Quick Take: Steve Giannone

The No. 1 Virginia men's lacrosse team took home a victory against No. 4 Cornell on Sunday at Klöckner Stadium, 14-10. The Cavaliers (7-0) received strong outings from midfielders Shamel Bratton, Steve Giannone, and Brian Carroll in the win. UVa coach Dom Starsia said it was important for the midfielders to perform well with Cornell focusing on the attack.

"Our middies needed to step up," Starsia said in a Virginia Media Relations press release. "A lot of teams don't slide to our middies. Cornell was trying to funnel guys in one direction to one hand or the other and trying to get away with not sliding to us and we needed to hit some of those shots and we did. That gives us much better balance offensively and makes us more dangerous."

Bratton finished with three goals while Carroll scored twice and assisted on three other goals. Overall the Virginia midfield group scored 10 of the team's 14 goals. Giannone, sporting a fully grown beard, had 3 goals and 3 groundballs in the game. The Sabre caught up with him after the game for a Quick Take.

KRIS: On the first goal of the game (11 seconds in), it looked like Cornell just didn't rotate. Did you just beat the first guy and see a whole lot of space?

Giannone: We talked about it in practice, saying they're not going to slide to us because they were so worried about our attack. So we knew from the midfield, we were going to have to beat our guy and they were going to show [help defense] and recover to try to deter us, but we knew they weren't going to come hard.

KRIS: There was definitely a lot of space there.

Giannone: There was a lot of space and it opened up later in the second half as well. We saw just as many opportunities; we capitalized on five or six dodging opportunities from the midfield and that's what we were looking to do.

KRIS: Were you trying to figure out who had the short-stick covering them today?

Giannone: Absolutely. Definitely initiating the dodge, you want to attack the short stick and draw a pole out of the inside. Then it's really just a matter of moving the ball and running the patterns correctly, which I think we did.

KRIS: It's a three games in six days week. Is there any challenge to that even though they're all at home?

Giannone: It's definitely a challenge. The way we're thinking about it is we have nine games before I think March 14 so after that we can start to cruise. I think we're all surprised at how healthy we are given that we've played so many games. That many games so quickly generally takes a toll on your body, but we're all holding up pretty well.

KRIS: Is that unusual? You've been here for a few years. Does it feel like you've played a lot already?

Giannone: There was a moment early in the season where we all were like pretty shocked that we had to get one night's sleep then get ready for another game. It was a short turnover when we were going to Syracuse. We had three days to prepare for them and in general we have like a week when we're preparing for a big opponent like that. But I think we're all excited to get the one game a week [routine] going.

KRIS: Can you talk about Adam goalkeeper Ghitelman a little bit? He had a great game with 10 saves and of course last season he started, but then didn't, and then in the offseason he had some work with some U.S. teams. Can you talk about where he's at right now?

Giannone: I think Adam has been doing great. He has definitely demonstrated that he's taken his game to the next level. because he worked hard in the offseason. I know he works hard in practice every day. I think you can see it from some of those last saves in the game. He may not have had his best first half, but at the end of the day I think he played very well.

KRIS: Last one. Is this your playoff beard?

Giannone: (laughs) This is going to be my season beard. Some of the other guys are starting to catch on.

The Sabre's "Quick Take" features are a shorter version of the site's "Question and Answer" articles available through the Sabre EDGE subscription service. Join life on the EDGE today to catch up with recruits, players, and coaches in Q&A sessions.

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

Today ...

Broad Run (Ashburn, VA) captured the Group AA, Division 4 state championship last season, led by some outstanding senior leadership as well as a group of talented juniors. Head coach Mike Burnett's 2010 class is highlighted by a talented running back in T.J. Peeler, a big-time athlete in Adrian Flemming and a solid offensive lineman in Taylor Evans.

The 6-1, 200-pound Peeler boasts offers Pitt and West Virginia and interest from UVa, Virginia Tech and other Big East and ACC schools. Fleming, a 6-4, 200-pound prospect, has not been offered by anyone just yet but is receiving interest from the Cavaliers. He attended a football game at UVa last fall. And Evans, a 6-3, 290-pound lineman, is a potential Division 1A prospect as well.

