Division I Men :      May 21, 2005 [ The Game Story]
Virginia 10 Navy 8 Scoring: Scoring: Ben Rubeor Kyle Dixon Matt Poskay John Christmas Drew Thompson Brendan Gill Ricky Smith (3, 2) (1, 3) (4, 0) (1, 2) (1, 0) (0, 1) (0, 1) Billy Looney Graham Gill Ben Horn Nick Mirabito (3, 1) (2, 1) (2, 1) (1, 0) Saves: Saves: Kip Turner 10  (0.556) Matt Russell 12  (0.545) Current Record :     (11-3) Current Record :     (12-4) Team Page For 2005 Team Page For 2005       The Game Story:

Matt Poskay scored a game-high four goals and Ben Rubeor tallied three goals and two assists to lead fourth-seeded Virginia to a 10-8 win over fifth-seeded Navy in a NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Quarterfinal matchup at Homewood Field. The Cavaliers return to the semifinals for the 24th time after missing the tournament last season. They meet top-seeded Johns Hopkins in the semifinals next Saturday, May 28, at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field.

Virginia took the game's first lead and, despite three ties, never let Navy get ahead. After the Cavaliers took their biggest lead, 7-4, midway through the third quarter, the Midshipmen fought back to tie the game at eight with 11:02 remaining in the game.

Virginia rallied with two straight goals in the final 5:21, beginning with Drew Thompson's game-winner off an assist form Kyle Dixon.

"My instinct has been to shoot low, but we practiced all week to prepare ourselves against the goalie (Matt Russell), who is good stopping the low shots," Thompson said. "My last goal I shot high and got it past him."

Despite losing 16 of 22 face-offs throughout the game, Virginia regained ball control and was able to score again to seal the win. Rubeor's third goal came off a setup from John Christmas and insured the Cavaliers their 24th all-time trip to the NCAA semifinals.

Virginia used a balanced attack against Navy, as five players combined for the 10 goals . Kyle Dixon added one goal and a game-high three assists, and Christmas had one goal and two assists. In goal, Kip Turner finished with 10 saves and five ground balls.

Billy Looney led Navy in scoring with three goals and an assist, while Ben Horn added two goals an assist. Horn ended his season on a 17-game goal-scoring streak. Graham Gill finished with two goals and an assist, concluding his career with 100 points. Russell had 12 saves and eight ground balls in goal.

Virginia out-shot Navy 32-30 although the Midshipmen had an 8-3 shot advantage in the final quarter. Navy outplayed Virginia on ground balls, winning 46 to the Cavaliers' 38, and on face-offs, where the Midshipmen won 16 of 22.

Virginia, the 2003 national champion, has now won its last six games and meets undefeated Johns Hopkins for the second time this year. In the first game, the Blue Jays won 9-7 at Homewood Field on March 26. The time of the semifinal has yet to be announced.

Earlier today, Johns Hopkins defeated Massachusetts 19-9 to advance to the Final Four.