Cavalier Clash Recap

The final East Coast tournament of the fall semester saw another matchup between Virginia, Maryland, and James Madison University. This event was business as usual if you only consider wins and losses, but a closer look reveals some interesting takeaways about how spring might look out east.

JMU 3-1 UMD
UVA 3-1 UMD
JMU 4-2 UVA

JMU (2-0)

The Dukes maintained their undefeated record against UVA and UMD with their trademark aggressive pressure, high energy, and athletic dominance. However, these games weren’t as smooth as the final score may have one believe. The Dukes started out the game against UMD down 1-0, and it took a massive effort from Nick Foss and Jeremy Cheesborough to avoid falling behind 2-1 to open the second half. The JMU game versus Virginia was closer than usual, but the Dukes maintained full control in a 4-2 victory. JMU remains the top dogs on the east coast but it appears that gap may be closing.

UVA (1-1)

UVA finished the day 1-1, with a strong win over UMD and a 4-2 loss to JMU that was closer than the score showed. They opened their home tournament with two dominant catching points against Maryland and never looked back in that game. Wyndham White and Grady Holmes lead the way for the Cavaliers and will both be in discussion for All-Region come April. This UVA team does not have an excess of arm talent but with their strong leadership and catching ability they look ready to hit the spring semester swinging.

UMD (0-2)

The Terrapins closed their fall semester in disappointing fashion with a 0-2 showing in Charlottesville. They began the day on a dominant first point against JMU, applying heavy pressure and not letting the Dukes get any momentum. This wouldn’t hold, and the Dukes would get the best of the Terps winning a 4v1 in the second half to clinch the go ahead point. UMD freshman Andrew Myers and sophomore Franklin Zessis were bright spots in what was a hard fought day. Some of the Terps issues against UVA appeared to be finger injuries or fatigue from not throwing over the Thanksgiving break prior, and they will keep this in mind to avoid the same when they return from winter break in the spring.