Virginia Returns to Klöckner Saturday to Host Notre Dame

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 2/3 Virginia (6-1, 2-0 ACC) hosts No. 12/10 Notre Dame (2-3, 0-0 ACC) at Klöckner Stadium Saturday (March 26) at 1 p.m. The Cavaliers are looking to rebound after suffering a 23-12 loss to top-ranked Maryland at Audi Field (Washington, D.C.) last weekend.

PROMOTIONS

• The Gus Bus, the official food truck of The Spot, will be parked in the grass area behind the Klöckner Stadium scoreboard serving the famous “Gus Burgers” at Saturday’s game.
• The Gus Bus is set to return to Klöckner Stadium for Virginia’s home game against North Carolina on April 9 at 4 p.m.

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).

13.  Virginia has won its last 13 games coming off a loss in the same season. UVA is 17-2 under Lars Tiffany following a loss. Virginia’s only pair of back-to-back losses were in 2017, his first year at UVA.

21.  Graduate attackman Matt Moore needs just 21 points to become the all-time points leader in program history. Moore currently has 249 career points (131 goals & 118 assists). Steele Stanwick currently holds the program record with 269 career points.

THE SERIES VS. NOTRE DAME

• With its first-ever road win over the Fighting Irish in 2021 by a score of 12-11, Virginia evened the all-time series, 8-8.
• The Cavaliers have won the previous three meetings, including the last two at Klöckner Stadium. UVA’s three-game win streak is currently tied for its longest in series history.
• Virginia owns a 3-1 record over the Fighting Irish in NCAA Tournament games, including a 19-9 trounce over UND in the inaugural matchup in 1993.
• The Cavaliers are 0-2 against Notre Dame all-time in overtime contests with losses in 2016 and 2017.
• In last year’s matchup, Payton Cormier tallied five goals and goalie Alex Rode made a critical save with three seconds remaining in the game to deny UND a chance to tie the game.

LAST TIME OUT

• In a rematch of the 2021 national championship, Virginia’s 10-game win streak came to an end as top-ranked Maryland defeated the Cavaliers, 23-12, at Audi Field in the inaugural Capitol Classic Lacrosse Tournament.
• Maryland cruised to its seventh victory of the season after out-shooting the Cavaliers 53-34 and won 25 faceoffs in contrast to UVA’s 14.
• Virginia was led by attackmen Matt Moore and Connor Shellenberger, who posted three goals and two assists each.

VIRGINIA’S BEST START SINCE 2014

• With an overall record of 6-1, Virginia is off to its best start under head coach Lars Tiffany.
• The last time UVA went 6-1 was in 2014 under former UVA head coach Dom Starsia.
• Prior to last week’s loss to top-ranked Maryland, Virginia was one of just four unbeaten teams in the nation.

LARS-TIFFANY-COACHED TEAMS RESPOND AFTER A LOSS

• Since the arrival of Lars Tiffany as UVA’s head coach, Virginia has compiled a 17-2 record in games following a loss (in the same season).
• Tiffany’s only two consecutive losses were in his first year as head coach in 2017.
• Virginia has won its last 13 games immediately following a loss, a streak that began on March 6, 2018 following a 12-11 loss to Syracuse two days prior.

MATT MOORE MOVING UP IN THE VIRGINIA RECORD BOOKS

• With 249 career points, Matt Moore is on the cusp of becoming Virginia’s all-time leader in career points.
• Moore is currently tied for eighth all-time in career goals (131) and is sixth in career assists (118).
• In 2022, Moore is averaging 4.00 points per game, and with seven regular-season games remaining, he is on pace to shatter Steele Stanwick’s all-time record of 269 career points.

CONNOR SHELLENBERGER, THE NATION’S LEADER IN POINTS

• Connor Shellenberger currently leads the nation in points (6.43/game).
• Shellenberger, who has posted at least one point in all 25 career games, has also tallied at least five points in his last 11 games, dating back to the Cavaliers’ NCAA Tournament first round matchup against Bryant (May 16, 2021).
• Shellenberger has recorded a multi-assist game in each of UVA’s seven games so far this season.
• Shellenberger has dished out at least one assist in 24 of his 25 career games and recorded multiple assists in 20 contests.

HOOS IN THE NATIONAL STATISTICAL RANKINGS

• Virginia currently leads the nation in ground balls (40.43/gm), is third in assists (9.57/gm), points (26.14) and scoring offense (16.57), fifth in shot percentage (.348) and winning percentage (.857), sixth in opponent clear percentage (.761) and ninth in scoring margin (4.71).
• Connor Shellenberger currently leads the nation in points (6.43/gm), is second in assists (3.86) and ninth in shot percentage (.514). Cole Kastner is third in caused turnovers (3.14/gm). Payton Cormier is 13th in goals (3.29/gm). Petey LaSalla is 15th in faceoff winning percentage (.590).

UVA ON THE GREEN GRASS OF KLÖCKNER STADIUM

• Virginia owns a 162-43 (.790) all-time record at Klöckner Stadium, including a 4-0 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 35-11 all-time at Klöckner Stadium under head coach Lars Tiffany.
• Lacrosse debuted in Klöckner Stadium in 1993.

VIRGINIA IS A GROUND BALL MACHINE

• Virginia currently leads the nation in ground balls per game (40.43).
• 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.

ON THE HORIZON

• Virginia travels to Richmond on Saturday, April 2 for noon contest at Robins Stadium.
• Tickets are on sale via RichmondSpiders.com for $10/adult and $5/youth.
• The game will air on NBC Sports Washington and stream on ESPN+.