For any player, especially a freshman, the opportunity doesn’t happen a lot. During the 2003 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship, Virginia’s Matt Ward was in the position to make a key play. And he took it upon himself to make it happen.

Leading 9-7 with 1:30 remaining, Johns Hopkins’ Corey Harned intercepted a Virginia pass and sprinted down the field. The problem for the Blue Jays was that Ward was right behind him. Ward sprinted 40 yards to deck Harned, knocking the ball out of bounds.

The stop secured Virginia’s 2003 National Championship win. Obviously, with the title at stake, Ward had extra incentive to hustle back on the opposite end of the field and bring Hopkins’ fast break to a halt. But Ward doesn’t back away from anything at any other moment. And especially during a tight game, Ward finds a way.

‘Losing makes me sick to my stomach,’ the junior attackman said. ‘No matter what, I’ll do anything not to let that happen.’

Ward and the rest of the Cavaliers want to carry that mindset into its matchup against No. 3 Syracuse at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Carrier Dome.

Ward carries that competitive spirit wherever he goes – in games, in practice, at Virginia’s highly selective commerce business school, the football field and the basketball court.

Ward was a multi-talented athlete as a linebacker, fullback, point guard, and of course, an attackman for the Landon School in Bethesda, Md. He even possessed an impressive golf swing and tennis serve, but it never amounted to high school competition despite the constant invitations from the athletic department to join. To top it off, Ward had the luxury of having Rob Bordley as his coach for both football and lacrosse.

At Virginia, Ward’s primary concern now is lacrosse, despite the fact he starred in basketball and football.

His involvement in numerous sports eventually earned Ward the nickname Piggy. Bordley would tease Ward, saying he has the body of a linebacker more so than that of an attackman. And during those rainy games, Bordley would say the field is Ward’s trough.

‘He doesn’t have that washboard stomach,’ Bordley joked.

Ward doesn’t bear the multi-sport athlete title anymore, at least during lacrosse season. Virginia head coach Dom Starsia encourages his players to play pick-up basketball and flag football to keep physically active during the off-season.

‘You learn to play team defense in lacrosse by playing hockey, soccer and football,’ Starsia said. ‘You learn offensive sets by playing basketball. The best guys in lacrosse who understand the sport are all multi-sport athletes. The kids who are playing those sports are used to the physical demands.’

In 2004, Ward exploded with 33 goals and 13 assists. Those numbers, however, didn’t transcend into many victories. Virginia finished 5-8 without primary scorers John Christmas and Joe Yevoli, who both suffered injuries, but Ward assumed a leadership role that season as a sophomore. The losing record was an aberration compared to the national championship runs in 1999 and 2003.

In 2003, the Cavaliers brought Inside Lacrosse’s No. 3 freshman under its wing. Playing behind the spotlight of attackmen Christmas and Yevoli, Ward didn’t have the pressure to score. But when defenders keyed on those two men, Ward would be there for the goal. It happened 26 times.

By the time Christmas and Yevoli stepped down due to injury, Ward already transitioned his role on the team.

‘I don’t think he had to adapt too much,’ Christmas said, who is fully healthy for 2005. ‘He did that in high school. He’s used to having that pressure on him. If anything it was just waiting for his time to step in and do it.’

Ward has a personal challenge to meet this year, as well. Ward suffered a high ankle sprain during practice in February. The injury was supposed to keep Ward away from the lacrosse field for at least three weeks during preseason.

‘Sitting out on the sport for three weeks is something I don’t want to do,’ Ward said. ‘Losing those weeks may not seem like a lot, but losing it in lacrosse can really offset you. Those weeks of conditioning can do a lot. Maybe I’m a little further behind than in previous years, but I’m trying hard at it and trying to be in the best shape that I can.’

So to alleviate the injury, Ward rose early for rehab by running on the treadmill and peddling on the stationary bike in the training room. And to speed up the process, Ward received twice as many treatments.

Ward worked so hard he was allowed to play after only two weeks. So far the junior has tallied eight goals for the Cavaliers this season.

But Ward’s quickness hasn’t been up to par and his ball handling has sometimes led to turnovers.

‘For a boy who has no speed, he has to catch up,’ Starsia said. ‘When you’re at the top of your game, your sprinting and changing direction hard comes easy. But if you don’t have all the juice in your tank, you tend to take shortcuts. He is guilty in that regard.’

Starsia and Ward said the turnovers and speed is not a concern, and is just a result of missing significant practice time due to injury. They both stressed extra conditioning, especially for players coming off injuries, but noted there’s a chance of re-aggravating the injury if they’re not careful.

‘Matt attacked his injury the way he attacks everything,’ Bordley said. ‘He thought, ‘I will just have to work that much harder to rehabilitate the ankle.’ That’s typical Matt Ward.’

Published on March 2, 2005 at 12:00 pm