Stay tuned for more on Broad Run's rising senior class later today.

We'll also check in on the basketball recruiting front and 6-5, 185-pound junior wing Casey Prather, who is one of UVa's top targets at the wing guard spot. The North Side (Jackson, TN) prospect, coming off a junior season in which he averaged around 28 points per game, has visited Virginia previously and reflected on that experience. He is also considering offers from Alabama, Georgia Tech, Miami, Mississippi, and Vanderbilt, among others.

Prather updates when he would like to make his decision.

This Week ...

UVa will have another prospect day this weekend, the third prospect day this winter, so stay tuned this week and next for reports on prospects expected to be in attendance.

Al Groh and company have taken a different approach to the prospect days this recruiting cycle, choosing to host a fewer number of prospects on several dates instead of a large number of kids on one day. From my conversations with prospects, this new method seems to be paying off as the recruits enjoy the more personal touch.

It'll be interesting to see if this continues into the next recruiting class or if this is a one-time deal because the staff does not have a lot of scholarships to play with this year, but it certainly seems to be a good thing as far as recruits are concerned.

Chris Horne, our resident recruiting expert, provides updates throughout the week for Edge subscribers about UVa's commitments and recruiting targets in football and men's basketball. To sign up for an Edge subscription, please check out the Sabre Edge Sign Up and Information Page. If you're already on board as an Edge subscriber, click the links below to catch up on recruiting.

Sabre Edge recruiting updates from the past week ...

Steward Expects to Enroll in Summer
On Signing Day, UVa head coach Al Groh had the following to say about 6-8, 310-pound Kellam (Virginia Beach, VA) offensive tackle prospect Hunter Steward... "He's a young player. He just turned 17 in his senior year," Groh said on VirginiaSportsTV.com. "He might be the biggest player in the class and one of the most athletically skilled linemen in the class, so he's got a very, very strong upside." Steward is no doubt appreciative of those comments, but he was particularly enthusiastic about the conversation he had with Virginia's head coach on Signing Day.

Speedy WR Gets UVa Offer
Good Counsel (Wheaton, MD) junior wide receiver E.J. Scott left Charlottesville on Saturday with good news, having earned a scholarship offer from the University of Virginia. The 5-11, 170-pound speedster learned of the news while attending UVa's junior day.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• Moeller LB/DE Impressed with UVa
• Southern WR One of NC's Top Juniors
• UVa One of Two Offers for South County DB
• Hendrix Talks UVa Offer, Visit
• Deep Run OL Discusses In-State Junior Day

Cavalier Travels - Join UVa basketball legend Barry Parkhill for an alumni and friends golf outing in Ireland August 14-22, 2009. This trip features five of the best golf courses Ireland has to offer: Lahinch and Doonbeg in County Clare, Tralee on the Dingle peninsula in County Kerry and the Kilkenny and Mount Juliet courses in County Kilkenny. A rich cultural program is offered for non-golfing spouses or companions.

Cavalier Travels is the University of Virginia's travel program for alumni, parents and friends. We offer the high standards of quality and value that you expect from the University.

Join us! Call 866-765-2646.

UVa Bookstores' 2009 Virginia Lacrosse Pick 'Em

Pick'em is simple. The first contestant who picks the winner and comes closest to predicting the final score wins. In case of ties, the earliest entry will be awarded the prize. Entries must be received by 12:00 a.m. EST game day. Entries received after 12:00 a.m. (midnight the night before the game) are ineligible. Limit one entry per person. Each week the Bookstore picks a new winner, so bookmark the entry page and go back weekly to give it a try. Results will be posted by Noon the Monday following the game (excluding holidays).

Please note that we will not be playing the mid-week games this season. Also please select whether to have a weekly message sent, informing you of each week's results. Just check the 'Do not wish to be on mailing list' button if you choose not to receive our weekly message. Have fun, and cheer those Cavaliers to victory.

