No. 3 Virginia Opens ACC Play at No. 1 Notre Dame

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 3 Virginia (6-1) opens ACC action at top-ranked Notre Dame (6-0) on Saturday (March 25). Opening faceoff from Arlotta Stadium is set for noon as Chris Cotter (play-by-play) and Paul Carcaterra (analyst) will have the call on ESPNU.

LAST TIME OUT

• The Cavaliers suffered their first loss of the season in a 14-13 defeat by then-No. 3 Maryland at Klöckner Stadium last Saturday (March 18).
• Maryland goalie Brian Ruppel made three saves in the overtime period, including his final at point blank range, to help knock off then-No. 1 Virginia.
• Thomas McConvey (4g, 1a), Griffin Schutz (2g, 2a) and Cade Saustad (3gb, 4ct) led the effort for the Hoos.
• The loss broke up UVA’s 13-game win streak at home, a streak that began in 2021.

SERIES HISTORY

• Virginia leads the all-time series over Notre Dame, 9-8, and is currently riding a four-game win streak over the Fighting Irish, dating back to 2019. UVA’s four-game win streak is its longest since the series began in 1993.
• At Klöckner Stadium last year, the Cavaliers defeated Notre Dame, 12-8, on March 26. Both teams finished ACC play with a 5-1 record to earn a share of the 2022 ACC title, however it was only UVA that received an at-large bid to the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
• The two teams had a three-year series that ended in 2003, but have met 12 times since, including the 2006 and 2012 NCAA Tournaments as well as 10 ACC regular-season contests from 2014-present.
• After dropping the 2018 ACC championship final to Notre Dame, 17-7, at Klöckner Stadium, UVA got its revenge in a rematch at the 2019 ACC championship, which was also held at Klöckner Stadium. The victory in 2019 was UVA’s 18th ACC championship, which it achieved after holding Notre Dame scoreless for 42:12.

MORE ON THE NOTRE DAME SERIES

• Four of the meetings between UVA and Notre Dame have come in the NCAA Tournament (1993, 1994, 2006, 2012) and UVA holds a 3-1 record.
• The 2014 ACC matchup marked the first time the series had been played in Notre Dame. The first six games of the series were contested at UVA’s Klöckner Stadium.
• Weather in South Bend forced the 2014 meeting inside at the Loftus Sports Center.
• The 2012 meeting came in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament at PPL Park in Chester, Pa.
• Notre Dame’s first victory was an 11-8 win in 2001 at Klöckner Stadium as the Fighting Irish advanced to Championship Weekend that season before falling to Syracuse in the semifinals.
• The Fighting Irish, ranked sixth at game time, became just the second team ranked fifth or lower to defeat the Cavaliers at Klöckner Stadium.
• Notre Dame won the most recent NCAA Tournament meeting, a 12-10 triumph over UVA to advance to Championship Weekend in 2012 before falling to Loyola in the semifinals.
• The 2012 meeting was the final game in the illustrious career of UVA’s Steele Stanwick. Stanwick, UVA’s all-time point leader at the time, closed out his career with two goals and five assists against the Irish.
• Virginia’s 23-4 win in the 1994 Tournament marks its biggest win over a ranked team in program history (Notre Dame was ranked 14th at game time.) The margin of victory also marks UVA’s greatest in NCAA Tournament action.
• 2006 Tewaaraton Trophy winner Matt Ward led UVA with four goals in the 2006 meeting between UVA and Notre Dame, as the Cavaliers won 14-10 in the NCAA First Round on their way to the program’s fourth NCAA title.

CAVALIERS, IRISH SHARE TIES WITH KEVIN CORRIGAN

• Notre Dame head coach Kevin Corrigan (Virginia ’81) is in his 35th season with the Fighting Irish after spending two seasons as an assistant coach for the Cavaliers under former head coaching legend Jim “Ace” Adams.
• Corrigan played on three Cavalier squads that made the NCAA Tournament from 1979-81.
• After his playing career, Corrigan went on to become an assistant coach on Adams’ staff at UVA from 1987-88 before being named head coach at Notre Dame prior to the 1989 season.
• Corrigan’s father, Gene Corrigan, served as the athletics director at UVA from 1971-80, was the UVA lacrosse head coach from 1959-67 and head men’s soccer coach from 1958-65, among other positions.
• Gene Corrigan left UVA to become Notre Dame’s athletics director in 1981 and left in 1987 to become the ACC’s third-ever commissioner from 1987-97.
• Kevin Corrigan is first cousins with former UVA women’s basketball head coaching legend Debbie Ryan.

