Now comes the hard part for Virginia lacrosse

BALTIMORE - Virginia coach Dom Starsia could only shake his head at the finality of it all. This wasn't just a season-ending loss his No. 1 Cavaliers had suffered in Saturday night's semifinal against Duke.

It was the end of the vital distraction that helped Starsia and his players cope with the tragedy that enveloped the program after men's lacrosse player George Huguely was charged in the slaying of women's lacrosse player Yeardley Love on May 3. "It would have been so much easier if we won," Starsia said softly.

Instead of two more days to think about lacrosse, the Cavaliers are left with the lingering harsh reality of what transpired a month ago. "Emotionally, this was a lot to handle," Virginia attack Steele Stanwick said. "The season may be over, but we'll stick together through this until it's over."

Both Virginia lacrosse teams stuck by each other, with the men's team dedicating the rest of its season to Love's memory after the women's team was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament. "The final score may be the least important part of what transpired here throughout the spring," Starsia said. " . . . It doesn't diminish who we are and what they battled through . . . I think the ability to stay together helped us all, and I think it helped the women's team that we were able to stay together."