CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – After going head-to-head each year from 1948-2019, No. 2 Virginia (4-0) and No. 14/15 Johns Hopkins (3-2) are set to resume the historic series on Saturday (March 5) at Klöckner Stadium. Opening faceoff is slated for 1 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.

The teams will be competing in the 15th Doyle Smith Cup matchup. The Cavaliers, who currently possess the cup, are 8-6 in Doyle Smith Cup contests.

SEASON OVERVIEW

  • The 2022 season marks the 93rd season for the Virginia men’s lacrosse program, which boasts an all-time record of 679-376-1.
  • Virginia is seeking its third consecutive national championship, having won titles in 2019 and 2021. No national championship was held in 2020 after the NCAA announced on March 12, 2020 that it had canceled all remaining winter and spring championships due to the onset of COVID-19.
  • The Cavaliers are also seeking to become just the third program in NCAA in Division-I men’s lacrosse history to capture three consecutive NCAA titles. Only Princeton (1996-98) and Johns Hopkins (1978-80) have won three straight NCAA championships. Syracuse won NCAA titles from 1988-90, but the 1990 championship was later vacated by the NCAA.

LAST TIME OUT

  • Virginia handed then-No. 9 Syracuse its largest defeat in series history, 20-11, at Klöckner Stadium.
  • The Cavaliers led 8-1 at the end of the first quarter after Syracuse’s lone goal of the period was bookended by a pair of 4-0 runs by UVA.
  • With his first faceoff victory against the Orange, Petey LaSalla (19-28 FO), the reigning ACC Defensive Player of the Week, became the program’s all-time leader in career faceoff wins.
  • Connor Shellenberger (3 goals, 4 assists) Matt Moore (3 goals), Payton Cormier (3 goals) and Griffin Schutz (3 goals) all notched hat tricks against Syracuse.

NUMBERS TO KNOW

3.  Virginia is seeking to become just the third NCAA men’s lacrosse program to win three consecutive national titles in 2022, which would put itself in a category with Princeton (1996-98) and Johns Hopkins (1978-80).

35.  Graduate attackman Matt Moore needs just 35 points to become the all-time leading point leader in program history. Moore currently has 235 points (124 goal & 111 assists). Steele Stanwick currently holds the program record with 269 points.

95.  Virginia and Johns Hopkins are meeting for the 95th time, dating back to the first-ever matchup between the two teams in 1904. The Cavaliers have not played more games against any other team in program history.

THE SERIES VS. JOHNS HOPKINS

  • The Blue Jays lead the all-time series over UVA, 61-32-1.
  • The Cavaliers won the most recent meeting in 16-11 fashion at Homewood Field in 2019.
  • Dating back to 1904, Saturday’s matchup marks the 95th meeting between the two teams. Virginia has not faced any opponent more than Hopkins in program history.
  • The two teams met at least once every season from 1948-2019.
  • Five of the last 10 meetings have gone to overtime. UVA is 3-2 in such games.

THE CLASH FOR THE DOYLE SMITH CUP

  • Upon the Doyle Smith Cup’s inaugural matchup in 2006, Virginia and Johns Hopkins joined together to honor E. Doyle Smith, Jr., for his lifetime of contributions to the lacrosse programs at both schools and on the national level with the annual winner laying claim to the cup.
  • Smith served as team manager and statistician for Johns Hopkins under coach Bob Scott from 1963-1968.
  • He enrolled at UVA to pursue a doctorate in the fall of 1968, and became the University’s first full-time assistant sports information director, a position he held for 31 years until his retirement in 1999, serving as the lacrosse team’s publicist for four head coaches—Buddy Beardmore, Glenn Thiel, Jim Adams and Dom Starsia.
  • On the national level, Smith was one of the nation’s foremost authorities on the sport as his name is synonymous with the game’s history and record keeping.
  • He is credited with writing the original manuscript that later became the framework for the current NCAA statisticians’ manual for men’s lacrosse.
  • He served as the information director compiling the weekly rankings and statistics for the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) from 1973-95 and twice received its Man of the Year Award. The USILA media award bears his name.
  • In 2000, he was elected to the US Lacrosse Hall of Fame and is believed to be the only individual inducted who never played or coached the game at some level.
  • Smith passed away in June 2004, not long after the 2004 national championship game.
  • Virginia currently leads Hopkins 8-6 in Doyle Cup Smith meetings since the inaugural matchup in 2006.

