ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, May 6, 1996 TAG: 9605060149
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
For once, Roanoke College's bubble didn't burst when the NCAA Division III men's lacrosse pairings were announced Sunday.
Eighth-ranked Roanoke received its first NCAA bid since 1992, when it played in the Division III championship game, and will meet unbeaten Salisbury (Md.) State in the first round Saturday.
As expected, Virginia received a bid to the NCAA Division I tournament for the fourth time in coach Dom Starsia's four-year tenure. The Cavaliers, ranked third, will not play until the quarterfinal round May 19 in Baltimore.
It was the second consecutive first-round bye for Virginia, which will meet the winner of this weekend's quarterfinal game between Hofstra and Harvard.
That will mean an extra week of rehabilitation for high-scoring attackman Doug Knight, expected to return to action after suffering a separation of his left shoulder April 21.
There could have been easier first-round opponents for Roanoke than Salisbury, which has not lost an NCAA playoff game since 1993. The Maroons were the last team to beat the Sea Gulls in the regular season, in 1992.
``If you're going to win it all, you've got to beat them somewhere along the way,'' said Bill Pilat, Roanoke's coach. ``I just would have liked to see them a little later.''
Pilat was optimistic the Maroons (11-3) would receive a bid after seventh-ranked Cortland lost to Alfred, but he felt Roanoke would play No.3 Ohio Wesleyan, which he scouted Saturday against Denison.
Pilat felt the selection committee would split the two Ohio schools, but when Ohio Wesleyan routed No.4 Denison 17-5, a rematch was set. Pilat felt geography and expenses figured in the pairing of Salisbury and Roanoke, the southernmost team in the field.
The Roanoke coaches and staff gathered Sunday night on campus to watch the selection show on Home Team Sports. They had met at a local restaurant in 1995, when they stayed home despite a 12-3 mark.
``We're always going to go to a different site if something bad happens,'' Pilat said.
LENGTH: Short : 45 linesby CNB