May 22 — The thought, an ugly one, flashed through Ben Rubeor’s mind as the Maryland men’s lacrosse team raced up field last Saturday, granted the gift of overtime possession because of the senior Virginia attack’s sudden-death turnover in the NCAA quarterfinal.

Maryland short-stick defender Bryn Holmes had just cuffed Rubeor with his stick as the attack swept in front of net, popping the ball loose. The Terrapins called timeout to diagram a play to break the 7-7 deadlock and the Virginia captain was left with his thoughts, one in particular.

My career can’t end like that.

Not after all he’d gone through during his time at Virginia, despite the national championship he’s won and the 211 points he’s scored.

No. Not after fighting all the injuries that hobbled his 5-foot-11, 177 pound frame: the sprained ankles that slowed him up as a freshman and sophomore, the fragile right knee that plagued him as a junior and again this year.

Not after what he went through to get on the field in 2008: the month of rehabilitation, the three games missed, the quiet talk of redshirting (broached gently by head coach Dom Starsia and dismissed swiftly by Rubeor).

Virginia, the No. 2 seed, has made plenty of changes since its early-season overtime win against third-seeded Syracuse at the Faceoff Classic in Baltimore. Fifth-year senior Bud Petit now starts in goal, while freshman Garrett Ince takes the majority of the faceoffs.

But perhaps the biggest change is Rubeor’s health: The two-time Tewaaraton Trophy finalist and two-year team captain said he has felt good for about a month now, as close to 100 percent as he’s been in a while. Rubeor has scored 38 goals and 13 assists this season.

‘We’re much, much tougher to defend with him out there,’ Starsia said in a conference call Monday.

And Rubeor’s peaking as the playoffs roll on.

That’s a boon for the Cavaliers (14-3) and a dilemma for the Orange (14-2) as the two meet again in the national semifinal Saturday at noon (ESPN2) in Foxborough, Mass.

Because yes, Ben Rubeor is prone to injury. But he’s also prone to moments like Saturday, the moment after the Terps failed to score and Virginia regained possession.

Rubeor got his chance. He had a sliver of space in front, enough to bounce a shot in net, his third goal of the day, as his teammates charged the field to meet him and bask in the 8-7 win.

‘There’s no deserve in the playoffs,’ Rubeor said Tuesday. ‘It’s simply what you get. I don’t think I deserved to have it end the way it did. But at the same time, I have invested a lot. I’ve put everything I have into it for four years.’

He’s received plenty of accolades during his Virginia career, be it awards (first-team All American as a junior, second team as a sophomore), a spot in the record books (one of 10 players to score 100 goals at Virginia) or a title ring (he was the second leading scorer on 2006’s undefeated national championship squad).

But his importance has been even clearer this year, as he’s scrapped his way back to full-strength.

‘We would not be the same team without him,’ said Danny Glading, a junior attack and Virginia’s leading scorer (27 g, 34 a). ‘He’s our leader out there. He’s a high-energy guy, and I think that how hard he works on the field really motivates the other people around him. So it’s really important to have him out there with us.’

The senior balances the Virginia attack: His package of left-hand skills complements his two junior linemates – Glading, the quarterback behind the cage, and Garrett Billings, the right-handed sniper.

When he’s on the field, Rubeor’s play sparkles. He feeds. He finishes. He rides. He scoops ground balls. He clears space for teammates.

‘The most obvious thing with Ben,’ Starsia said, ‘is that, for one, he’s just one of the best players in the country. So he just brings an element of experience and talent and ability to the table that we were sorely missing without him.’

But staying on the field? That’s a bit more difficult.

A sprained ankle held him up for two games in 2006, but Rubeor came back strong, notching five goals in a playoff quarterfinal win against Georgetown and four points in the final win over Massachusetts.

His legs, however, would not let life remain easy. He first aggravated his right knee late during the regular season in 2007, then again during the ACC Tournament.

Rubeor limped through Delaware’s upset of the Cavs in the first round of the NCAA tournament last season, held scoreless for just the fourth time in his career.

‘I was out on the field, but I didn’t help the team that day,’ Rubeor said.

After working during the offseason, hoping to rebound from the shock of an early exit, the knee gave out again.

He made a cut in a one-on-one drill during one of the season’s first spring practices of 2008, his foot sticking as the joint twisted. Rubeor sprained his medial collateral ligament and partially dislocated his patella – a replica of his injury the previous year.

But it was worse than that, Starsia said. Bad enough to consider handing his captain a redshirt and shutting him down for the season.

‘It was on the table,’ Rubeor said. ‘But at the same time, that wasn’t something I wanted to do. I really wanted to end my career with my classmates.’

So he went the other route, easing his back through rehab. He missed three games in the interim.

The senior played for the first time against Syracuse in Baltimore, shuffling his way to a goal and two assists. Since then, it’s been about getting his speed and strength back.

He pitched in two goals and an assist in Virginia’s first-round 10-9 win against Maryland-Baltimore County. Then came the hat trick and heroics against Maryland.

That’s important for Rubeor. He wanted to be ready to go for the playoffs, to be in position to contribute.

‘You would have had to put him in a cage to keep him off the field this year,’ Glading said.

This is what Rubeor wanted, one last playoff run with his classmates. The knee isn’t a problem any more, he said.

And that’s a problem for everyone else in Foxborough.

‘I understand injuries can happen,’ Rubeor said. ‘I think worrying about them doesn’t help anything.’

ramccull@syr.edu

Published on May 21, 2008 at 12:00 pm