VIRGINIA AGAINST NO. 1 RANKED TEAMS ALL-TIME

• Saturday’s meeting at No. 1 Notre Dame marks UVA’s 44th all-time meeting against a No. 1 opponent (USILA poll).
• The Cavaliers are 15-28 in such contests.
• Virginia has been outscored by No. 1 foes by exactly 100 goals, 538-438.
• UVA’s last win over a No. 1 opponent was against Maryland in the 2021 national championship game, a 17-16 showdown at Rentschler Field.
• Virginia and Syracuse were both tied for first in the poll when the two teams met on March 4, 2011. The Orange won the matchup, 12-10.
• Neither the Cavaliers nor Notre Dame have ever gone head-to-head as the No. 1 ranked team.

VIRGINIA IN THE POLLS

• At No. 3 in this week’s USILA Coaches poll, Virginia has been ranked in the top 5 of the poll in 320 weeks all-time.
• UVA has been ranked No. 1 in the nation in 69 all-time polls.
• The USILA Poll began in 1973 and there have been 532 polls all-time.

CAVALIERS AMONG THE NATION’S STATISTICAL LEADERS

• Virginia currently leads the nation in assists (12.71/gm), ground balls (42.00/gm), points (31.86/gm), scoring offense (19.14/gm) and shot percentage (.393). The Cavaliers are also second in the nation in clearing percentage (.938), man-up offense (.625) and scoring margin (6.71).
• Connor Shellenberger is second in the nation in assist (3.71/gm) and sixth in points (5.43/gm). Cade Saustad is fifth in caused turnovers (2.29/gm). Xander Dickson is fourth in goals (3.71/gm), 15th in points (4.71/gm) and third in shot percentage (.553). Patrick McIntosh is second in shot percentage (.571).
• Note: NCAA leaders list requires players play in 75% of their team’s games.

CONNOR SHELLENBERGER IS ELITE

• Connor Shellenberger, who is in his third season at UVA, is arguably the most-accomplished active player in college lacrosse.
• In addition to being a two-time USILA first team All-American (2021-22), Shellenberger became UVA’s 11th Tewaaraton Award finalist last season.
• Shellenberger currently leads all active Division-I players in career assists (112), is second in assists per game (2.73) and third in points per game (4.71).
• This year, Shellenberger was crowned a first team preseason All-American by the USILA, Inside Lacrosse and USA Lacrosse Magazine, and the top returning player in 2023 by Inside Lacrosse.
• This offseason, Shellenberger was invited to try out for a spot on the U.S. National Team for the 2023 World Championships.
• In 2022, he led UVA in points (76) and assists (44) and finished second in goals (32).
• In 2021, Shellenberger was sensational in the NCAA Tournament, guiding the Hoos to the program’s seventh NCAA championship and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
• In 41 career appearances, Shellenberger has posted at least one point in 40 contests and has recorded multiple assists in 33 career games.
• Shellenberger has tallied a career-best 10 points on two occasions this season: vs. then-No. 18 Harvard (3g, 7a) and vs. Towson (4g, 6a).

GOING STREAKING

• Newcomer Thomas McConvey, a transfer in the midfield from the University of Vermont, is currently riding a 59-game point streak, which began on Feb. 1, 2019.
• McConvey has registered at least one point in every game of his career.
• His 59-game point streak leads the nation among all active players.
• During his streak, McConvey has amassed 143 goals and 60 assists.
• Also riding a substantial point streak is UVA attackman Payton Cormier, who has recorded at least one point in his last 34 games.
• Cormier’s 33-game point streak is currently the sixth longest in the nation. During his streak, which began on March 6, 2021, Cormier has registered 122 points (102, 20a).

ON THE HORIZON

• The Cavaliers will host their first home ACC game against Duke (8-1) on Friday, March 31.
• Opening faceoff from Klöckner Stadium is set for 5 p.m. on ESPNU.