VIRGINIA IN THE POLLS

  • Virginia has been ranked in the top five of the USILA Coaches poll in 303 weeks all-time, including in the most recent edition of the poll.
  • UVA has been ranked in the top 10 in 455 polls all-time, including in the most recent edition of the poll.
  • UVA has been ranked No. 1 in the nation in 71 all-time polls, including in the 2022 preseason poll.
  • The USILA Poll began in 1973.

SLOW STARTS, STRONG FINISHES

  • In its first three games, Virginia did not lead at the end of the first period and was out-scored 9-3 by its opponents.
  • However, after grasping an 8-1 lead at the end of the first in its most recent win over Syracuse, UVA has now out-scored its opponents 11-10 in opening periods.
  • Despite three slow starts, the Cavaliers are 4-0 in large due to out-scoring their opponents by a combined margin of 48-19 in second and third periods.
  • Overall, Virginia leads its 2022 foes in scoring 70-41, producing a 7.25 average margin of victory.

CONNOR SHELLENBERGER, THE NATION’S LEADER IN ASSISTS

  • Connor Shellenberger is currently tied for first in assists per game (4.25).
  • Shellenberger has posted at least three assists in all four games so far this season, including five in back-to-back games against Air Force (Feb. 5) and High Point (Feb. 13) to open the season.
  • Shellenberger has also tallied at least five points in his last eight games, dating back to the Cavaliers’ NCAA Tournament first round matchup against Bryant (May 16, 2021).
  • Shellenberger has dished out at least one assist in 21 of his 22 career games.

HOOS IN THE NATIONAL STATISTICAL RANKINGS

  • Virginia is currently leading the nation in ground balls (43.50/gm), second in opponent clear percentage (.691), fourth in scoring offense (17.50/gm) and points (27.50/gm), fifth in assists (10.00/gm) and man-down defense (.846), sixth in faceoff win percentage (.615), scoring margin (7.25/gm) and turnovers (14.00/gm), eighth in shot percentage (.355) and 10th in caused turnovers (10.25/gm).
  • In addition to Shellenberger being tied for first in assists, Cole Kastner is second in caused turnovers (3.50/gm), Petey LaSalla is sixth in faceoff winning percentage (.640), Shellenberger is sixth in points (6.25/gm) and Matthew Nunes is 15th in goals against (9.88/gm).

VIRGINIA IS A GROUND BALL MACHINE

  • Virginia currently leads the nation in ground balls per game (43.50).
  • In 2021, Virginia led the nation with 41.94 ground balls per game.
  • Entering 2022, UVA has led the nation in ground balls eight of the last 13 years, including the last five seasons under Lars Tiffany.
  • UVA is the only school in the nation to finish in the top-5 nationally in ground balls per game 12 times over the last 13 seasons.
  • The only school in 2016 to finish with more ground balls per game was UVA head coach Lars Tiffany’s 2016 Brown team.
  • Lars-Tiffany-coached teams have led the nation in ground balls in seven straight seasons, including the 2015 and 2016 seasons at Brown.

LASALLA GARNERS ACC, USILA WEEKLY HONORS

  • Faceoff specialist Petey LaSalla was named the ACC’s Defensive Player of the Week in addition to being tabbed a USILA Division-I Team-of-the-Week selection, as was announced March 1.
  • LaSalla went 19-of-28 at the faceoff-X in Virginia’s ACC opener, a 20-11 win over then-No. 9 Syracuse (Feb. 26) at Klöckner Stadium.
  • With his first faceoff victory of the game – also the 605th of his career – LaSalla became Virginia’s all-time leader in career faceoff wins.

UVA ON THE GREEN GRASS OF KLÖCKNER STADIUM

  • Virginia owns a 161-43 (.789) all-time record at Klöckner Stadium, including a 3-0 mark in 2022 and are winners of 21 of the last 25 games played in the historic edifice. UVA is also 13-3 all-time at Klöckner Stadium in the NCAA Tournament.
  • Virginia is 34-11 all-time at Klöckner Stadium under head coach Lars Tiffany.
  • Lacrosse debuted in Klöckner Stadium in 1993.

ON THE HORIZON

  • Virginia travels to North Carolina for its first ACC road contest of the season on Thursday, March 10.
  • Opening faceoff from Dorrance Field is set for 8 p.m. on ACC Network.