As the defending NCAA champions, Virginia men’s lacrosse has been invited to the annual Team USA Fall Classic which will be held from Oct. 18 to Oct. 20.
The Cavaliers will have the chance to play the U.S. men’s national team — the defending World Lacrosse champions and the most decorated team of all time.
During the same weekend, Virginia will also play the Canadian men’s senior team who will be participating in the Fall Classic for the first time. The Canadians have won the World Lacrosse Championship three times — most recently in 2014.
Accordingly, the Cavaliers have the rare opportunity to play against the men’s teams that together have won every World Lacrosse Championship since the tournament first began in 1967.
“We’re incredibly fortunate to be able to play two elite international teams,” Coach Lars Tiffany said. “This will certainly be an immediate eye-opener of where we are and how much we need to work on.”
Virginia returns a tremendous amount of attacking talent, including the team’s top four goalscorers. However, the Cavaliers will have to replace key graduated players like All-American midfielder Ryan Conrad, attackman Mikey Herring and defenseman Logan Greco. The Fall Classic games will allow Virginia to flesh out its roster and prepare for the new season.
On the women’s side, national champion Maryland will also face off against the U.S. and Canadian women’s national teams.
The full Fall Classic schedule is yet to be released.