad squad.
Cockerton added a different, Canadian-like dimension, and Pannell is a similar scorer to Bocklet. But Van Arsdale will need to take the next step to truly elevate this group. His assists are great, but he simply needs to be a more consistent scorer for the unit to ascend from good to elite.
Midfield
Let's start with defensive midfield, where despite big names such as Blake Riley and Chris LaPierre, the unit still had its struggles. Like I said above, this was not due to lack of talent, but inconsistency. Both Riley and LaPierre will be sorely missed next season (remember the 2013 team without LaPierre?). Both added a certain toughness to the team - especially on ground balls (where LaPierre had 50). Here's to hoping Starsia has molded others to take their place.
On the offensive side, I thought we lacked two things: 1) a true dodger and 2) depth. The great Virginia teams had a middie that could create his own offense. Think Colin Briggs here. This team had some shooters in Emery and Tucker, but they were never seen as threats to dodge. Without this element, I will always question the strength of the unit. Greg Coholohan and Zed Williams might bring this dimension next season though.
As for depth, we just did not have it. We had guys we could plug in, but they were never threats to score. I think back to the 2011 season when the Bratton twins were kicked off the team. We had guys step up. In the semifinals against Denver, Briggs was suspended, meaning we had three completely new starting middies from just a month before. And we dominated that game. Without midfield depth, this team won't make a deep run. I'm not saying the second unit has to be filled with all-stars, but it needs guys that can spell that starters and still keep the defense honest. Remember John Haldy? That's depth. I'm not sure if these guys are on the team now, which increases the need for a strong recruiting class.
Defense
The starting three had all the talent in the world. Between McWilliams, Scales, and Danseglio, it's tough to ask for more talent. But again, it was their inconsistencies. Some of these might have been pronounced by Barrett's struggles in the cage, but the bottom line is they didn't perform up to their ability. Often times they were slow on slides or looked confused running through picks. Too often shooters were left open on the crease. McWilliams will be a big loss, but there is still enough talent to have an effective unit, especially if Barrett improves.
Speaking of Barrett, he obviously did not have the best season. However, I do not want to put too much of the blame on him. It takes times for goalies to develop. Facing 90 mph rips from a shooter or two in high school is one thing, but facing those shots from everyone on the field really throws the goalies into the fire. His .467 save percentage definitely could have been better, but remember that even Matt Ghitlteman was no stud his freshman year (.497 save percentage). Ultimately, like the rest of the team, he was inconsistant (sense a theme here?). But I fully expect a much better effort next season.
Specialists
Let's start with faceoffs, where junior Mick Parks won 51% of his attempts. Yes, that's more than half, but remember he also faced far inferior talkent in many games (like going 8-11 against VMI). For the most part, this was not a weak area, but definitely an area that can be improved. I still have nightmares about Parks' 13-33 performance against Duke. Their guy is one of the best in the country, but winning just 40% at the X will lead to a 17 goal performance. The wing play could take a dip next season without LaPierre, which could further hurt Parks' numbers. While I am complaining about this unit, let's remember that even our great, national championship teams never had great faceoff guys. If Parks' can keep his pace - and hopefully improve a little - elevated play in other areas of the field should keep us more competitive.
Now let's get into clears - what have always been a strength of Starsia coached teams. However, this year we finished at 85% - good for 44th in the country. A number of factors contribute to this, especially starting a freshman goalie. Again, the speed of the game is so different at the collegiate level that they don't see the field as quickly as they should. That's not to put all the blame on him because our midfielders certainly didn't have the best season either. LaPierre lived up to his "one-man clear", but no other middie could be counted on to take the ball up field. This is partly due to what I mentioned earlier - we didn't have a middie that can dodge. Emery and Tucker have cannons, but carrying the ball is not their strength. And it normally isn't for the defensive midfielders either. This area will require a total team effort to improve, although I do think Barrett's maturity alone will reap benefits.
Conclusion
What I hope my overarching theme here is that this season was not a complete disappointment, but it certainly left something to be desired. We did improve from the 2013 season, which is a step in the right direction. But as Virginia lacrosse fans, we're not looking for improvement. We're looking for not just conference, but national competitiveness. It looked like we could be that way earlier in the season, especially after jumping to No. 2 in the rankings. Unfortunately, we just never put together a complete game, and that cost us against the Marylands, Dukes, Notre Dames, etc. of the lacrosse world.
As for next season, I see improvement. Probably not enough to be talking final four right now, but who knows. No one expected that 2011 squad to make a run in the NCAA tournament, much less win it all. Barrett's experience should pay dividends, as should a more mature midfield unit. Our biggest need is a true dodger that can consistently beat his man one-on-one and draw double teams. He does not have to dodge like the Bratton twins did, but the ability to just get a step on your defender will open up all sorts of feeding options off the slides. I'm hoping that Zed Williams can be this guy, but only time will tell. Overall, I have confidence that Starsia can get this group together and make a deeper run next season.
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