No. 13 Virginia Ready for Second Straight Road Test, Travels to No. 5 Syracuse Saturday

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Heading into the back half of ACC play on a four-game win streak, No. 13 Virginia (7-4, 2-0 ACC) plays the second of two ACC road games against No. 5 Syracuse (9-3, 1-1 ACC) Saturday afternoon (April 11). Opening faceoff from the JMA Wireless Dome is set for 4 p.m. on ESPNU and WINA (98.9 FM/1070 AM). 

Despite a 3-4 start that dropped them out of the nation's top 20, the Cavaliers enter Saturday’s game atop the ACC standings as one of two unbeaten teams in conference play, along with North Carolina. 

A WIN FOR THE CAVALIERS WOULD... 

• Give UVA its first five-game win streak since tallying seven straight during the 2024 regular season. 

• Tie the all-time series between Virginia and Syracuse, which began in 1938, at 22-22. 

• Mark UVA's first at the JMA Wireless Dome since April 23, 2022, when it defeated the Orange 21-15 to clinch a share of the ACC championship, when the league title was previously determined by regular-season finish. 

• Be UVA’s third consecutive over an ACC and top-10 opponent, including a second victory against a top-5 team in that span. 

• Mark UVA's first over a top-5 opponent in a true road game since its 14-10 win at then-No. 5 Maryland on March 16, 2024. 

• Be the third of Central New York native Lars Tiffany's career at the JMA Wireless Dome. Tiffany, who attended Syracuse games in his youth, also won regular-season games as Cavalier head coach in 2019 and 2022. 

• Hand Syracuse its first loss at The Dome this year. The Orange are currently 5-0 at home this season. 

SERIES HISTORY 

• With its 12-10 victory over Virginia in last year's regular-season meeting at Klöckner Stadium, Syracuse took a 22-21 lead in the all-time series, which began in 1938. 

• The last time the two teams met in the JMA Wireless Dome was on April 20, 2024, when both teams tallied five goals each in the fourth quarter, but the Orange scored the final four to earn an 18-17 win. 

• The Hoos gained possession twice with under 45 seconds to play, but Cuse forced a turnover and goaltender Will Mark (15 saves) denied Jack Boyden’s shot with seven seconds remaining to erase a UVA scoring chance that could have forced overtime. 

• In its 21-15 victory over the Orange in 2022, UVA clinched a share of the ACC regular-season title – the program's 19th ACC championship – and its 21 goals also tied for the most by a Syracuse opponent in The Dome since it opened in 1980. 

• The two schools battled only three times between 1938-93, but have met at least once each season from since 1994 with the exception of 2020 due to COVID-19. 

• With its 12-10 win over the Orange in the 1999 national title game in College Park, Md., Virginia ended a 26-year drought without a national championship to its name. It marked UVA's first national crown since 1972 and the first of four NCAA championships under former UVA head coach Dom Starsia. 

• The Orange nearly took the 1999 championship game into overtime as they scored five consecutive fourth-quarter goals to close to within one [10-9] with 3:36 remaining. UVA then received goals from freshman attackman Conor Gill and senior midfielder Henry Oakey in a 21-second span with less than three minutes remaining. 

• The last time the two teams met in the NCAA Tournament was in the 2008 quarterfinals, when Cuse mounted a successful 12-11 come-from-behind victory. The Orange went on to capture the national championship on Memorial Day. 

• Cuse's victory snapped UVA's five-game win streak, the longest by either team in series history. 

• Virginia’s 12-10 loss in 2011 regular season snapped a three-game win streak in The Dome over Syracuse, a feat boasted by no other Orange opponent at the time. 

• In Syracuse's first-ever ACC game in 2014, UVA attackman James Pannell scored a career-high seven goals in a 17-12 UVA triumph at Klöckner Stadium. 

• The Feb. 28, 1997, meeting at The Dome is widely regarded as one of the most thrilling regular-season games in the college lacrosse, which Cuse won 22-21. 

