It seems like old times for No. 5 Virginia, with two St. Paul's School graduates leading the attack. And no one can match the production of the Cavaliers' offense, which has been cracking the 20-goal mark every other game.
So why does everyone want to talk about Virginia's defense?
Just look at the numbers. Or the lack thereof.
The Cavaliers extended their shutout string to 66 straight minutes by blanking Ohio State, 21-0, on Tuesday. Holding opponents to six goals a game this season, Virginia has only allowed more than two goals in a quarter once over the past four games.
In the second week of the season, Virginia became the hot topic when it upset Princeton, 6-4, holding the Tigers to their lowest goal total this decade. More importantly for the defense, it was the fewest goals scored in a Cavaliers victory since 1973.
"It's a nice feeling that you don't have to rely on your offense to score 15 or 16 goals to win a game," defensive midfielder Peter Ragosa said. "It's good to know going into a game that your defense can determine the outcome."
And the defensive makeup might be more interesting than the statistics.
Ryan Curtis, one of the nation's best defensemen, has more well-known roots in football, being the son of former Baltimore Colts linebacker Mike Curtis. Ragosa wanted to play hockey in college and was only recruited by Virginia for lacrosse.
The other close defensemen, Doug Davies (St. David's, Pa.) and Mark Koontz (Columbus, Ohio), aren't from the typical lacrosse hotbeds. In fact, Koontz might be the biggest surprise, stepping into the starting lineup as a freshman for John Harvey, who is questionable with a sprained ankle for Saturday's game at No. 3 Johns Hopkins.
It's a group that has forged superior protection for freshman goalkeeper Derek Kenney. In the past four games, Virginia has surrendered an average of 20 shots, with only half making it on goal.
Greyhounds' nemesis
Name the school that has the most victories at Loyola this decade.
Syracuse? Nope. Johns Hopkins or North Carolina? That's a double negative.
It's Brown, which has a 1-3 record this season, but carries a 5-1 mark against the Greyhounds at Curley Field. The Bears, who face top-ranked Loyola at Curley on Saturday, have also beaten the Greyhounds seven times in the '90s, tying Syracuse for the most wins over Loyola this decade.
Test for Georgetown
Let's see if No. 7 Georgetown can back up its claim.
After Sunday's victory over UMBC, Hoyas star attackman Greg McCavera said: "I think we're one of the best teams out there, if not the best."
The Hoyas (4-0), winners of eight straight at home, will measure their national standing Saturday when they play host to No. 2 Duke. It's a matchup of two of the five remaining undefeated teams in Division I and pits the high-scoring Georgetown attack against the physical and stubborn Blue Devils defense.
Round Two for Hens
Delaware overcame one annual roadblock by ending Hofstra's 21-game America East winning streak two weeks ago. Now the No. 8 Fighting Blue Hens (4-0) encounter another Sunday when they play host to No. 10 Navy (3-2).
Delaware has only beaten the Midshipmen once in 15 meetings, upending Navy in 1996. But that's a distant memory for most of the Blue Hens, who have lost to Navy by a combined 19 goals the past two years.
Ill Syracuse omen
For the first time since 1987, Syracuse does not have a player on its roster who has won a national championship. And that should have signaled a bizarre year.
The Orangemen (3-1) have only outshot one opponent this season and that was a 32-30 edge over Yale on March 13. On Saturday, Syracuse was outshot by Hopkins, 44-21, in the final three quarters and scored just two second-half goals.
Who will stop Terps?
The four-time defending national champion and top-ranked Maryland women's team (7-0) already has beaten five teams ranked among the top eight. All of its wins have come over ranked teams and three wins have come over teams that were ranked No. 2 in preseason or during the first three weeks of the season.
Quotable
"We're not Carolina lovers, even if they hadn't beaten Princeton. That baby blue stuff doesn't sit well with me, no matter what happens. I'll be ready. But sheez, I don't have any eligibility left. I got to find a way to get the other 38 guys as emotionally ready."
-- Maryland coach Dick Edell on the No. 6 Terrapins playing host to No. 14 North Carolina on Saturday.
Stat of the week
No. 11 Princeton, which is 0-3, is off to the worst start for a defending national champion since the NCAA tournament began determining the national champion in 1971. The Tigers are just the second defending titlist to have a losing record after three games the next year, joining the 1995 Princeton squad. A look at the other four defending champions that failed to have a winning record the following season after four games and how they fared in the playoffs:
Yr School Start Finish
'83 N. Carolina 2-2 Semis
'92 N. Carolina 2-2 Semis
'95 Princeton 2-2 Qtrs
'96 Syracuse 2-2 Semis
Pub Date: 3/25/99