Cavaliers Now

Five Takeaways From Virginia Lacrosse's Season Opening Win Against Colgate

Aidan Baller|
Virginia Athletics

Virginia (1-0) cruised past Colgate (0-2) on a rainy day in Charlottesville, Virginia. The Cavaliers raced out to a 5-3 first-quarter lead before a four-goal run to start the second quarter solidified the contest, as the Cavaliers defeated Colgate 19-9. Here are our five takeaways from the game.

Ben Wayer Does Not Disappoint 

Wayer entered the 2025 season with the highest expectations among any player on the team after leading the nation in non-faceoff groundballs last season with 98. Within the first 14 seconds, Wayer made his presence felt, picking up a ground ball on a deflected shot before firing home Virginia's first goal of the year. 

A few minutes later, he assisted Truitt Sunderland with a full-field pass. In the second quarter, Wayer exposed Colgate's ten-man ride by firing a shot from the opposite restraining line to give the Hoos an 8-3 lead. Wayer finished with two goals, one assist, two caused turnovers, and nine groundballs, a team-high.

Truitt Sunderland Shows Flashes of Ian Laviano 

On Saturday, Truitt Sunderland showcased himself as the Cavaliers potential top goalscorer in 2025, presenting himself as a nifty finisher while drawing comparisons to Ian Laviano. Sunderland was involved early and often, scoring the second goal on a full-field pass from Ben Wayer before feeding Ryan Colsey in transition for a man-down score. Sunderland later found nylon on man-up, face-dodging his defender before diving to the goal and shoveling the ball in for a score. In the second half, he continued to hit the back of the net, constantly cutting off ball, allowing his teammates to find him wide open on the doorstep for easy dunks. 

"He flies around looking for space," said Lars Tiffany. "We recruited him more as a dodger, but we recognized he's a heck of a finisher." 

The junior from Baltimore, Maryland, finished with six goals and three assists on the day. Further, Sunderland demonstrated that in the departure of Payton Cormier, he can emerge as the next go-to goal scorer on the Virginia offense, following in the footsteps of recent greats such as Xander Dickson and Ian Laviano. 

Sunderland led the new-look Virginia offense on Saturday alongside McCabe Millon, who had two goals and three assists, and Ryan Colsey, who had two goals and an assist. 

The Goalie Battle Rolls into the Regular Season 

After Kyle Morris replaced Matthew Nunes at the end of last season, it was evident that all off-season, the starting netminder in Charlottesville would be a massive question leading up to opening day. Everyone thought Morris won the battle as he earned the start, but Coach Tiffany had other plans, substituting Nunes for the second half. Both goalies had solid days, with Morris having eight saves and a 61.5 save percentage and Nunes registering four saves and allowing four goals. 

"It's a decibel point difference. And so it was somewhat planned," said Tiffany, later speculating that this could be seen moving forward. 

The Virginia Faceoff Unit Shows Promise 

Headed into the season, there were questions about the strength of Virginia's faceoff unit, but on Saturday, the committee led by Anthony Gabriel showed promise. Ghobriel led the charge, finishing 14/21, while Notre Dame transfer Andrew Greenspan finished ⅘ and Henry Metz finished ¼. Overall, it was a promising day for the unit, which has tougher tests down the road, but it was certainly a strong start to be proud of. In addition, having Ben Wayer, Joey Terenzi, Noah Chizmar, or Tommy McNeal certainly helps whoever takes reps at the dot.

The Cavaliers Leave No Doubt 

In a potential trap game against Colgate, who upset Penn State on opening day last year, the Cavaliers dominated from the jump by racing out to an early 5-3 lead, quickly preventing Colgate from generating any thoughts of leaving Charlottesville with a win. The Hoos dominated all facets of the game, including scooping up a whopping 56 groundballs, a true display of grit and tenacity in a wet and cold game in February. 

A strong 1-0 start inspires confidence in the Cavaliers, who host Richmond next Saturday at 11:30 am at Klöckner Stadium. 

Published
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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