• The 43 goals tied the NCAA Division I single-game record for most combined goals at the time, which was originally set by NC State's 24-19 win over UVA in 1978. The Cavaliers were ranked No. 2 and the Orange were No. 3. Cuse's Casey Powell combined for 13 points on seven goals – including the game-winner – and six assists. 

LAST TIME THEY MEY 

• Virginia’s offense scored five of the game’s first six goals, but only managed five more the rest of the way as No. 8 Syracuse mounted a second-half comeback to win 12-10 at Klöckner Stadium on March 29, 2025. 

• The Orange outscored the Cavaliers 8-4 in the second half, including 3-0 in the final 11:38 of play. 

• Despite a strong outing from UVA faceoff specialist Andrew Greenspan (13-18 FO) against John Mullen, who had the nation's third-best faceoff win percentage at the time, Cuse outscored UVA 8-4 in the second half to pull away. 

• Greenspan's 13 faceoff wins were his career high at the time. 

• Both team’s starting goalies stood out in the dramatic showdown. UVA's Matthew Nunes finished with a season-high 16 saves, while Syracuse’s Jimmy McCool made 17 saves, including six in the third quarter. 

• For the second straight matchup between the two teams, Virginia defenseman John Schroter held his primary matchup, Cuse star attackman Joey Spallina, scoreless and limited him to only one assist.  

• With three goals and three assists, attackman McCabe Millon (3g, 3a) led the UVA offense and reached the 100-career-point milestone in just his 28th career game. It was also the 11th hat trick of Millon's career. 

• In honor of the Cavaliers' Military/First Responder Appreciation game, two U.S. Navy jets performed a ceremonial flyover above Klöckner Stadium during the national anthem.   

SCOUTING THE ORANGE 

• In its ACC road opener last week, Syracuse had its six-game win streak snapped after falling 14-9 at North Carolina, which is ranked No. 1 in this week's USILA coaches poll. 

• The Orange have played one of the nation's toughest schedules, a slate in which 10 of their 12 opponents played so far have been ranked at the time of competition, including top-5 matchups against Maryland, Duke and North Carolina. 

• Cuse is led by attackman Joey Spallina, who was Inside Lacrosse's No. 1 player on its preseason top-50 list and a USILA First Team Preseason All-American. Spallina is third among all ACC players in both assists (2.67) and points (4.58) per game, behind ony UVA's Brendan Millon and McCabe Millon. 

• The Orange also boast defensemen Billy Dawn III and Riley Figuieras, attackman Michael Leo, faceoff specialist John Mullen and goaltender Jimmy McCool, all of whom are on the Tewaaraton Award watch list. 

• Perhaps the greatest Syracuse lacrosse player in school history, Gary Gait, is in his fifth season as head coach of the Syracuse men's team after a 14-year tenure leading its women's program, including a 17-4 campaign in 2021 when the Gait and Orange reached the women's national title game. 

• At halftime on Saturday, Cuse will enshrine Gait's predecessor John Desko into its Ring of Honor, only the school's 10th inductuee. As a player, assistant and head coach, Desko played a part in all 10 NCAA Division I national championships in Syracuse men's lacrosse history. 

LAST TIME OUT 

• For the first time since 2004, Virginia emerged victorious in a regular-season meeting against its archnemesis, the Duke Blue Devils, at Koskinen Stadium last Saturday (April 4). 

• After trailing 6-5 at the intermission, the Cavaliers outscored the Blue Devils by five goals in the second half to win 14-10, tallying their fourth consecutive victory – and second over a ranked opponent. 

• For the fourth straight game, UVA starting goaltender Jake Marek (6-3) recorded double-digit saves to lead the Hoos to victory. 

• On offense, the Cavaliers were led by midfielder Joey Terenzi (3g, 2a), who in his first official career start, finished with a career-high five points and recorded his first career hat trick after scoring the game’s final goal into an empty net with under a minute to play. 

• Freshman attackman Brendan Millon (1g, 4a) also tied for a game-high five points, senior attackman Ryan Colsey (3g, 1a) contributed four points, and Truitt Sunderland found the back of the net on four of his five shots. 

