Virginia to Play North Carolina in First Event at New Meadowlands

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – For the second straight year, the Virginia men’s lacrosse team will face North Carolina in the second annual Konica Minolta Big City Classic, a college lacrosse tripleheader organized by Inside Lacrosse magazine. The second-year affair, previously held at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., will serve as the first-ever event held at the New Meadowlands Stadium, next door to its predecessor. The tripleheader will be contested on April 10, opening the state-of-the-art facility.

The Cavaliers and Tar Heels are scheduled to faceoff at 4 p.m. in the day’s second game, following Delaware/Hofstra at 1 p.m. The third game will feature Princeton against defending national champion Syracuse, set to face off at 6:30 p.m., as each matchup mirrors the inaugural event in April 2009, concluding a two-year commitment by all programs involved.

UVa, in the inaugural event, rode three goals each by Danny Glading and Shamel Bratton, as then No. 1 Virginia narrowly topped No. 10 North Carolina, 11-10, in the neutral site ACC matchup.

Last year, the inaugural Big City Classic broke the attendance record for a regular season, lacrosse-only event with 22,308 fans in Giants Stadium. The second year of the event will break new ground for the sport as the first event to ever be played at the New Meadowlands Stadium. This state-of-the-art facility will open its gates to lacrosse fans at the Konica Minolta Big City Classic before serving as the new home for the NFL’s Giants and Jets. The Konica Minolta Big City Classic gives New York area sports fans the chance to get an early look at the much-anticipated stadium.

The six lacrosse teams involved are worthy of the big stage. Delaware, Hofstra, North Carolina, Princeton, Virginia and Syracuse have advanced to the NCAA Semifinals a combined 69 times. They have won 25 NCAA championships, including the back-to-back titles claimed by Syracuse during the last two seasons.

This is the fourth consecutive year the Cavaliers will participate in a major regular-season lacrosse event. Prior to last year’s Big City Classic, UVa defeated Syracuse in the Inside Lacrosse Face-Off Classic at Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium in back-to-back seasons (2007-08).

“The Big City Classic has quickly become one of the premier events of the college lacrosse regular season,” said Virginia head coach Dom Starsia. “We are all very excited to be playing in the first athletic event in the new Meadowlands Stadium. For a college lacrosse fan, the combination of these match-ups, at this location and in this venue is a unique, “can’t miss” opportunity. The Cavs and the Tar Heels in the “Big City” … sounds pretty good!”

Bob Carpenter, publisher of Inside Lacrosse, is excited about the event. “The fact that a college lacrosse lineup will open up the New Meadowlands Stadium is simply an amazing opportunity,” said Carpenter. “This allows us to raise the profile of lacrosse and continue attracting new fans to the sport.”

Ticket packages go on sale Nov. 12, 2009, for the Konica Minolta Big City Classic. Ticket prices for the event range from $15 to $45. All seating locations for the event are reserved.

Virginia will release the remainder of its 2010 schedule in the near future.