Matt Riley/Virginia Athletics
What We Learned From Virginia's Stinging Overtime Loss to Maryland
Virginia's run as the unbeaten No. 1 team in college lacrosse came to an end on Saturday afternoon as No. 4 Maryland came to Charlottesville and knocked off the Cavaliers 14-13 in an overtime thriller worthy of this historic rivalry. In Inside Lacrosse's updated weekly media poll, UVA is now ranked No. 3, with Maryland moving up to No. 2 and Notre Dame taking the top spot as the new No. 1.
With the Cavaliers having little time to lick their wounds before taking on another big challenge on Saturday on the road at No. 1 Notre Dame, let's break down the key takeaways from UVA's loss to Maryland:
1. Maryland is still very good
After losing several All-Americans, including Tewaaraton winner Logan Wisnauskas, it was expected that Maryland would take a big step back this year. With two losses in the first six games, the Terps did take a step back, but maybe it's not as big as some originally thought. Their offense isn't nearly as explosive as last year, but the Maryland defense is just as good, if not better. Ajax Zappitello and Brett Makar provide star power on a strong and connected Terrapin defense. Freshman goalie Brian Ruppel, who has stepped up in a massive way since All-American goalie Logan McNaney was lost for the season with an ACL injury, had the sequence of his life in overtime, denying the Cavaliers three times in rapid succession on shots that looked to be surefire game-winning goals. If Ruppel can continue to play at that level and Maryland's offense improves throughout the season, then this is a team that will play on Memorial Day weekend. Until they lose the crown, the Terrapins should still command the respect as the defending champions.
2. Very little separation between the top powers of college lacrosse this season
Lars Tiffany has talked a lot about the extremely high bar Maryland set last year in one of the most dominant seasons in college lacrosse history. The Terps ran the table, blowing out most of their opponents, including two wins against Virginia by a combined 20 goals. Tiffany says that the Cavaliers have used that Maryland team as motivation to be better in their practices and preparation. Just a few minutes after Saturday's painful loss, UVA's third-straight defeat in the series against Maryland, Tiffany said Virginia has certainly improved from last year and the gap has narrowed significantly, but the Cavaliers still have a lot of work to do.
The same can also be said for the gap that seemed to exist between this year's Virginia team and the rest of the country before this week. UVA had won each of its first six games fairly comfortably and was putting up remarkable numbers on the offensive end. But a talented and well-coached Maryland squad managed to knock the Cavaliers off that pedestal. There now seems to be very little separation between the top three teams in college lacrosse, with Notre Dame beating Maryland on the road in overtime, Maryland beating Virginia on the road in overtime, and now the Cavaliers will head to South Bend looking to make the statement that they're still in the conversation for the best team in the country.
3. Virginia's offense isn't unstoppable
Even on days when the offense didn't look as sharp as usual, UVA had no trouble putting up 17-20 goals in each of its first six games. Then came Saturday's big test against Maryland's strong defense. The Terrapins made very few mistakes, didn't let Virginia get much in transition, and didn't give up many of the easy crease dunks that have become the bread and butter of the UVA offense. Once again, Maryland defenseman Ajax Zappitello had the upper hand in the matchup with Connor Shellenberger, who was limited to just one goal on seven shots to go along with two assists. Xander Dickson was also quiet with just one goal on seven shots. Only Thomas McConvey (four goals, one assist), Griffin Schutz (two goals, two assists), and Payton Cormier (three goals) were near their normal levels of production. The outcome was by far UVA's most down-to-earth offensive showing of the season. Virginia scored just one goal at the end of the first quarter, was outscored 6-3 in the third quarter, and turned the ball over 16 times.
Maryland's offense helped out its defense by being deliberate in its possessions, slowing things down and shortening the game, as John Tillman and company recognized that UVA would quickly gain the advantage if the game turned into a shootout. The Cavaliers exacerbated that problem by taking shots early in their possessions as well as with their high rate of turnovers. Virginia had a solid second quarter and showed great poise in the fourth quarter to execute in the clutch and tie the game. The missed opportunities in overtime were excruciating, but had more to do with Brian Ruppel's heroics than UVA's lack of execution - those three shots were good looks that very easily could have won the game. However, there was sloppy play and poor decision-making from the Virginia offense all throughout regulation. Without those errors, UVA could have won this game by three or four goals.
4. Matthew Nunes is a streaky goalie and his performance could decide how far Virginia goes this season
The 2022 ACC Freshman of the Year isn't having his sharpest season so far. His save percentage is subpar at .497 with 75 saves versus 76 goals allowed this season. Against other teams with defenses not quite as menacing as Maryland's, UVA was able to get away with the average goalie play from Nunes, who averages 11.49 goals allowed per game, a manageable figure considering Virginia's offense scores over 19 goals per game. But the Cavaliers couldn't get away with that on Saturday against Maryland and they won't be able to in their next couple of games against Notre Dame or Duke either.
Nunes hadn't had great showings in the previous two outings against Johns Hopkins and Towson and that continued early in the Maryland game, as the Terps scored a couple of goals on savable shots. Nunes also didn't see the ball well in the third quarter and got caught out of position at times throughout the game. But as we saw frequently in his true freshman season, Nunes has a knack for stepping up in big moments. With Maryland leading in the fourth quarter, the Terrapins tried to put the nail in the coffin, but Matthew Nunes said no, making five saves in the fourth quarter, including two big ones down the stretch from point-blank range. After his counterpart Brian Ruppel stole the show in overtime with his three-game saving stops, Nunes couldn't come up with the save on Daniel Kelly's game-winner. But, Nunes still had a respectable game overall with a save percentage of .533 on 14 goals allowed versus 16 saves. Nunes has a high ceiling, especially if he can become a little more consistent in seeing the ball for a full game and continue to come up big at the key moments. His play will be crucial for the Cavaliers moving forward, and in particular with tough matchups against Notre Dame and Duke looming on the horizon.
5. Petey LaSalla holds his own against Luke Wierman
After missing the potential game-tying shot in the waning moments of the 2021 National Championship Game, Luke Wierman went on a revenge tour last season and proved to be one of the top faceoff men in the country. Wierman dominated the matchup with LaSalla in both of the meetings between Maryland and Virginia in 2022, as the Terrapins enjoyed a 46-24 advantage in faceoff wins between the two games. This season, Wierman has an argument as Maryland's most important player, if not Maryland's best player. With that said, Petey LaSalla did a phenomenal job of essentially canceling out Wierman's advantage at the x, as LaSalla and Wierman split the 30 faceoffs in the game 15 apiece. Additionally, LaSalla came up with two big faceoff wins late in the fourth quarter to help Virginia rally with two goals to tie the game and send it to overtime. LaSalla is currently operating at 58.8% (114/194) on faceoffs this year. If he can continue to hover around that 60% mark, that advantage in possessions for the Virginia offense can do wonders for the Cavaliers for the rest of the season.
No. 3 Virginia will look to bounce back on the road against No. 1 Notre Dame on Saturday at 12pm at Arlotta Stadium. The game will air on ESPNU.
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