Five Takeaways from UVA Lacrosse’s Nail-Biting 12-10 Loss to No. 8 Syracuse

Virginia (5-5) suffered a 12-10 loss to open ACC play in a highly competitive game against No. 8 Syracuse (8-2) on Saturday afternoon in Charlottesville, Virginia. Here are our five takeaways from the game.

Hot Start, Cold Finish for Virginia

UVA’s pep band and 3,504 of Virginia’s finest lacrosse fans supplied some much appreciated energy for the Cavaliers in their first ACC matchup of the season. Invigorated, the Hoos rattled off five goals in the first quarter, three more than their upstate opponents. This onslaught was a pleasant departure from UVA’s normal stagnation in settled offense. 

Unfortunately, Virginia’s frenetic pace turned frantic in the fourth quarter as they coughed up four untimely turnovers. Syracuse, on the other hand, avoided turning the ball over at all in the final fifteen minutes of the game, outshooting the Cavaliers 17-4 in that period. The death knell came when––down one goal with 70 seconds to play––McCabe Millon committed an unforced turnover allowing Syracuse to run out the clock. 

If Virginia wants to sneak into the postseason––with an ACC title likely being the only path––it will take four complete quarters of lacrosse.

UVA Dominates the Possession Battle, Can't Capitalize

Andrew Greenspan had an unexpectedly dominant day at the stripe, winning 13 of his 18 face-offs against one of the nation’s top FOGOs. John Mullen, the sophomore face-off specialist for the Orange, has won 67% of his draws this season: good for best in the ACC and fourth best in Division I Lacrosse. UVA’s Greenspan––a sophomore transfer from Notre Dame––has split time with senior Anthony Ghobriel this season, but he stepped up as the starter following an injury to Ghobriel in the second quarter. 

The Cavaliers also won the ground ball battle, collecting 37 to the Orange’s 31. Despite UVA’s additional possessions, they couldn’t overcome Syracuse’s efficiency. The Orange only committed eight turnovers (none of them in the 4th quarter) and outshot the Hoos 52 to 43. 

Syracuse simply got more bang for their buck, allowing them to separate late in the game.

Goalies Shine for Both Sides

The real game-changing performances, however, took place between the pipes. Virginia’s Matthew Nunes and Syracuse’s Jimmy McCool both stood on their heads today––saving 16 and 17 shots respectively. 

Matthew Nunes has taken a long, winding path back to being a starter which included a position battle with Kyle Morris––a battle I thought Morris had initially won. Nunes looks to be taking full advantage of his opportunity, however, as the senior from Texas stifled a potent Syracuse offense and excelled in the clearing game (even though it was seriously distressing to see him setting picks and throwing passes across midfield). 

Jimmy McCool, on the other hand, has been the solidified starter for Syracuse all season. The junior from Massachusetts has the second best save percentage in the ACC at 59%, looking very much the part against Virginia. Whether with his stick, arms, or legs, McCool found a way to fight off 63% of the shots he saw. 

The exceptional play from each net-minder kept the game in reach for both teams for a full 60 minutes.

Virginia's Offense Good, Not Great

It was an encouraging afternoon for Virginia’s offense. McCabe Millon, who has struggled against the nation’s top defenders this season (especially Ohio State’s Bobby Van Buren), shot his way out of the slump, scoring three goals along with three assists. He pushed the pace, moved the ball, and found the back of the net; he looked like himself. 

Colsey, Sunderland, Inderlied, and Wayer all found the back of the net as well, but the most important contributions were the two goals from Bryant transfer, Johnny Hackett. Preseason, Hackett was a projected All-American honorable mention, but only had two points prior to Saturday.

If he can continue to initiate his own offense, involving his teammates as he goes, Virginia will be much more successful in settled six-on-six.

Schroter Squashes Spallina, Syracuse Scores Anyways

For a second straight year, Virginia’s John Schroter held Joey Spallina scoreless in their matchup. Spallina currently has the second most points in high-major, Division I Lacrosse behind CJ Kirst (I’m omitting the top three from Lafayette, Bellarmine, and VMI), but he was stifled by Schroter’s strength on-ball. This was compounded by Luke Rhoa, who scored zero goals on an eye-watering ten shots—an uncharacteristically poor shooting performance. 

Syracuse scored regardless. Owen Hiltz and Michael Leo both had hat tricks, while Sam English and Payton Anderson notched two goals a piece. 

Despite Schroter's big day, the real lesson was the lethality of Syracuse's offense. On a day when Spallina and Rhoa combined for 16 shots, netting none of them, the Orange still scored 12 goals.

Up next, Virginia (5-5) will face off next against No. 3 North Carolina (7-2) in Chapel Hill on April 5th at 4:00 pm.