Click Here To Enter!

Blog Banter: Groh The Younger Bama Bound

From The Good Ol' Blog

Jeff White of The Richmond Times-Dispatch made an interesting blog post this afternoon. The topic? Mike Groh is heading to Alabama. Read more here.

One thing is for sure: Al Groh's coaching connections are an impressive list and it looks like that helped out son Mike in this case. Let's hope it works out well for a guy that gave a lot of time and effort to Virginia football as a player and coach.

Read more on The Good Ol' Blog!

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Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• Virginia Posts Impressive 14-10 Win Over Cornell: Top-ranked Virginia used a dominating second-half performance to break open a tight contest and defeat No. 4 Cornell 14-10 this afternoon before 4,547 fans at Klöckner Stadium. The match-up is the first regular season game between the two teams since 1971. With the win the Cavaliers improve to 7-0 this season. "I was more impressed with us today than I was on Friday up at the (Carrier) Dome," said Virginia head coach Dom Starsia. "I thought that this was a gut check win for us. This was a good team that's had a week to prepare for this. I felt like we were a little tired and I give our kids a lot of credit for working hard and taking control of this game in the second half."
• Gardner's Overtime Goal Sends No. 2 Virginia Past Penn State, 12-11: Despite being down 11-5, the No. 2 Virginia women's lacrosse team used a six goal rally late in the second half - and a game winning goal from freshman Julie Gardner with 52 seconds remaining in overtime - to come-from-behind and defeat Penn State, 12-11, on Sunday afternoon in Klöckner Stadium.
• Baseball Finishes Off Sweep of Wake Forest, 21-5: The Virginia baseball team continued its recent offensive onslaught with a 21-5 pummeling of Wake Forest Sunday afternoon at Wake Forest Baseball Park. UVa swept the three-game series, the Cavaliers' first ACC season-opening sweep since 2004 at Georgia Tech. Virginia improved its record to 12-0 this season (3-0 ACC) - the best 12-game start in school history. UVa racked up 47 runs in the series, the Cavaliers' most in an ACC series since the Cavaliers piled up 50 at Maryland in 1990. For the third straight game, every Virginia starter had at least one base hit, and the Cavaliers finished the series with 61 hits, including a season-high 25 on Sunday.
• Henrich, Caponi and Jones Win ACC Titles: Behind ACC champions Chris Henrich, Rocco Caponi and tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler Brent Jones, the Virginia wrestling team surged to a runner-up finish Saturday at the 55th annual ACC Championships at Virginia Tech. Virginia had three individual champions for the first time since the 2002 season.
• Cavaliers Improve to 15-5 with Sweep of Lafayette: The Virginia softball team improved to 15-5 on the season, matching its win total from the 2008 campaign, after sweeping a doubleheader of Lafayette Sunday at The Park. The Cavaliers won the first game 13-1 in five innings and took the second, 8-0, in six.
• UVa Golfers Finish Second at Seminole Intercollegiate: Despite posting its highest score of the week, the Virginia men's golf team did not drop down the leaderboard and finished second at Florida State's Seminole Intercollegiate at Golden Eagle Country Club. The Cavaliers shot 5-over 293 Sunday to complete the 54-hole tourney at even par 864. Vanderbilt, on the strength of a final-round 1-under 287, finished first at 863. Virginia's showing will strengthen the Cavaliers bid to return to the NCAA Championships. They finished ahead of No. 16 Arkansas, No. 26 Florida State and No. 28 Mississippi in the 12-team tournament. Earlier in the week Virginia won the Argonaut Invitational in Pensacola, Fla.

For more Hoo news or to read full releases, check out Virginiasports.com.

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Issue No. 52 - September 5, 2002

Big Weekend For Cavaliers
By Chris Horne

While the Cavaliers tackle the South Carolina Gamecocks this weekend, they will look to impress a number of top 2002 recruits. Headlining the list of blue chippers officially visiting Virginia is State College (PA) All-American tight end prospect Jonathan Stupar.

