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

Aidan Baller|
Virginia Athletics.

Despite the 13-12 loss to Johns Hopkins this past Saturday in Baltimore, the Cavaliers played some of their best lacrosse, showing signs of a tournament team if they can improve a little more. That said, here's a reflection of how Virginia performed as compared to our keys to victory written before the game.

The Virginia offense looked much more fluid, but still had a multitude of inexcusable turnovers

After scoring five goals against Ohio State in Columbus, Virginia's lowest goal tally since February 2016, the Cavaliers desperately needed an offensive spark headed into Saturday. They got it with five first-quarter goals, with Will Inderlied getting the party started with a goal that took less than a minute using his large frame to shield his defender. Virginia continued to click offensively throughout the first half, leading 8-7 at halftime. The Cavaliers also assisted on nine of their 12 goals as the UVA offense looked way more fluid with constant ball movement. 

Truitt Sunderland led the way with four goals and two assists, while McCabe Millon finished with three goals and one assist to bounce back from his scoreless outing at Ohio State.

The downside and foremost reason for the loss was the third quarter, where Virginia only scored one goal while the Blue Jays scored five, allowing Johns Hopkins to steal the lead and later the Doyle Smith Cup. Virginia's turnovers, missed passes, and poor decisions also contributed to the downturn and loss, which plagued the Hoos at the end of the game, which still needs to be cleaned up. 

The Cavaliers did alright at the X and in transition 

Anthony Ghobriel was 12/23 from the X on Saturday while adding an assist. On the other hand, Andrew Greenspan, who has been prolific in his reps this season, struggled on Saturday going 1/6 from the stripe. The two produced a total of 13/29 from the dot, which could've been better but wasn't the story of the game.

In transition, Virginia looked much more like teams of the past with Ghobriel assisting Sunderland on a fast break, Millon finding Schutz in an unsettled situation, and Tommy Snyder finding Millon on a break to bring the Blue Jays lead to two. Pushing transition will always fuel teams in Charlottesville, and the Cavaliers certainly showed flashes of that on Saturday.

Resolve the Clear Game

Virginia's clear still wasn't great, with the Hoos clearing at around 80% on Saturday for a 17/21 mark. For context, the Cavaliers were at about 90% last year, good for 7th in the country. Four lost possessions can make a big difference… 

The Hoos were solid against Matt Collison, while Hunter Chauvette ran free 

The Virginia defense was solid against Matt Collison, who only had a goal and two assists, while Russell Melendez left the game early with an injury. In relief, Hunter Chauvette scored five goals, with three coming in the second half. The sophomore sharpshooter doesn't need much room to score, which is what he did to propel the Blue Jays to victory. 

From a defensive standpoint, Virginia's SSDMs struggled in one-on-one matchups, which was shown more by the Hoos choosing to slide late. Virginia also needs to do a better job of hard hedging on picks moving forward to give the defense more time to react off two-man games. 

Virginia wins the ground ball battle 

For a positive, the Cavaliers dominated on the ground, winning the ground ball battle 27-18, with 12 of those in the fourth quarter as Virginia attempted to claw back. The grit and determination was a win for the Cavs moving forward. 

The Hoos return to action this Saturday against Towson at the Kinkaid School in Houston, Texas. The opening faceoff is set for 1:30pm and the game will be streamed on Corrigan Sports Network.

More Virginia Lacrosse News

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

Five Takeaways From Virginia Lacrosse's 13-10 Loss to Richmond

Truitt Sunderland: Virginia Lacrosse's Next Offensive Weapon

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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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