A lot has changed since 2009. Subpar pop music, politics and lacrosse, to name a few things.
Back then, Virginia men’s lacrosse was in the middle of a run of four consecutive Final Fours under the leadership of Coach Dom Starsia. His squad was part of an 11-2 streak in the annual series against Maryland. Against that same team in 2009, it won a barn-burner of a game that took seven overtimes to decide.
The Cavaliers (3-4, 0-0 ACC) have not beaten the Terrapins (6-0, 0-0 Big Ten) in Charlottesville since “Right Round” by Flo Rida and Ke$ha was the top rated song.
Since that incredible match 16 years ago, Virginia is 8-8 against Maryland. And for the most part, those contests have been relatively close, with the expectation of a few outliers.
The primary outliers came in 2022, when the Terrapins swept the season series. They won the two matchups by a combined 20 goals. But one outlier still lingers. One with a fresh wound that still stings — when Virginia was walloped in the 2024 Final Four.
In that game, the Cavaliers conceded 12 goals, which is not too troublesome. What was troublesome, however, was the fact that the mighty Virginia offense only scored six times. A lack of timely offense — or, at times, any offense — has meant surefire demolition for the Cavaliers.
Saturday against No. 1 Maryland, that demolition happened again. Virginia made just six of its 35 shot attempts. In a bizarre coincidence, the final score was exactly the same as that Final Four defeat.
Graduate goalkeeper Logan McNaney — who dons the prestigious No. 1 jersey for the Terrapins — stonewalled Virginia’s offense. The Cavaliers did not score in the first 13 minutes of play.
On the other end, the Terrapins produced a lethal blitz of four goals on their first four shot attempts. Senior goalkeeper Matthew Nunes was not solely responsible, but he certainly failed to make the spectacular saves that McNaney captured.
At the conclusion of the first quarter, Maryland held a commanding 5-1 lead. It appeared as if another stinging defeat was inevitable.
In response, Virginia launched its own avalanche of goals. Senior midfielder Will Inderlied, junior attackman Kyle Colsey, sophomore midfielder Will Erdmann and senior attackman Thomas Mencke all tallied goals. Suddenly, it was a 5-4 game.
At the heart of the offensive surge was the fact that the Cavaliers had successfully turned the Terrapins’ own strategy against them. Virginia began to take its time, meticulously selecting the best shot to take instead of the first shot available.
Fueled by both patience and aggressive play, the second quarter was a complete shift —- especially on the turnover front. After 27 minutes of play, Maryland had 11 turnovers compared to two by the Cavaliers.
But after the temporary reprieve of halftime, the Terrapins did not go down quietly. Nunes allowed a pair of goals in the third quarter.
However, Virginia was quick to retort. While the defense trembled, attackman Griffin Schutz responded with a goal, and junior attackman Truitt Sunderland tacked on another to open the fourth quarter scoring.
With 11 minutes remaining, a once-daunting contest had become a sprint to the finish — and a one-goal game.
But at the climax of a heated battle, a cruel twist of fate befell Virginia. The Cavaliers were called for a slash and an offsides penalty, which gave Maryland 30 seconds of play with two men up.
Those penalties sunk Virginia’s hopes of an upset victory. Senior attackman Eric Spanos made the Cavaliers pay on the man-up, and sophomore faceoff man Sean Creter added a goal immediately after. Suddenly, Virginia trailed 9-6.
Junior attackman Braden Erksa piled it on with another goal and put the Cavaliers in an insurmountable 10-6 deficit. By the final whistle, Virginia was left with a 12-6 defeat — the exact score of the 2024 Final Four.
The Cavaliers will have to wait another year — or more — to finally conquer the rival Terrapins at Klöckner Stadium. For now, there are more pressing matters. Namely, a losing record is cause for concern.
Since Coach Lars Tiffany took over following the 2016 season, only once had Virginia suffered its fourth loss of the year before April — Tiffany’s opening campaign in 2017. The usual early-season dominance is nowhere to be found this year, as the Cavaliers currently sit at 3-4.
Virginia did put up an admirable fight at times Saturday, but at the end of the day, a loss is a loss. And the alarm bells are ringing for these Cavaliers.
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