Cavs’ closer gains confidence

In Virginia’s seven-overtime win against Maryland in March — the longest game in NCAA history — UVa midfielder Brian Carroll took matters into his own hands.
Carroll, who was being defended by the Terrapins’ top short-stick defensive midfielder, drove hard to his right and fired a missile over the shoulder of goalie Brian Phipps for the game-winner.
The move displayed great
athleticism. It showed tremendous skill. But mainly, the move reeked of confidence.
The funny thing? It was the kind of play Carroll never would have tried last season.
“As he’s gained some confidence and experience in himself, what has happened is that he’s made some things happen for himself,” said Virginia coach Dom Starsia. “He’s been willing to take some more risks and initiate some things on his own.
“In the past, I think he was sort of satisfied to play more of a background role, but this year he’s been much more of a force going to the goal and forcing teams to guard him. It’s made a big difference in us becoming a much more dangerous offensive lacrosse team.”
As Virginia prepares to face Cornell in the NCAA semifinals in Foxborough, Mass., on Saturday, Carroll figures to be, like he has all season, an important cog in an offense that ranks No. 1 in Division I (13.41 goals per game).
This season, the junior has exploded for 29 goals and 10 assists. His 39 points rank fifth on the team. Carroll has three game-winning goals.
“I think I’m becoming more comfortable playing within the six-on-six offense and also playing throughout the whole field,” said the midfielder, when asked about his increased success. “I’ve played more defense this year than I have in the past.
“Last year, almost half my goals were on [extra-man-opportunities]…I think this year I realized that I needed to be a little more forceful on the offensive end and try harder to create things and make some things happen.”
In Virginia’s first-round victory over Villanova, Carroll had a team-high five goals.
“I think he’s just matured as a guy on our team,” said Virginia junior Max Pomper. “He’s stepped into more of a leadership role. He’s the elder statesman of the midfield. He’s been a rock there for us.”
Carroll has scored on 35 percent of his shot attempts. Among the team’s top five scorers, that is the second-best mark.
Starsia says Carroll is one of the best shooters he’s ever been around. According to Starsia, the Towson, Md., native has textbook form.
“For young players in the game, you should be looking at Brian Carroll if you want to see how to shoot the ball,” Starsia said. “It’s the same shot every time. When he comes out to practice on his own beforehand, he shoots the same shot with the same motion, over and over again. It’s a beautiful thing to watch.”
Carroll, whose twin brother, Kevin, also plays for Virginia, was actually a swimmer growing up. When he was around 12, he switched to lacrosse and football, eventually deciding to focus on lacrosse, a sport his father, Dennis, had played at Guilford College.
When it came time for college, Carroll chose Virginia over Princeton and Georgetown.
Coming into this season, UVa’s biggest question mark was in its midfield. Carroll says the unit took that perceived weakness as a challenge.
“I think we realized that our midfield needed to be more productive this year for our offense to be where we wanted it to be,” he said. “We’ve all tried to step up. I think out middies stepping up and scoring more has definitely been one of the positives of our offense in comparison to the last two years.”
Carroll can’t wait for this weekend.
“It’s so much fun to play in the Final Four,” he said. “This whole week leading up to it is a lot of fun, and a great thing to be a part of.
“With the way the first two games have gone, it seems like we may be hitting our stride, which everybody is really excited about, too.”