Takeaways From Virginia Lacrosse's Statement Win Over No. 1 Notre Dame

Virginia Athletics

To open the ACC Tournament, Virginia steamrolled No. 1 Notre Dame with a 15-10 victory in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hoos dominated out of the gate with two early goals and never allowed Notre Dame to take the lead. Truitt Sunderland led the way with four goals, while McCabe Millon notched five points. On the defensive end, Jake Marek posted 12 saves. The win marks the second time in Virginia lacrosse history that the Hoos have defeated the No. 1 team twice in one season.  

Here are five takeaways from Virginia’s win:

High-Powered Offense Powers Virginia to Victory

The Virginia offense played its best game of the season, scoring 15 goals against a Notre Dame defense that had averaged allowing 8.27 goals per game. McCabe Millon, who was matched up against the best defender in the country, Shawn Lyght, found the net three times and added two assists as he begins to make his case for the Tewaaraton Award. Truitt Sunderland, who notched a career high of 10 points last week against Drexel, added four goals in the win. Ryan Colsey, who missed last week due to injury, delivered two goals and two assists, including an impressive twister goal as part of a four-goal run midway through the game. Brendan Millon and Ryan Duenkel each added two goals and two assists.

What was that 😳🌪️

From face-off to finish, what a sequence from the Hoos 👏#GoHoos🔸⚔️🔹 pic.twitter.com/jJiqqahoCF

— Virginia Men's Lacrosse (@UVAMensLax) May 1, 2026

Jake Marek Delivers

Jake Marek opened the game with a point-blank save, setting the tone for the rest of the game. The Air Force transfer has continued to deliver for the Cavaliers as he posted 12 saves with a .545 save percentage. Marek also battled through injury after eating a shot from former Air Force teammate Josh Yago. Headed into the NCAA Tournament, Marek is playing his best lacrosse, which is a great sign for the Hoos' chances of making a run to Scott Stadium.

John Schroter and the Virginia Defense Dominates

In front of Marek, the Virginia defense dominated the Fighting Irish offense, with John Schroter locking down Notre Dame’s leading scorer, Josh Yago, to only two goals and one assist. Tommy Snyder also impressed as he delivered two caused turnovers and a long-range goal in the fourth quarter to ice the game. Aidan Murnane scooped up four groundballs and added a caused turnover, while Robby Hopper added a groundball and caused turnover in addition to being a force in Virginia’s clear game. The Cavaliers SSDM unit of Hudson Hausmann, Mack Till, Joey Terenzi, and Wills Burt also did a phenomenal job against the Notre Dame midfield unit of Will Angrick, Dylan Faison, Matt Jeffrey, and Teddy Lally, who have given defenses headaches all season.

FULL LENGTH GOAL 😳🤯😱

Tommy Snyder sends it‼️#GoHoos🔸⚔️🔹 pic.twitter.com/0pvyvzrkmC

— Virginia Men's Lacrosse (@UVAMensLax) May 1, 2026

Griff Meyer Hot Steak Continues at the Faceoff X

Moving to the faceoff dot, freshman Griff Meyer continues his uptick in form as he won his first three faceoffs before finishing the day 9/17. If Meyer can continue to heat up, he could emulate the performance of Petey LaSalla, who willed the Cavaliers to a National Championship as a freshman in 2019.

Ticket Punched

With the win over Notre Dame its safe to say the Hoos have stamped their ticket to the NCAA Tournament and likely will host an opening round matchup next weekend. This team is peaking at the right time, and with a win on Sunday, the Cavaliers could be looked at as one of the favorites to win the National Championship.

The Hoos will face the winner of North Carolina and Syracuse on Sunday at noon in the ACC Championship.