He’s everybody’s Bud

By Whitey Reid

Published: April 11, 2008

When Bud Petit returned to the Virginia lacrosse team this spring as a fifth-year senior, he had one goal - to accomplish something he hadn’t been able to do in his preceding four years on grounds.
Petit wanted more than anything to be UVa’s starting goalie.
The objective seemed pretty attainable.
Petit had served as the main backup to departed senior Kip Turner for the better part of two years. He had more experience than any of the other candidates for the position. And Petit was extremely well liked by his teammates.
However, about a week before Virginia opened up against Drexel, coach Dom Starsia gave Petit some bad news: freshman Adam Ghitelman had earned the starting assignment.
“I thought I was playing my best lacrosse, so it was frustrating,” Petit said, “because you think you’re at the top of your game and it’s still not good enough because [Ghitelman] was playing better.
“I came back [to Virginia] trying to be the starter, so it was kind of a buzz-kill at first, but I’m old enough and mature enough to know that it’s not about playing time. It’s just being part of the team.”
It’s that type of attitude that has endeared the
23-year-old Petit to teammates. It’s also the approach that has - at least temporarily - enabled him to take the position from Ghitelman.
This afternoon, Petit will make his second straight start when No. 3 Virginia hosts No. 2 Duke.
Talk to just about any UVa player and it quickly becomes obvious how much they enjoy playing with the affable Petit.
“I think he’s definitely one of the most charismatic players on the team,” said Virginia sophomore Ken Clausen. “He’s always ready to go and can get you fired up.
“Having him in goal brings an excitement to the field. He makes big saves and provides motivation to play at the level he’s at.”
That’s exactly what transpired in Chapel Hill last weekend. If it wasn’t for Petit’s play, Virginia never would have been able to come back from a late three-goal deficit to beat UNC in overtime.
The 6-foot-4 Petit finished with 13 saves. The win prevented Virginia (10-1, 1-1) from losing its first two ACC games and gave the squad some much-needed confidence heading into tonight’s game.
“If we play our best, it should be good enough to beat them,” said Petit, when asked about facing Duke (11-1, 2-0). “They’re not unbeatable. Everyone wants to [hype] them up, but we lost to them by one goal last year and we both return pretty much everyone. All the pressure’s on them I think.”
Pressure was what gave Petit gave a chance to start at UNC. Ghitelman played well in his 10 starts, but, at times, seemed overwhelmed.
With the freshman in goal, Virginia won its first nine games of the season. But after a 13-7 loss at Maryland on March 29, Starsia decided his team needed a spark.
Petit certainly provided that against the Tar Heels. Now the Midlothian native - who starred at the Collegiate School in Richmond - can’t let up if he wants to keep the job.
“I think it’s sort of day-to-day,” said Starsia, when asked about the starting goalie spot. “I don’t want Bud to be playing looking over his shoulder, but we have some good goalies in the program.
“We need to have championship goalie play whoever’s playing.”
Petit, a studio art major who is now attending graduate school, is known as a bit of a wild child. A of couple years ago, he engaged in a one-on-one practice duel with former UVa captain Conor Gill that players still talk about.
“We were yelling at each other back and forth,” Petit said, “and literally the whole team just stood there and watched.”
Petit is the first to admit he has a zany streak.
“There will be some days where I’m just out of control,” he said. “I’ll be like, ‘There’s nothing that doesn’t matter!’
“I think guys kind of like [that attitude]. It’s different. It’s not the normal quiet goalie like Tillman [Johnson] and Kip [Turner] were.”
Starsia seems to choose his words carefully when describing Petit’s personality.
“He’s an emotional, creative soul,” Starsia said. “I’ve had some very emotional meetings with him on more than one occasion.”
One of them occurred prior to Virginia’s championship season in 2006. Petit, a redshirt sophomore at the time, thought he had outplayed Turner and deserved to be the starter.
“I just said, ‘Kip is better. It’s not far apart, but he’s better,’” Starsia recalled.
Petit stormed out of Starsia’s office. He quit the team before returning a couple of days later.
Petit seems to have grown up a lot since then. Back in February, when Starsia informed him that he was choosing Ghitelman as his starter, Petit kept his cool.
“Before I got the whole thing came out of my mouth, he said, ‘[Ghitelman’s] really good, coach,’” Starsia said. “He had no problem with it and was very supportive.”
It’s the same kind of support Petit now receives from his teammates.
“Being a fifth-year senior, everyone knows what he’s been through,” Clausen said, “and it’s something everyone can learn from.”

The Petit File
Given name: Michael
Nicknames: Bud, Bean
Born: Chicago
Hometown: Richmond
Age: 23
Favorite movie: “A Bronx Tale”
Favorite music: 311
One thing people don’t know: “I was a studio art major.”