• The Blue Devils, who imposed a 10-man ride for nearly the entire game, contributed to eight UVA failed clears. However, with Marek’s help, UVA’s defense was able to make up for its shortcomings in the clear. 

• The Cavaliers held Duke to only one goal in the final nine minutes of play. Close defenseman Aidan Murnane came off the bench and contributed four caused turnovers. 

• Additionally, UVA held Duke midfielder Benn Johnston – the ACC’s leading goal scorer entering Saturday’s contest – to only one goal and one assist. 

MILLON BROTHERS ARE NATION'S BEST TANDEM 

• Brothers Brendan Millon and McCabe Millon are perhaps the nation's best 1-2 punch in all of Division I men's lacrosse. 

• For games played through April 5, the Millons are tied for first in the ACC in both assists (3.09) and points (4.91) points per game, also tied for second and sixth, respectively, among all DI players nationwide. 

• Brendan Millon also leads all Division I freshmen in both assists and points. 

• McCabe Millon has notched at least four points in all but two games this season. He achieved career highs in both points (9) and assists (5) in UVA's season opener, a 19-14 win over Colgate (Feb. 8). 

• McCabe Millon was named a Tewaaraton Award Preseason Watch List selection – along with teammate John Schroter – in February. 

• Since UVA's four-game win streak began with its 16-11 victory over Utah (March 31), Brendan Millon is averagng 6.0 points per game, including 4.0 assists per game. 

• He has tallied at least five assists in three games this year, all of which were UVA wins. Brendan Millon had five helpers in his collegiate debut against Colgate (Feb. 8) and on the road against then-No. 7 Duke (April 4). 

• Against Dartmouth, he tallied a whopping 10 points on four goals and a career-high six assists. He's the only Division I freshmen to tally at least 10 points in a game this season and one of only eight players overall (for games played through April 5). 

HOOS IN THE NATIONAL STATISTICAL RANKINGS 

• For games played through April 5, Virginia leads the nation in assists per game (9.73). 

• The Cavaliers are also third in caused turnovers (11.91) and points (24.00), fourth in ground balls (37.36), and sixth in scoring offense (14.27) and shot percentage (.341) 

• Truitt Sunderland is tied for 16th nationally in goals per game (2.91) and tied for 20th in man-up goals (4). 

JAKE MAREK: THE CAVALIERS’ SECRET WEAPON 

• Goaltender Jake Marek enrolled in UVA's graduate nursing program in May 2025 without no plans to play lacrosse in Charlottesville after spending four seasons at Air Force (2022-25). 

• He seized the starting role late in the 2024 season and went on to start all 17 games for the Falcons in 2025. Marek led Air Force to an ASUN championship, earned ASUN Tournament MVP honors, and helped secure a berth in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. 

• After UVA alum Pete Dunne ’80, who helped introduce Marek to the sport of lacrosse, connected him with head coach Lars Tiffany, the two met face-to-face. Tiffany then invited Marek to join the team as a walk-on in the fall of 2025, and he ultimately won the starting job for the Cavaliers’ season opener against Colgate (Feb. 8). 

• After a slow start to UVA’s 2026 campaign in which he was relieved in the second half of the Richmond game (Feb. 14), Marek has found his form. 

• During the Cavaliers' active four-game win streak, which began March 21 with a 16-11 victory over Utah, Marek has recorded double-digit saves in each game, including marquee wins over then-No. 1 Notre Dame (March 28) and then-No. 7 Duke (April 4). 

• Marek was named ACC Co-Defensive Player of the Week on April 7 following his standout performance against the Blue Devils, helping hold the nation’s top scoring offense at the time to just 10 goals. 

ON THE HORIZON 

• The Cavaliers conclude ACC play next Saturday (April 18), when they host North Carolina (10-1, 1-0 ACC), also their penultimate regular-season contest. 

• Opening faceoff from Klöckner Stadium is set for noon on ACC Network Extra and WINA (98.9 FM/1070 AM). 

• The top-ranked Tar Heels travel to No. 2 Notre Dame this Saturday for a 5 p.m. tilt on ACC Network.