Virginia Men's Lacrosse 2024 Roster Preview
With the 2024 lacrosse season looming, here’s a complete roster breakdown for Lars Tiffany’s Cavaliers, beginning with the attack and offensive midfielders.
Offense
Notable Additions: Coach Kevin Cassese, Jack Boyden, McCabe Millon
Notable Losses: Coach Sean Kirwan, Xander Dickson, Thomas McConvey, Jeff Conner, Peter Garno, Ricky Miezan
Notable Returners: Connor Shellenberger, Payton Cormier, Griffin Schutz, Patrick McIntosh, Truitt Sunderland
Virginia led Division I last season in scoring offense with 293 goals, a program record, amounting to 17.24 per game. The Hoos also finished first in shot percentage, scoring 38.1% of the time. Despite the losses of offensive mastermind Sean Kirwan and leading goal scorer Xander Dickson, among other offensive weapons, this team aims to once again dominate opposing defenses under new offensive coordinator Kevin Cassese, who joined Lars Tiffany's staff after spending the last 16 seasons as the head coach at Lehigh.
When Cassese arrived in Charlottesville, Connor Shellenberger was the first person he met with, instilling an instant connection and commitment to the two-time Tewaaraton finalist, who is the focal point of the Virginia offense. Shellenberger finished last season with 30 goals and 54 assists and will continue to serve as the quarterback from x.
As for Shellenberger’s wingmates, expect to see star freshman McCabe Millon join the attack line alongside Payton Cormier. Cormier and Shellenberger have been the core of Virginia’s attack with the No. 2 ranked freshman Millon providing a boost of youth. The freshman is described as a quarterback who brings excellent vision and is a capable threat anywhere on the field. Joining Shellenberger on attack, Millon has the potential to reignite UVA’s two-quarterback offense that Shellenberger and Matt Moore commanded only a few years ago.
In his junior year at McDonogh, Millon scored 51 goals and dished out 32 assists. His senior year, Millon missed multiple games due to injury but returned to full strength at the end of the season to help lead McDonogh to an MIAA conference championship. As for the fourth option on attack, expect Jack Boyden or Thomas Mencke to step in as needed.
As for the midfield, Griffin Schutz will lead the charge after scoring 24 goals last season. Schutz is a powerful downhill dodger, setting the offense into motion, either resulting in a goal from Schutz or a drawn slide resulting in an easy dunk for a teammate. As for who will join him, expect to see Patrick McIntosh and Jack Boyden joining him up top. Boyden is coming off an impressive 157-point season at Tufts and will bring instant impact to this Virginia offense.
In an interview with Inside Lacrosse, Shellenberger highlighted the similarities between Boyden and Dickson, so it would not be surprising if this new-look offense dominates opposing defenses in a similar style, with Shellenberger dishing out assists to Cormier and Boyden. Boyden, like Cormier, is also Canadian and brings valuable box lacrosse experience that allows him to score quick catch-and-shoot goals in narrow openings. As for McIntosh, he finished last season with 17 goals and nine assists, including a six-goal performance against Johns Hopkins in his one start on attack.
Behind the starting three expect Will Cory and Truitt Sunderland to fill in on the second midfield line. Sunderland joined McIntosh and Schutz as listed starters by Inside Lacrosse during the Fall Ball scrimmage against Colgate and could find time this season as a converted offensive midfielder.
In his freshman year, Sunderland finished with 17 points and has proven to be a good off-ball player. Will Cory is also expected to see increased time this season after garnering more minutes as the season progressed in 2023.
The question remains, who will be the starting six to start the season? If I had to give a prediction, I’d say Shellenberger, Millon, and Cormier at attack, with Schutz, Boyden, and McIntosh at midfield. Last season, UVA utilized a hybrid pairs offense that often started from behind, with Shellenberger initiating while the rest of the offensive players paired together to cut off-ball to create scoring chances. With new talent at the midfield and a new coach in Cassese at the helm of the offense, it will be interesting to see what changes on offense come opening day against Michigan.
