Game Preview: Stony Brook Takes on Virginia in Rematch of 2010 Quarterfinal

The Seawolves enter Saturday's game against No. 1 Virginia as the No. 5 team in the nation, according to the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association coaches' poll.

"We do have this lofty preseason ranking," Sowell said on Thursday. "While it’s a nice thing to have … we understand that we have to play well. Our focus has been getting prepared and not really talking about rankings."

The game, set for 12 p.m. at LaValle Stadium, is a rematch of the 2010 NCAA Division I quarterfinal game between Virginia at Stony Brook. A sold-out crowd of more than 10,000 fans watched the Cavaliers beat the Seawolves, 10-9. Saturday's game will be Stony Brook's ninth all-time game against Virginia – a series which Virginia has swept thus far. An athletic department spokesman said more than 700 advance tickets have been sold as of Thursday.

The Seawolves (13-4 in 2010) graduated a major component of last year's team in Steve Waldeck, who has recently seen some action with . But with in the Major League Lacrosse draft in January, and six returning starters overall, they are still pretty stacked.

So is Virginia, of course, with seven returning starters from last year's team, which finished with a 16-2 record after a semifinal loss to eventual champion Duke. The Cavaliers' transition game is said to be intense and Sowell said defensive unity will be a priority.

"There’s probably no more athletic or faster team in the country" than Virginia, he said. "We have to limit our turnovers, whether it’s on the offensive end or the defensive end of the field. We can’t be giving them the ball back and extending offensive possessions for Virginia."

A look at a few of the key players on each team:

Stony Brook (0-0) Position Virginia (2-0) Tom Compitello. This 5-10 senior, who was drafted as the No. 28 overall pick in the MLL draft, finished the 2010 season with 37 goals and 35 assists. He scored three times in last year's first-round NCAA playoff game against Denver. Attack Chris Bocklet. Led the Cavaliers in scoring in 2010 with 53 goals, including three against Stony Brook in Virginia's's 10-9 NCAA quarterfinal win last year. The 6-0 junior is known for being in the right place at the right time.
Jordan McBride. Already the leading scorer in school history with 134 goals, the 6-0 McBride was the No. 14 overall MLL pick and has had three straight seasons with 40 or more goals. Attack Steele Stanwick. Wow, what a name. And he's got a resumé that fits it. The former ACC rookie of the year was the No. 1 high school recruit in the country. Now a junior, he enters the 2011 season ranked No. 12 in Division I in assists per game. Kevin Crowley. The 6-4 senior begins the season as the No. 1 overall MLL draft pick and Lacrosse Magazine's preseason player of the year. He scored 51 goals and 26 assists in 2010 and is 26 points shy of the school record.
Midfield Rhamel Bratton. The 6-1 senior is known for his speed and has recorded some memorable performances in big games. In 2010, he scored three times against No. 12 Johns Hopkins and a career-best four times against No. 1 Syracuse. Adam Rand. A face-off specialist who enters the 2011 season ranked eleventh in the NCAA in face-offs both attempted and won. The 5-11 senior was the No. 31 pick overall in the MLL draft. Midfield Shamel Bratton. Shamel scored three goals against Stony Brook in Virginia's's 10-9 NCAA quarterfinal win last year. Finished the 2010 season with 24 goals and 17 assists. Jak Wawrzyniak. The 6-4 freshman – yes, that's right, a freshman – is expected to have an immediate impact on defense. He was the youngest player for Team England at the World Championships in 2010. Defense Matt Lovejoy. The redshirt junior is known as a tough one-on-one defender with a penchant for picking up ground balls. He was credited with keeping McBride scoreless during a nonleague matchup against Stony Brook in 2010. Rob Camposa. Beyond his career-high 16 saves in the 2009 America East final, the 6-5 redshirt senior may lack the same kind of big-game experience his Cavalier counterpart has, but owns a career save percentage of .502. Goal Adam Ghitelman. The 5-9 goaltender finished the 2010 season with a .563 save percentage, putting him at No. 15 in the nation. His 13 saves against Stony Brook in the 2010 NCAA quarterfinals helped preserve Virginia's win.