The Virginia Cavaliers men’s lacrosse team heads into the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in a strong position following a series of late-season victories, according to an April 28 report by VirginiaSports.com.
The team’s recent resurgence comes after a challenging start to the season. Head coach Lars Tiffany said that despite a triple-overtime loss to Maryland on March 14, he believed it marked a turning point for the Cavaliers. “I told the team, ‘Fellas, it’s so much easier to point towards a win [as the moment] when we turn the season around, but we’re going to remember this through the pain and hurt of this losing locker room right now. This is when we turned the season around. We took a huge step today.'”
After that defeat, Virginia won four consecutive games, including victories over then-No. 1 Notre Dame and then-No. 7 Duke—teams with multiple NCAA titles each. Senior attackman Truitt Sunderland said, “We always knew that we have what it takes… I think it was just a matter of putting it together.” The Cavaliers closed their regular season with a decisive win against Drexel and are currently ranked No. 8 in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association poll and No. 9 in RPI.
Senior midfielder Joey Terenzi commented on their progress: “It’s a special group… I’m proud of this group and what we’ve accomplished.” Sunderland added about their mindset before facing Drexel: “It’s do-or-die lacrosse at this time of year… not only did we want to win, we wanted to dominate [the Dragons] and kind of send a message to the rest of the country that we’re still here.” Tiffany also praised his players’ understanding of program tradition: “These guys understand the legacy and tradition and history of Virginia lacrosse… it’s really rewarding to see.”
Virginia enters Friday’s ACC tournament semifinal as No. 4 seed against top-seeded Notre Dame (10-1). The winner will advance to Sunday’s championship game.
Looking ahead, Tiffany said his focus remains on performing well in Charlotte: “We’re just trying to play our best lacrosse … As we go down to Charlotte, first and foremost, I want to win an ACC tournament,” he said.
