Virginia Cavaliers men's lacrosse

History

University records show that Virginia fielded lacrosse teams from 1904 to 1907, although no further information from that period is available. 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.

In 1970, Virginia finished the season with an 8–2 record and the USILA again awarded them the national championship. 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.

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. 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 2007, Virginia posted a regular-season record of 12–3 and were ranked #3 behind ACC champion Duke and the undefeated Ivy League champion, Cornell. The Cavaliers entered the NCAA tournament with a #2 seed but were upset in the opening round by unseeded Delaware 14–8, marking the first time since 2004 that Virginia had failed to reach the quarterfinal round (and final four).

In the 2008 season, Virginia again posted a 12–3 regular-season record and were ranked #2 (behind Duke). They received the #2 seed in the NCAA tournament, where they defeated unseeded UMBC 10–9 in the first round and 7th seeded Maryland 8–7 in overtime in the quarterfinal round before succumbing to the eventual champion, 3rd seeded Syracuse 12–11 in double overtime of the semifinal.

During the 2009 season, the contest against Maryland resulted in the longest lacrosse game in college history. In the first overtime, an unintentional whistle by an official negated a would-be game-winning goal by a Maryland player. Virginia eventually scored a goal to win 10–9, in the seventh overtime and preserved its then-perfect record of 11–0. Virginia entered the NCAA tournament on a two-game losing streak, but then defeated Villanova 18–6 in the opening round, and Johns Hopkins 19–8 in the quarterfinal round. The Cavaliers ultimately fell in the final four to Cornell.

In 2010, the team won the ACC Championship, finished the regular season 14–1 and with a #1 ranking, and entered the NCAA tournament with the #1 seed. The Cavaliers defeated Mount St. Mary's 18–4 in the first round and Stony Brook 10–9 in the quarterfinals before falling to eventual champion Duke, in the semifinals. However, the team's tournament run was to some extent overshadowed by the arrest of senior midfielder George Huguely on charges of murdering former romantic partner and Cavaliers women's lacrosse player Yeardley Love (Huguely would be convicted in 2012).

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. 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. Five Cavaliers were named USILA All-Americans. Following the tournament, third-year attackman Steele Stanwick won the Tewaaraton Trophy as the nation's top player.

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 ⁽²⁾ Lost NCAA 1st round 14–8 to Johns Hopkins. ⁽³⁾ Won NCAA 1st round 6–5 over Princeton. Lost quarterfinal 12–10 to Notre Dame. ⁽⁴⁾ 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. ⁽⁵⁾ Won NCAA 1st round 18–4 over Mount Saint Mary's. Won quarterfinal 10–9 over Stony Brook. Lost semifinal 14–13 to Duke. ⁽⁶⁾ Won NCAA 1st round 18–6 over Villanova. Won quarterfinal 19–8 over Johns Hopkins. Lost semifinal 15–6 to Cornell. ⁽⁷⁾ Won NCAA 1st round 10–9 over UMBC. Won quarterfinal 8–7 over Maryland. Lost semifinal 12–11 to Syracuse. ⁽⁸⁾ Won NCAA 1st round 14–8 over Johns Hopkins. ⁽⁹⁾ 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.