Dear Old U.Va.

Cavaliers Dismantle Blue Jays

Monday, May 18 2009 by Tim

Two minutes and seven seconds into the first NCAA Quarterfinals game in Annapolis, Johns Hopkins was already celebrating. Michael Kimmel had fed Brian Christopher for a nice shot that whizzed past Virginia goalie Adam Ghitelman and found the back of the cage. The stands, filled primarily with Hopkins fans who had made the short trip down from Baltimore, erupted. The Virginia fans – quite a good showing for them as well, frankly – looked around cautiously at each other and the Hopkins fans. A rather inauspicious start for them, no doubt.

Another five minutes ran off the clock with both teams trading possessions, and the score sitting there at Virginia 0, Johns Hopkins 1.

And then it began.

What would follow was quite simply a barrage of offensive firepower. Rhamel Bratton – slowly breaking out of the post-injury slump – began the assault with 8:50 remaining in the first period. Then came a goal by Danny Glading just thirty seconds later. Then Rhamel again. Then Rhamel’s twin brother Shamel chimed in. Then Garett Billings added two goals in about thirty seconds.

At the end of the first quarter, Virginia held a commanding 6-1 lead over the Blue Jays who looked, quite simply, shell-shocked. The Hopkins fans in the stands hadn’t had a thing to cheer about since that first goal.

But the onslaught wasn’t over yet.

Billings, Shamel Bratton (twice) and Danny Glading would each score again in the second period, while Steele Stanwick and John Haldy also found their way into the mix. Hopkins scored with five seconds remaining in the first half – something Virginia seems to allow disturbingly often this year – but really, it didn’t matter. Virginia once again held a command lead, this time 12-4.

The game was not officially over at that point – there was still another 30 minutes to go. But in reality the nail was already in the coffin. Just to drive that nail in deeper, Shamel Bratton scored less than 45 seconds into the second half. Garrett Billings followed just ten seconds later and then Gavin Gill put one in the cage less than two minutes later. Two and a half minutes into the second half and Virginia had extended their lead to 15-4.

The Cavaliers coasted the rest of the way, backups filling in wherever Dom Starsia could find room. The final score of 19-8 was the largest margin of defeat for Johns Hopkins in its playoff history. But it really wasn’t even that close.

The goals were scored whatever way the Cavaliers felt like scoring. Shamel Bratton had a goal or two from a significant distance that were so fast I’m not sure the Hopkins goalie ever saw them. Stanwick had one of his trademark fake-fake-fake-fake-fake-fake-fake-fake-shoot goals that must simply drive goalies insane. Billings’s had a behind-the-back goal as he ran in front of the cage. At times it seemed more like an exhibition than a quarterfinal match.

Virginia plays Cornell this Saturday in the second semi-final game in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Face-off should be around 2:30pm, depending on how long the first game between Syracuse and Duke takes. Virginia defeated Cornell earlier this season 14-10 in Charlottesville. In that game, Cornell held an early lead, but a second half offensive explosion by the Cavaliers combined with stellar defense on All-American Max Siebald held the Big Red in check.

As usual, pictures from this game are up in the photo gallery.