As sun and strong winds came down on a sea of blue and orange, Klöckner Stadium came alive Saturday as Virginia men's lacrosse seemed to finally find its rhythm, defeating Utah 14-9 in front of a lively home crowd. Continuous noise from the fans and the home band accompanied the Cavaliers (5-4, 0-0 ACC) as they successfully held off their opponents to stay undefeated all-time against the Utes (1-7, 0-0 ASUN) in three matchups.
Utah entered coming off a six-game losing streak, not having won since its season-opener against then-No.19 Ohio State.
Virginia and Utah have met only twice before, in 2019 and 2021 — both years in which Virginia defeated Utah and went on to win the NCAA Tournament. While these Cavaliers are not seeing the success of those seasons, a decisive victory against the Utes, a team that has won its conference two years in a row, is a positive sign. Despite Utah's now-seven-game losing streak, only the losses Saturday and to No. 10 Syracuse came by a margin of more than two goals.
From the opening whistle, the atmosphere was immaculate. Virginia set the tone quickly — senior midfielder Griffin Schutz wasted no time making his mark on the game, scoring twice in the first quarter and assisting on another goal to give the Cavaliers an early 5-2 lead. Virginia's crisp ball movement and relentless transition play kept Utah on its heels, struggling to find its tempo against the swarming Cavalier defense, led by senior defenseman George Fulton.
Time and time again, Virginia found the net with strength and precision. There seemed to be visible chemistry on the field Saturday afternoon, the likes of which has been obviously absent this season. Utah tried to make runs throughout the game, but at no point did it take the lead.
Senior goalkeeper Matthew Nunes inhabited the net for 57 minutes, starting for the fourth consecutive game. Nunes made 11 saves while shutting out the Utes in the third quarter, while junior goalkeeper Kyle Morris kept three balls out of the net after subbing in for the final few minutes.
This marked Virginia's final game before jumping into conference play next Saturday against Syracuse, and overall it seems as though they're doing it on a high note. Coach Lars Tiffany was ecstatic about the way the team was able to adapt mid-game.
“We were able to expose the inside more than we have all year,” Tiffany said. “... Utah started the second half in a really no-slide, lock-the-crease defense, because they didn't want to see us attack the inside again, and then we took advantage of it where we came around and scored, because you knew you could dodge from behind with no slide now.”
The Cavaliers’ ability to make successful cuts to score in a cohesive manner in the first half helped them gain the momentum that they held onto for the rest of the game. But like any good team, Utah recognized that hole and adjusted its play accordingly after the first half — what secured the Cavaliers’ victory was their ability to change their playing in response to their opponent’s adaptations.
If Virginia can maintain some of what it found Saturday, the Cavaliers may very well be able to contend in ACC competition. They will open the conference slate next Saturday, at home at 1 p.m. against Syracuse.
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