Stanwick leads Virginia to final

BALTIMORE -- Another playoff game and another Virginia opponent ensnared in the Steele trap, from which there is no escape.

Steele Stanwick, a junior attack playing in his hometown, had his third consecutive postseason hat trick to go with two assists as Virginia cruised to a 14-8 victory over Denver Saturday in an NCAA Tournament Division I men's lacrosse semifinal at M&T Bank Stadium, home of the NFL Ravens.

It was an appropriate setting because Stanwick "is a great quarterback," said Nick O'Reilly of South Side, who for the second week in a row made a significant contribution with a goal and an assist as the Cavaliers built a 9-2 first-half lead. "He draws a lot of attention to him and then he gets everyone involved. He's amazing and he's really elevated his game."

With nine goals and 11 assists in three playoff games, Stanwick probably has locked up the Tewaaraton Award. The sport's version of the Heisman Trophy will be voted on after Monday's championship game between Virginia and Maryland.

Stanwick had three goals and five assists, including the game-winning overtime feed, in Virginia's 13-12 first-round victory over Bucknell. He had three goals and four assists in the Cavs' 13-9 upset victory over No. 2 Cornell at Hofstra last week in a quarterfinal. He easily would've exceeded both of those totals Saturday if Virginia needed it. Instead, coach Dom Starsia elected to milk the clock in the second half, drawing a stall warning on nearly every possession.

"If you play fast and take bad shots, you get criticized," Starsia said. "We were trying for a balance between killing the clock and still moving the ball. It was an offensive dilemma out there and I even heard the crowd booing a little bit. But to me, frankly, it was a work of art."

In Stanwick, Starsia has an artful dodger. He beat his man from behind the cage for the first goal and scored another unassisted beauty to make it 4-1. He added an assist on one of Chris Bocklet's three goals before halftime, then added a goal and an assist in the third quarter before Virginia essentially stopped trying to score.

"He has special skills -- great hands and great eyes,'' Starsia said. "Those are just his physical skills. He's also just a great kid. His real skill is making the people around him better. He's that point guard that lifts everybody, one of those rare athletes that impacts everyone around him."

Virginia had a deeper and more varied offense for much of the season. But high-scoring midfielders Shamel and Rhamel Bratton of Huntington were dismissed from the team late in the season for violation of team policies and potent middie Colin Briggs did not play for what Starsia called a "team matter." The Cavs didn't miss a beat because they march to the rhythm of the Steele drum.

"As we have retooled offensively in these past two weeks, the ball goes through Steele's hands on every possession," Starsia said. "And nobody minds."