No. 6 Virginia Hosts Top-Ranked Notre Dame on Senior Day

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 6 Virginia (10-3, 1-2) looks to finish the regular season on a high note, when the Cavaliers welcome No. 1 Notre Dame (9-1, 3-0) for their Senior Day on Saturday (April 27). Opening faceoff from Klöckner Stadium is set for 2 p.m. as Chris Cotter (play-by-play) and Paul Carcaterra (analyst) will have the call on ESPNU.

NUMBERS TO KNOW

3 – Connor Shellenberger (181a) only needs three assists to shatter Matt Danowski’s  ACC career assists record.

6 – Payton Cormier (207g) needs six goals to break Justin Guterding’s ACC career goals record.

900 – Jack Boyden (340), Connor Shellenberger (305) and Payton Cormier (255) combine for 900 career points. No other team in the nation has three active players on its roster who combine for that amount.

SENIOR DAY AT KLÖCKNER STADIUM

• Prior to opening faceoff, Virginia will recognize five fourth years and four graduate students for Senior Day.
• The list includes: Jack Boyden (M.Ed. Higher Education), Gable Braun (English), Thomas Colucci (M.S. Commerce), Matthew DeSouza (M.S. Accounting), Cole Kastner (Commerce), Patrick McIntosh (Foreign Affairs), Mike Prestipino (Commerce), Jack Walshe (History) and Chase Yager (M.S. Commerce).

A WIN FOR THE CAVALIERS WOULD…

• Extend Virginia’s win streak among regular-season games against Notre Dame to six consecutive victories dating back to 2019.
• Be UVA’s second consecutive over a USILA No. 1 opponent, having defeated then-No. 1 Notre Dame, 12-8, in last year’s regular season final, also at Klöckner Stadium.
• Be Lars Tiffany’s third over a No. 1 opponent as UVA head coach. In addition to last year’s victory over the top-ranked Fighting Irish, Tiffany and the Cavaliers held on to knock off No. 1 Maryland, 17-16, in the 2021 NCAA championship game.
• Snap the Fighting Irish’s seven-game win streak, which is tied for the longest among all Division I teams.
• Assure the Cavaliers of at least a .500 record in ACC play for the third consecutive year.

SERIES HISTORY

• Virginia leads the all-time series over Notre Dame, which began in 1993, 11-9.
• The Cavaliers are 10-4 all-time against the Fighting Irish at Klöckner Stadium and have won the last four meetings held in Charlottesville, Va.
• The Hoos have also won the previous five regular-season head-to-head battles.
• The first-ever meeting on May 15, 1993, was an NCAA Tournament game that UVA won 19-9 at Klöckner Stadium in the facility’s inaugural season.
• Last year, UVA won both regular-season meetings before falling 13-12 in overtime in the NCAA semifinals at Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, Pa.). Prior to their postseason loss, the Cavaliers had won the previous six meetings with Notre Dame.
• Saturday’s game marks the third consecutive regular-season meeting in which either team covets the nation’s top ranking in the USILA coaches poll.
• In the last 776 days dating back to March 13, 2022, Notre Dame has only lost to two different teams, Virginia (three times) and Georgetown in overtime earlier this season (Feb. 25).
• The two teams have squared off in the NCAA Tournament five times (’93, ’94, ’06, ’12, ’23) with the Cavaliers leading 3-2 in such contests.
• In last year’s 15-10 win at Arlotta Stadium, Connor Shellenberger’s (2g, 5a) five assists were good for the most by a UND individual opponent in Arlotta Stadium history.
• In the 2019 ACC Tournament championship game, Virginia knocked off the Fighting Irish, 10-4, at Klöckner Stadium after holding UND scoreless for 42:12 of game time.
• In 2006, Virginia defeated the Irish 20-8 in the quarterfinals before capturing the program’s fourth NCAA title, in a 15-7 decision over UMass at Lincoln Financial Field.

LAST TIME OUT

• In a contest that featured six lead changes, then-No. 7 Syracuse scored the final four goals of the game to seal an 18-17 comeback victory over No. 4 Virginia at JMA Wireless Dome last Saturday (April 20).
• Connor Shellenberger (4g, 5a) recorded nine points, his career high against an ACC opponent and the most by an ACC player in a league game this season.
• Defensively, John Schroter (3gb, 1ct) held his matchup, Joey Spallina, point-less for the first time of his career.
• Matthew Nunes finished with 15 saves, including eight in the third quarter, and Anthony Ghobriel won 15 of his 26 attempts at the faceoff X.

HOOS AMONG THE NATION’S STATISTICAL LEADERS

• For games played through April 23, Virginia leads the nation in assists (9.85) and ground balls (40.00).
• The Cavaliers are second nationally in caused turnovers (11.54) and clearing (.930), fourth in man-up offense (.500) and points (24.92), fifth in scoring offense (15.08), sixth in win percentage (.769) and ninth in scoring margin (4.08).
• Virginia’s clearing percentage, assists, caused turnovers, ground balls, and saves (13.15) per game averages also lead the ACC.
• Among all Division I players this season, Payton Cormier currently leads the nation in goals (3.69) and is 18th in points (4.54). Connor Shellenberger is fifth in assists (3.15) and sixth in points (5.08), and Matthew Nunes is 16th in save percentage (.551).

THE CAVALIERS AT KLÖCKNER STADIUM

• Virginia owns a 179-46 (.796) all-time record at Klöckner Stadium, including a 6-1 mark in 2024, and has won 22 of its last 25 games played at the historic edifice.
• The Cavaliers’ average margin of victory in their last 25 games at Klöckner Stadium is 6.4 goals.
• Virginia is 53-14 (.791) all-time at Klöckner Stadium under head coach Lars Tiffany.
• UVA is also 14-3 all-time at Klöckner Stadium in NCAA Tournament contests.
• Lacrosse debuted in Klöckner Stadium in 1993.

ON THE HORIZON

• The Cavaliers travel to the ACC Tournament, which will be held at American Legion Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
• The semifinals will commence on Friday (April 3) when the No. 1 seed takes on the No. 4 seed at 5 p.m., while the No. 2 seed squares off against the No. 3 seed at 8 p.m.
• The championship game is set for noon on Sunday (April 5).
• All three tournament games will be broadcast on ACC Network.