No. 4 Seeded UVA Hosts NEC Champion Bryant on Sunday in the NCAA Tournament’s First Round
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia Cavaliers (10-4) hosts the Bryant (9-3) Bulldogs on Sunday afternoon in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament at Klöckner Stadium. Faceoff is set for 12 p.m. UVA is ranked No. 5 in this week’s USILA coaches poll and Inside Lacrosse media poll. Bryant is No. 19 in both polls.
UVA, an at-large selection, is the No. 4 national seed. Bryant earned the AQ as champions of the Northeast Conference (NEC).
HOW TO FOLLOW
Live stats will be available at VirginiaSports.com. The game will be televised live on ESPNU. Chris Cotter will call the play-by-play, while Paul Carcaterra will provide analysis. ESPN2 will also simulcast the broadcast on the WatchESPN app, or by logging onto ESPN.com/watch. There will be a live radio broadcast in the Charlottesville area on WINA 1070 AM and 98.9 FM. Luke Neer will provide the play-by-play and Doug Tarring will add analysis.
CAVALIER TIDBITS
• Virginia is playing in its 40th NCAA Tournament, which is No. 3 all-time behind Johns Hopkins (47) and Maryland (43).
• UVA has a 53-33 all-time playoff record and is fourth in tournament wins behind Johns Hopkins (71), Syracuse (65) and Maryland (63).
• UVA is No. 14 in the nation in caused turnovers per game (8.85), No. 1 in the nation in opponent clearing percentage (.774) and No. 1 in the nation in ground balls per game (44.00)
• FO Petey LaSalla is No. 5 in the nation with 8.46 ground balls per game and No. 6 in faceoff winning percentage with a 66.9 percent success rate.
• Payton Cormier leads UVA with 36 goals in 13 games. He had 12 goals in UVA’s six games in 2020. Cormier also has at least a hat-trick in 10 of his 19 career games. Cormier is No. 5 in the nation with 36 goals.
• Connor Shellenberger leads the nation’s freshmen with 52 points, which ranks No. 8 in the country overall. Shellenberger is also No. 5 in the nation with 29 assists.
• Kyle Kology is No. 6 in the nation with 19 caused turnovers.
SERIES INFO
• The Cavaliers and Bulldogs are meeting for the second time in series history and for the first time in the NCAA Tournament.
• UVA beat Bryant in its first-ever DI game in 2009. The Cavaliers beat the Bulldogs, 10-4, at Klöckner Stadium.
BRYANT
• Mike Pressler is in his 15th season as the head coach of Bryant. The Bulldogs are making their fifth NCAA Tournament appearance under Pressler.
• Bryant is led by Logan McGovern and his 42 points on 17 goals and a team-high 25 assists. Bennett Abladian leads the team with 28 goals and is second on the team with 36 points. In only four games, Marc O’Rourke has 20 goals and three assists. Aidan Goltz rounds out the top Bulldog scorers with 15 goals and 17 points.
• Luke Caracciolo is saving 53.9 percent of shots between the pipes and posting a 10.98 goals against average.
ATTENDANCE GUIDELINES
In accordance with NCAA Championship event guidelines, face coverings must be worn at all times in Klöckner Stadium, including while you are seated, and social distancing guidelines must be strictly followed. Failure to adhere to these guidelines will be grounds for removal from the venue.
UP NEXT
With a win, UVA will advance to the quarterfinals in Hempstead, N.Y., against the winner of Saturday’s game between Georgetown (No. 5 seed) and Syracuse. The quarterfinal matchup will be played at either noon or 2:30 p.m. at James M. Shuart Stadium on the campus of Hofstra University. The quarterfinals will be broadcast on ESPNU.