Box Score
Mount St. Mary's (0-0) at No. 1 Virginia
(1-0)
Tuesday, February 22, 2011, 4:00 p.m.
Klockner Stadium, Charlottesville, Va.
Mount Update: This will be the season opener
for the Mountaineers. The Mount set a school record for wins last
year while capturing the MAAC title and an NCAA Tournament bid.
The Mount went 12-5 overall and advanced to the NCAA with a
dramatic 7-6 win over Siena in the MAAC Championship game. Then
freshman Andrew Scalley netted the game-winner as the final buzzer
sounded to lift the Mount to its first NCAA bid since the 2003
season.
About the Cavaliers: Top-ranked Virginia
enters the game 1-0 on the year after a 12-9 win over No. 18 Drexel
on Saturday. Chris Bocklet led the way with four goals and an
assist while Shamel Bratton chipped in three scores. In goal, Rob
Fortunato made 12 saves, including 10 in the second half, to help
the Cavaliers to the victory.
The All-Time Series with Virginia: Virginia
has won all eight meetings in the all-time series that began in the
NCAA First Round in 2003. The Mount lost to the Cavaliers twice
last season, including 18-4 in the NCAA First Round. The
Mountaineers fell to Virginia, 15-7, at home in its season opener
last season. The Mount is 0-6 all-time at Virginia, and this will
be the seventh consecutive season the two programs will play.
Last Meeting: Mount St. Mary's lost to
Virginia, 18-4, in the NCAA Tournament Opening Round last year.
Andrew Scalley posted a hat trick in the loss while T.C. DiBartolo
made 10 saves in three quarters of action. Virginia led 5-0 after
the first quarter with goalkeeper Adam Ghitelman making five
saves. Shamel Bratton, Brian Carroll and Chris Bocklet each
recorded hat tricks in the game while Steele Stanwick had a
game-high six points on a goal and five assists.
The Mount vs. Ranked Opponents: The
Mountaineers are 2-42 all-time against teams ranked in the top 20.
Last year, the Mount was 2-3 against ranked opponents, including
wins over #10 Lafayette (14-12) and #19 Robert Morris (19-13). The
Mount's 18-4 loss to Virginia in the NCAA Opening Round last year
was the first time the Mount has played the top team in the
nation.
The Northeast Conference: The Northeast
Conference is in its first season in men's lacrosse this year.
With the addition of Bryant to the league, the NEC had six member
schools playing men's lacrosse, leading to the formation of the
conference. Joining the Mount in the NEC for men's lacrosse are
Bryant, Quinnipiac, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart and Wagner.
Mount Picked Third in NEC Preseason Poll: The
Mount has been tabbed to finish in third place in the NEC Preseason
Coaches Poll. Robert Morris has been picked as the league
favorite, followed by Bryant, the Mount, Quinnipiac, Sacred Heart
and Wagner.
Plenty of Offense Returning: The Mount returns
its top 10 scorers from last year's record-setting squad. In fact,
174 of the team's 180 goals last year were scored by returning
players.
Streaking: Attack Andrew Scalley and
midfielder Bryant Schmidt are each riding 17-game point-scoring
streaks for the Mountaineers. Scalley tallied 32 goals and 17
assists for 49 points as he scored a point in each of the Mount's
17 games last year. Schmidt had 21 goals and 16 assists as he too
scored at least one point in all 17 games last season. Scalley and
Schmidt's streaks are tied for the 14th longest in the
nation. Siena's Bryan Neufeld has the top spot on the list, having
scored at least one point in 37 consecutive contests.
Season Openers: The Mount begins its
42nd season at Virginia on Feb. 22. Since moving to
NCAA Division I in 1989, the Mount is 2-20 in season openers. The
Mount has lost 11 consecutive season openers dating back to an 8-7
win over Providence on March 3, 1999. The Mount has lost to
Virginia in the season opener in each of the past two seasons and
is 0-7 against ACC teams in the season opener since 1989.
Checking in with the Career Numbers: Junior
Cody Lehrer is 23rd all-time at the Mount with 63 career
goals...Ben Trapp is eighth all-time with 171 ground balls and
ninth in face-off win percentage (.495)...T.C. DiBartolo is third
in saves (556), 10th in save percentage (.585)and second
in goals against average (9.42).
Head Coach Tom Gravante: Mount St. Mary's head
coach Tom Gravante is in his 16th season at the helm of
the men's lacrosse program. Gravante has led the Mount to a pair
of NCAA Tournament appearances (2003 and 2010). He has a career
mark of 107-130 and he trails Randy Kilgore (1970-89, 120-92) on
the Mount's all-time win list by 13. He was named the Coach of the
Year by both the Northeast Conference and the Metro Atlantic
Athletic Conference last season. Gravante owns four MAAC Coach of
the Year honors and he led the Mount to six championship game
appearances in the 11 seasons the MAAC held a postseason
tournament.
Up Next: The Mount will battle Towson in the
home opener on Saturday, March 5, at 1:00 p.m. at Waldron Family
Stadium on campus.
