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Five Takeaways From Virginia Lacrosse's 11-6 Win Over Towson

Aidan Baller|
Virginia Athletic

Virginia (3-3) bounced back with a decisive 11-6 win over Towson (1-5) on Saturday afternoon in Houston, Texas. Strong performances from Texas natives Matthew Nunes and Thomas Mencke anchored the victory on the defensive and offensive ends. Here are our five takeaways from a much-needed win for the Cavaliers.

Houston Native Matthew Nunes Anchors a Strong Defensive Performance 

With the hometown crowd behind him, Matthew Nunes delivered the best performance of any Virginia goalie this season to anchor a defense that allowed only six goals. Nunes started strong with four saves and four goals allowed in the first half, but he would catch fire in the second with 11 saves and only two goals allowed. Nunes finished with 15 saves and a 71.4 save percentage as he made a convincing case for the starting spot against No. 1 Maryland next week. 

Nunes also looked confident out of the cage, with multiple long passes to help the Cavaliers improve their clear, an area they have struggled with this season. 

Despite the outstanding performance by Nunes, the Virginia defense also deserves credit, as the Hoos forced 13 turnovers, which included three from Ben Wayer and two from George Fulton. 

UVA Attack Looks Sluggish After Strong Start 

McCabe Millon came out rampant to start the game with two early goals, one with his right hand and one with his left, to knot the game at two apiece midway through the first quarter. Millon then found Truitt Sunderland for a goal with 4:30 left in the first quarter. After that, Virginia would not score for the remainder of the first half. 

The scoring drought, which midfielder Thomas Mencke broke at the 10:46 mark in the third quarter, even led to the entire Virginia attack unit coming off for a few minutes as the Hoos looked to backups Tucker Mullen, Mikie Harmeyer, and Caulley Deringer for an answer. The unit produced one goal, which we will touch on later before the starting attack unit returned to the game and found a rhythm, with Sunderland adding a goal and Colsey netting two to close the game. 

Despite the strong finish, Virginia needs to find consistency in its attack unit, or this team will not go far against opponents such as Maryland and the rest of the ACC.

Texas Native Thomas Mencke Stars in the Lone Star State 

In need of an answer on offense, Dallas, Texas, native Thomas Mencke rose to the occasion. After the Cavaliers failed to score a goal in the second quarter, Mencke provided the spark the Virginia offense needed with three third-quarter goals as part of a 4-0 run to give the Hoos a 7-4 lead headed into the fourth. 

In the fourth, Mencke drew a double team, freeing up Truitt Sunderland on the backside, who Mencke found with a crossfield pass to give Virginia a 10-4 lead, solidifying a much-needed win for the Cavaliers. 

Tucker Mullen Logs First Point Since Open Heart Surgery 

Tucker Mullen continues to serve as an inspiration. 

In November of 2023, Mullen underwent open heart surgery to fix a rare congenital birth defect called the anomalous origin of the right coronary artery. Since the surgery, Mullen has battled back to return to the field. On Saturday, against Towson, his story continued to grow. 

Looking to remedy a struggling attack unit, backups Caulley Deringer, Mikie Harmeyer, and Tucker Mullen entered the game. After a failed possession, Deringer forced a Towson turnover, sending the ball to the ground. Seizing the opportunity, Mullen scooped the ball and quickly fed Harmeyer, who buried the ball with a twister finish to give Virginia a 6-4 lead. The assist is Mullen's first point of the season.

To learn more about his story:  

Despite the Strong Win, There's Room for Improve

Although the score tells one story, the Cavaliers have plenty of room for improvement. As previously mentioned, the Virginia offense needs to find a more consistent rhythm moving forward; over 20 minutes without a goal is inexcusable. Moving to the faceoff dot, the Cavaliers struggled, finishing 8/20 as the committee of Anthony Ghobriel, Henry Metz, and Andrew Greenspan did not have an answer for Matt Constantinides, who finished 12/19 from the stripe. 

The Cavaliers also turned the ball over twice while trying to run out the game clock, turnovers which didn't affect them today but something that could plague them in the future. 

After a plane ride home to Charlottesville, the Hoos will focus on hosting No. 1 Maryland on Saturday, March 15th, at Klöckner Stadium. Opening faceoff is set for 4 pm.

More Virginia Lacrosse News

Texas Natives Lead the Way for UVA Lacrosse in Win Over Towson in Houston

Hitting the Keys: Reflecting on UVA Lacrosse's Loss at Johns Hopkins

Five Takeaways From Virginia Lacrosse's 12-13 Loss to No. 6 Johns Hopkins

UVA Lacrosse: What Went Wrong in Virginia's Blowout Loss at Ohio State

Ryan Colsey Leads Virginia Lacrosse to 17-8 Win Over High Point

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Aidan Baller
AIDAN BALLER

Aidan has been writing for Virginia Cavaliers On SI since January of 2023 and covers UVA football, basketball, men's soccer, and men's lacrosse. He is from New York and is currently in his fourth year at the University of Virginia, enrolled in the M.S. in Accounting program.

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