Stupar, who has earned All-American accolades from virtually every recruiting publication, including Tom Lemming, will be making his first official visit this weekend. And while he and his family have been to Charlottesville on three previous unofficial visits, the thrill of his first official is still high.

"It's my first official, and I can't wait," said Stupar of his impending visit. "It's going to be great. We have been to Virginia three times before, but this will be the first live game action."

The Cavaliers have consistently been at the top of Stupar's list of schools. Factors working in Virginia's favor are, among other things, academics and the relationship with the coaching staff. The Stupars are familiar with Coach Rocco as well as Coach Groh, who coached for the New York Giants when Jonathan's uncle, Jeff Hostetler, was a player there.

"Academically, they are the best," said Stupar of Virginia. "I here the student to teacher ratio is excellent. I really like the coaches as well."

"Plus, Virginia is close to home. Not too close, but close enough."

Check Out SabreMail #52.

Coming Soon

The Sabre has you covered when it comes to Hoo news. Here are a few of the articles to expect on the site soon:

• Baseball Hosts FSU: The Sabre will be at Davenport Field this weekend to follow the Hoos against the Seminoles.
• Photo Galleries: Mike Ingalls has been lugging his camera all around UVa sports venues. Stay tuned for men's basketball and men's lacrosse photos this week!
• Spring Football: What's on tap with the Hoos as spring football approaches?

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

Diane, Hoos Knock Off Terps
Mamadi Diane's senior season at Virginia hasn't exactly been a fairy tale. His Senior Day? Now, that's a different story entirely. Diane poured in 23 points including the go-ahead 3-pointer in the final minute to help the Cavaliers knock off Maryland on Saturday 68-63.

ChalkTalk: Inbounds Plays
The Virginia men's basketball team has struggled in ACC play the last two seasons, compiling an 8-23 record entering Saturday's regular season finale with Maryland. Clearly when a program goes through such a stretch, there are plenty of things to dissect as target areas for improvement. Some are subtle and go unnoticed from the fanbase. Others are easier to spot and draw more attention - a lot more - from the fans. Enter inbounds plays. Try not to groan Cavalier fans. The Sabre takes a look at some of the inbounds plays in this edition of ChalkTalk.

Soroye Makes Final Surge
Earlier this season, fifth-year Virginia big man Tunji Soroye appeared to be done. After receiving a medical redshirt from the NCAA, Soroye hadn't found the fifth season redemption he was hoping for. He didn't play for three games in a row early in the season due to lingering back and knee injuries and when he was playing, the minutes were unproductive, not to mention few and far between.

Leitao: Good Guide Or Goner?
I don't know what I think. About Dave Leitao and Virginia I mean. I've been asked plenty of times on radio shows and otherwise, but I don't know what I think. I know some people have already made up their minds. On both sides. I, however, usually end up answering the question from right down the middle.

Tigers Power Past Virginia
The second half has not been friendly to the Cavaliers this season. Once again, Virginia fell victim to a slow start to the second half and couldn't recover as No. 18 Clemson exploded to a 75-57 victory, avenging UVa's upset victory in Charlottesville earlier this season.

Q&A-Catching Up With Danny Wilmer, Part II
Last week, Sabre columnist Jed Williams visited with former long-time Virginia football assistant coach Danny Wilmer about a variety of topics, including his memories of George Welsh and his current work in Central Virginia. In the interview's second installment, Wilmer shares timeless recruiting tales with The Sabre - from diamonds in the rough to gut-wrenching misses to the reasons behind his prowess on the trail.

Quick Take: Dom Inglot
Led by senior Dom Inglot, the Virginia men's tennis team scored its second, consecutive ITA Indoor Tennis National Championship last month. The Cavaliers completed the task by knocking off No. 3 Georgia. Most recently, the Hoos knocked off in-state rival Virginia Tech to improve to 15-0 on the season. TheSabre.com caught up with Inglot for a Quick Take.

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