UVA Sweeps ACC Player of the Week Honors
Feb. 12, 2018
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia men’s lacrosse players Ian Laviano and Griffin Thompson swept the ACC Player of the Week honors, as announced by the Atlantic Coast Conference for games played through Feb. 11.
Laviano (Laurel Hallow, N.Y.) was named ACC Offensive Player of the Week and Thompson (Princeton, N.J.) was named ACC Defensive Player of the Week for their efforts in upending then-No. 13 Loyola on Saturday in double overtime, 13-12.
In his collegiate debut, Laviano led UVA with five goals and one assist in the win over Loyola. Laviano’s first goal brought UVA within one goal, 3-2, in the first quarter after the Greyhounds opened the contest quickly with a 3-1 advantage. After Loyola extended its lead to 8-3 to open the third quarter, Laviano scored three goals and assisted another during a 7-0 Virginia run that gave the Cavaliers their first lead of the game, 9-8, with 14:33 remaining in regulation. Laviano’s assist on Cameron Stafford‘s EMO goal started the spurt with 11:23 left in the third. Laviano also scored back-to-back goals with three seconds left in the third and 10 seconds into the fourth to tie and give UVA its first lead of the game. Laviano’s six points are the most by a UVA freshman making his collegiate debut in a season opener since Drew McKnight (2-4-6) in 1997 against Syracuse, while the five goals are the most since Kevin Pehlke’s debut in 1990 against Washington & Lee (5).
Thompson helped UVA upset No. 13 Loyola with 15 saves in between the pipes. During UVA’s 7-0 run that gave the Cavaliers the lead, Thompson made eight saves to help keep the Greyhounds at bay. Thompson picked up six grounds balls, three of which were important as they came off saves that ricocheted in front of the crease, thwarting rebound goal opportunities for Loyola. After National Player of the Year candidate Pat Spencer scored two goals and two assists in the first half, Thompson made three clutch second-half saves on Spencer to help secure UVA’s double-overtime win.
The accolades are the first ACC weekly awards for both Laviano and Thompson. UVA returns to action on Saturday when the Cavaliers head to the “City of Brotherly Love” to face the Drexel Dragons. Faceoff is set for 1 p.m.