Cavaliers to Face Duke in NCAA First Round

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 10 Virginia women’s lacrosse team earned an at-large bid into the 2009 NCAA Tournament Sunday evening and will travel to fifth-seed Duke in first round action. The game will be played on Sunday, May 10 in Durham, N.C.

Virginia brings an 11-7 record into the contest, while Duke is 13-5.

The at-large bid marks the 14th-straight year the Cavaliers have participated in the NCAA Tournament, and 21st overall. Virginia holds an all-time record of 28-18 in the postseason and has played the second-most tournament games among any other team in the nation.

Against the Blue Devils, the Cavaliers saw a three-game win streak against their conference-foe come to an end, as they fell, 13-12, at home to then-No. 5 Duke on March 28.

Virginia holds the all-time series record at 17-7, though, and the two have faced at least twice in every year since 2001. The Cavaliers have won all but one of those postseason battles – a 6-9 defeat in the 2005 ACC Tournament Title game.

Virginia has faced Duke three times in NCAA Tournament games, winning all three in the semifinals, including staging the largest comeback win in tournament history – a 10-goal run to erase a nine-goal deficit in 2005.

The winner of the contest will advance to the quarterfinal round to face the winner of the No. 2 seed Penn vs. Fairfield game on Saturday, May 16. The semifinals and finals are scheduled for Towson University on May 22-24.