No. 4 Virginia’s Defense Stifles Drexel in 14-4 Win

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 4 Virginia (8-1) notched a program-record 19 caused turnovers and held Drexel (3-5) scoreless for the final 37:20 of action as the Cavaliers cruised to a 14-4 victory at Klöckner Stadium Saturday afternoon (March 23). The Dragons’ four goals tied for second fewest by a UVA opponent in a single game under the direction of head coach Lars Tiffany.

Payton Cormier scored a game-high six goals on 13 shots and Griffin Schutz (3g) posted his sixth career hat trick. Connor Shellenberger (1g, 2a) and McCabe Millon (3a) also chipped in three points each. Short-stick defensive midfielder Noah Chizmar tied his career high of two goals.

Defensively, the Hoos were led by Cole Kastner (3ct, 4gb), Griffin Kology (4ct) and John Schroter (3ct, 1gb), who returned to the starting lineup after missing UVA’s previous three games. Matthew Nunes (8-1) earned the win in net after making 10 saves and registering a 71.4 save percentage. Backup netminder Kyle Morris relieved Nunes to start the fourth and turned away four Drexel shots to keep the Dragons off the scoreboard in the final period.

For the second consecutive game, Matthew DeSouza (6-9 FO) and Thomas Colucci (5-12 FO) combined to finish above 50 percent at the faceoff X.

Saturday’s contest was the second of a lacrosse doubleheader at Klöckner Stadium and was designated UVA’s annual One Love Game.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Cormier netted the first two goals of the game on the way to a four-goal effort in the first quarter. Drexel’s Max Semple tied things at two apiece midway through, but back-to-back scores from Cormier and Schutz gave the Hoos a 5-2 advantage at the end of one. Cormier recorded a hat trick within the first 11 minutes of the game after scoring his third amid a UVA man-up opportunity. Virginia had nine shots on-net in and 14 ground balls in the opening  quarter.

UVA extended its lead to 11-6 at the half with the help of six scores from five different Cavaliers, including Schutz who recorded a pair goals in the second. Virginia received goals from two defensive players in Chizmar and LSM Mitchell Whalen, who were assisted by Shellenberger and Millon, respectively.

Strikes from Shellenberger, Chizmar and Cormier increased UVA’s advantage to 14-4 heading into the fourth. Nunes recorded four saves in the third of his 10 saves in the third.

Morris’ four saves in the fourth along with a furry of UVA caused turnovers helped solidify the second half shut out of the Dragons. The Hoos fired off 10 shots in the final 15 minutes, but all three that were on-goal were turned away by Drexel backup goalie Brendan Donnelly.

WITH THE WIN…

• Virginia is off to an 8-1 start for the first time since 2012, also a first under current UVA head coach Lars Tiffany.
• The Cavaliers improved to 18-1 in the all-time series and tallied their 12^th consecutive win over Drexel.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• Virginia’s 19 caused turnovers are the most in a single game on record (since 2006).
• Drexel’s four goals are second fewest by a UVA opponent during the Lars Tiffany era.
• The last time a UVA opponent scored four goals or fewer was against North Carolina in 2022.
• UVA held Georgetown to only three goals in the 2021 NCAA Tournament quarterfinals.
• Payton Cormier’s six goals marked his eighth six-goal performance of his career and 18^th game with at least five goals or more.
• Griffin Kology registered a game-high four caused turnovers, his career high at UVA.
• Close defenseman John Schroter returned to the starting lineup after missing Cavaliers’ last three games.
• Truitt Sunderland nabbed his second career start and first of the season as a member of Saturday’s first midfield line.
• The One Love Foundation was created in 2010 to honor the memory of former Virginia women’s lacrosse player Yeardley Love. Since her passing, One Love’s mission has been to educate, empower and activate young people in a movement to end relationship violence and to promote healthy relationships in its place.

UP NEXT
The Cavaliers travel to Harvard (6-2) on Saturday (March 30). Opening faceoff from Jordan Field is set for noon on ESPN+ and NESN (subject to blackout).