Tierney's analysis

Goalkeeper: Hopkins' Brian Carcaterra is a first-teamer and is playing his best lacrosse. He can stir Hopkins' players. And you have a freshman on the other end in Virginia's Derek Kenney. One of Hopkins' goals will be to get a lot of shots on Kenney to see how he handles it. I think Virginia has more shooters and Hopkins has the better goalie, which could present the opportunity for an overtime or one-goal game. This the biggest edge in any of the games. Edge: Hopkins, large margin.

Faceoff: Hopkins' Eric Wedin against Virginia's Jason Hard and David Jenkins is 50-50. But Virginia has two of them. The more important the game and the hotter the day, the more faceoffs can wear on you. Wedin is not the greatest technique-wise, but he is a warrior. Edge: Virginia, since it's two against one.

Key for Virginia: Can it get to Carcaterra? Virginia will get its shots, no question. If the Cavs get to 14, they win. But getting to Carcaterra is not easy.

Key for Hopkins: Can it keep the pace down? It runs well, but is at its best when the ball is in its stick for a long period of time. The Blue Jays have to be selective in their attempts on goal. They have to remember who got them there: Dan Denihan and A.J. Haugen. If Curtis shuts down Dan Denihan and Virginia's Peter Ragosa can handle Haugen, then it's going to be tough to ask Conor Denihan and Dylan Schlott to carry the load for Hopkins.

Overall: Virginia, slight.

Pub Date: 5/29/99