Defense
Notable Additions: Chase Yaeger, Thomas Colucci
Notable Losses: Grayson Sallade, Cade Saustad, Evan Zinn, Scott Bower, Danny Parker and Quentin Matsui
Notable Returners: Matthew Nunes, Cole Kastner, Ben Wayer, John Schroter, Griffin Kology, Mitchell Whalen, George Fulton
This Virginia defense will be a relatively new group this season after losing four starters. Despite this, the Hoos retain their leader between the pipes in Matthew Nunes, who finished with a 52.9% save percentage last season. With veteran voices on the defense of Cade Saustad and Grayson Sallade now graduated, Nunes emphasized on the Lacrosse All Stars Podcast that he has made an effort this Fall to become the voice of this Virginia defense and take charge in his third season as a starter.
In front of Nunes will be the 6'7" Cole Kastner, the only returning starting close defenseman from last season. Expect to see Kastner matched up against the opposing team’s best attackman as Kastner, in conjunction with Nunes, will look to lead the Cavaliers on defense. Kastner finished with 40 ground balls and 21 caused turnovers last season.
Joining Kastner at close defense will be Griffin Kology, John Schroter, Max Wooten, Mike Prestipino, and George Fulton. Despite this, it is up in the air as to who will garner the nod against Michigan on February 10th. If I had to make a prediction, I’d say Kology starts as he started three games towards the end of the season, finishing with ten ground balls and three caused turnovers.
As for the third starting spot, I have either Fulton, Wooten, or Schroter starting. According to Inside Lacrosse, Wooten and Schroter started in Virginia’s fall ball scrimmage against Colgate, but Fulton appeared in 15 out of 17 games last season and has the most game experience.
At long stick midfield, the group is led by Mitch Whalen, who finished with 21 ground balls and ten caused turnovers last season. Joining Whalen will be Ben Wayer and Tommy McNeal. Wayer returns after not playing in 2023 but was a dominant defender in 2022 and a force in transition as he scored two goals in Virginia’s 2022 first-round matchup against Brown.
As for the short stick midfield group, Noah Chizmar leads the way alongside transfers Chase Yager and Thomas Colucci. Chizmar, known for his grit and determination, was described by Tiffany last season as the “toughest player on the team.” This season, Chizmar will receive help from Chase Yager, who arrives from Harvard, where he totaled 50 ground balls and 27 caused turnovers over the last two seasons.
Thomas Colucci also joins the program as a transfer from Colgate. Colucci transferred as a faceoff specialist, but with a crowded faceoff room, Colucci could also see time as a short-stick defensive midfielder. With a knack for ground balls, Colucci could find himself filling the void of Grayson Sallade on the wing.
Faceoffs
Notable Additions: Anthony Ghobriel, Thomas Colucci, Matthew DeSouza
Notable Losses: Petey LaSalla and Mac Eldridge
Notable returner: Gable Braun
Petey LaSalla finished his UVA career as the Cavaliers' all-time leader in ground balls and faceoff wins, creating a massive void at the x for the Hoos. His planned replacement Mac Eldridge also departed, transferring to Penn after only one year in Charlottesville, leaving Gable Braun, who missed last season due to injury, as the only faceoff specialist left.
In response, Tiffany acquired Anthony Ghobriel from Navy, Matthew DeSouza from Binghamton, and Thomas Colucci from Colgate to fill the void. DeSouza finished last season 9th in faceoff win percentage, with Ghobriel finishing 13th. The group dominated against Colgate in a scrimmage this Fall, winning around 90% of the faceoffs according to Inside Lacrosse. This is a positive sign as this group will face the 3rd and 4th ranked faceoff specialists in win percentage last season within the first three games of the season.
From the group expect to see Ghobriel and Colucci leading the charge, but I wouldn't be surprised if all four see time on opening day. Also expect to see, as mentioned earlier, Colucci and Whalen play the wings on faceoffs as the Hoos look to continue to dominate at the x.
With a mix of returners and newcomers, the 2024 Cavaliers roster found themselves ranked third in the country, only behind rivals Duke and Notre Dame. With Connor Shellenberger commanding this team in his final season, a national championship is achievable for this roster.
Subscribe to the Cavaliers Now Newsletter to receive UVA sports news in your inbox first thing on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
See more Virginia men's lacrosse news and content: Virginia Men's Lacrosse on Sports Illustrated
See more Virginia sports news and content: Virginia Cavaliers on Sports Illustrated
To stay up to date on all Virginia Cavaliers sports news, follow CavaliersNow on social media:
Facebook: @CavaliersNow
Twitter: @CavaliersNowFN