Virginia Lacrosse Offseason Report: Are the Hoos Ready To Return To the Highest Level?

Since the Hoos season ended at the hands of Georgetown, the Cavaliers have endured a whirlwind of headlines. Eight days after the loss, Virginia announced it would be parting ways with Head Coach Lars Tiffany and immediately initiated a coaching search. Eight days later, Virginia announced that Kevin Cassese would be promoted from assistant to head coach, turning the page for a new chapter of Virginia lacrosse.

Cassese takes the mantle with high expectations, considering that the last two coaches, Tiffany and Dom Starsia, won two and four National Championships, respectively. Further, with such a high number of returning players, the expectation is a National Championship, or at least a Final Four appearance.

Roster Breakdown

In 2027, the Cavaliers are expected to return all but three starters from 2026. On the offensive side, the Hoos return brothers McCabe Millon and Brendan Millon, who led the Cavaliers with 77 and 76 points, respectively. The Millons served as the focal point of the Virginia offense and are capable of leading the Hoos to greater heights next season. Brendan Millon’s 4.53 points per game in his freshman campaign even outlasted Connor Shellenberger’s first-year tally of 4.39.

Another one for the Millon Bro's 🤝

Hoos 9-10 Hoyas#GoHoos🔸⚔️🔹 pic.twitter.com/ufVpoZBkZv
— Virginia Men's Lacrosse (@UVAMensLax) May 11, 2026

The Hoos also return Ryan Colsey (36 goals, 10 assists), Ryan Duenkel (20 goals, 11 assists), and Chase Band (16 goals, five assists) to their offensive arsenal. Lastly, two-way midfielders Joey Terenzi (14 goals, 12 assists, 17 groundballs (GBs), 8 caused turnovers (CTs)) and Hudson Hausmann (7 goals, 18 GBs, 8 CTs) return, allowing the Cavaliers to maintain their spark in transition.

The lone offensive loss is Truitt Sunderland (exhausted eligibility), leaving one open spot on attack. This spot will likely go to Colsey, who has played a ton of attack at Virginia and is a strong inside finisher from his box lacrosse experience.

Virginia will also receive an offensive boost from incoming recruits Lucas Garcia, the No. 2 recruit, and John Balsamo, the No. 20 recruit in the class of 2026.

High School Game of the YEAR just went down 🔥

Brunswick 16, Lawrenceville 15 in double OT.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ @UVAMensLax commit Lucas Garcia - the No. 2 player in the senior class - straight speed dodge to win it! This game was WILD. pic.twitter.com/ajjmsOMD9b
— Dan Aburn (@dan_aburn_) May 16, 2026

Moving to the defensive side of the ball, the Hoos return two starting close defenseman in John Schroter (23 CTs) and Michael Meredith (15 CTs), while also bringing back long poles Robby Hopper (47 groundballs, 13 CTs), Tommy Snyder (9 CTs), Eli Petty (two CTs), and Luke Hublitz (11 CTs).

Virginia’s lone long pole loss is Aidan Murnane (exhausted eligibility), who ranked second on the team in caused turnovers, although with the depth at the position, the Hoos are in a prime position to take a step up in this position group.

Defense 👉 Offense

What a first career goal for Robby Hopper!#GoHoos🔸⚔️🔹 pic.twitter.com/TJo1AMwUm0
— Virginia Men's Lacrosse (@UVAMensLax) March 14, 2026

At defensive midfield, the Hoos bring back Hausmann and Terenzi in addition to Wills Burt (6 CTs) and Lindan Verville (13 CTs). Will Erdmann, who caused nine turnovers in 2025, will return after missing the 2026 season due to injury.

The biggest loss for the Virginia defense will be goalie Jake Marek. In his lone season at Virginia, Marek posted ten double-digit save games and proved to be the difference in key wins over No. 1 Notre Dame on two occasions and the ACC Tournament title win over North Carolina.

With Kyle Morris in the transfer portal, Virginia picked up Michael Ippolito from Syracuse and also will welcome incoming freshman Hunter Mezzatesta, the No. 2 goalie in the class of 2026.

At faceoff, Virginia returns all three of its top faceoff specialists in Griff Meyer, Andrew Greenspan, and Henry Metz.

2027 Outlook

From a holistic view, Cassese inherits a roster capable of winning a National Championship; the question is whether he can capitalize on that opportunity in his first year at the helm.

He brings extensive head coaching experience from his tenure at Lehigh (2008–2023) and recently announced that Vermont Head Coach Chris Feifs will be the Hoos' new defensive coordinator. Feifs won a National Championship as an assistant at North Carolina in 2016.

Furthermore, Virginia has seen only two transfer portal departures—Johnny Hackett, who appeared in three games in 2026, and Kyle Morris. The lack of portal entries represents a testament to the belief within the locker room that something special may be brewing in 2027.

As for important dates to look out for, on June 9th, the transfer portal entry window closes, and on September 1st, recruitment opens for the class of 2028.

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