Virginia Cavaliers men's lacrosse

Virginia Cavaliers men's lacrosse
University	University of Virginia
Head coach	Lars Tiffany
Stadium	Klöckner Stadium (capacity: 8,000)
Location	Charlottesville, Virginia
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
Nickname	Cavaliers
Colors	Orange and Blue[1]
Pre-NCAA era championships
1952, 1970
NCAA Tournament championships
1972, 1999, 2003, 2006, 2011
NCAA Tournament Runner-Up
1980, 1986, 1994, 1996
NCAA Tournament Final Fours
(22) – 1972, 1973, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals
(31) – 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
NCAA Tournament appearances
(38) – 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2018
Conference Tournament championships
1997, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2010
Conference regular season championships
1962, 1964, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1975, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2010

The Virginia Cavaliers men's lacrosse team represents the University of Virginia in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's lacrosse. Virginia currently competes as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and plays its home games at Klöckner Stadium, or occasionally Turf Field or Scott Stadium, in Charlottesville, Virginia.

History

University records show that Virginia fielded lacrosse teams from 1904 to 1907, although no further information from that period is available.^[2] After a hiatus, lacrosse returned to Charlottesville in 1925 though the team struggled in the ensuing years. Through 1932, the Cavaliers won only one game, while they lost 30 and tied four. The team was disbanded after the 1932 season and would play sporadically until lacrosse returned for good in 1947. Two years later, Virginia won more games than it lost for the first time in school history when it posted a 7–4 record. The Cavaliers then posted an 8–3 mark in 1950 and 7–2 in 1951. The following season, they recorded an identical tally and the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) named Virginia the 1952 co-national champions.^[2]

Virginia takes on rival Johns Hopkins

In 1970, Virginia finished the season with an 8–2 record and the USILA again awarded them the national championship.^[3] The following season, the NCAA instituted a single-elimination tournament to determine the national championship, and the Cavaliers made an appearance but were eliminated by Navy in the first round. In 1972, Virginia again secured a tournament berth, and beat in succession Army, Cortland State, and Johns Hopkins for their first NCAA national championship. In 1978, former Army coach Jim "Ace" Adams took over as head coach, and from that season onward, Virginia has been a regular participant in the NCAA tournament. Since then, the Cavaliers have never failed to qualify in two consecutive seasons. Virginia advanced to the championship game in 1980, 1986, 1994, and 1996, each time falling to the eventual champion by one goal. In 1993, Dom Starsia became head coach, leading the Cavaliers to national titles in 1999, 2003, 2006, and 2011. Since the establishment of an ACC tournament in 1989, Virginia has won the regular-season championship ten times, more than any of the other three teams in the league.^[2]

Virginia's 2006 season was remarkable as the Cavaliers became the first team in NCAA history to finish the season with a 17–0 record en route to the program's third national championship in eight years. The team won its games by an average of more than eight goals per game and drew comparisons to some of the best lacrosse teams of all time.^[4] The Virginia offense led the nation in scoring (15.28), while the defense ranked 10th, allowing fewer than eight goals per game. Eight Cavaliers were named All-Americans, the most in program history, and senior attackman Matt Ward received the Tewaaraton Trophy as the best player in the nation.

In 2011, the Cavaliers posted a 9–5 regular-season record before entering the NCAA tournament, where they defeated Bucknell, Cornell, Denver, and finally Maryland 9–7 to win their fifth NCAA championship.^[5] During the tournament, head coach Dom Starsia became the all-time wins leader in Division I men's lacrosse history, breaking Jack Emmer's previous mark of 326 wins.^[6] Five Cavaliers were named USILA All-Americans.^[7] Following the tournament, third-year attackman Steele Stanwick won the Tewaaraton Trophy as the nation's top player.^[8]

Program achievements

(Current through 2014 season)

• Seven National Championships overall
• Five NCAA titles, fourth most all-time
• Two Pre-NCAA Era USILA Championships, 1952 & 1970
• 36 NCAA Tournament appearances, second most all-time
• 22 NCAA Semifinal appearances
• Virginia has ended the season ranked in the top five 27 times since 1971
• Three Tewaaraton Trophy recipients
• 20 USILA National Award winners

Under former coach Dom Starsia, Virginia produced:

• 117 All-Americans including 28 First Teamers
• 68 All-ACC selections
• Eight ACC Rookies of the Year
• Six ACC Players of the Year
• Five NCAA Championship MVPs
• 36 All-NCAA Tournament selections

Annual record men's lacrosse

⁽¹⁾ Laxpower Power Rating^[9]

⁽²⁾ Lost NCAA 1st round 14–8 to Johns Hopkins.

⁽³⁾ Lost NCAA 1st round 14–8 to Johns Hopkins.

⁽⁴⁾ Won NCAA 1st round 6–5 over Princeton. Lost quarterfinal 12–10 to Notre Dame.

⁽⁵⁾ Won NCAA 1st round 13–12 over Bucknell. Won quarterfinal 13–9 over Cornell. Won semifinal 14–8 over Denver.
Defeated Maryland in NCAA Finals 9–7 to win National Title.

⁽⁶⁾ Won NCAA 1st round 18–4 over Mount Saint Mary's. Won quarterfinal 10–9 over Stony Brook. Lost semifinal 14–13 to Duke.

⁽⁷⁾ Won NCAA 1st round 18–6 over Villanova. Won quarterfinal 19–8 over Johns Hopkins. Lost semifinal 15–6 to Cornell.

⁽⁸⁾ Won NCAA 1st round 10–9 over UMBC. Won quarterfinal 8–7 over Maryland. Lost semifinal 12–11 to Syracuse.

⁽⁹⁾ Won NCAA 1st round 14–8 over Johns Hopkins.

⁽¹⁰⁾ Won NCAA 1st round 13–12 over Bucknell. Won quarterfinal 13–9 over Cornell. Won semifinal 17–10 over Syracuse.
Defeated Massachusetts in NCAA Finals 15–7 to win National Title.

References

External links

• Official website