UVA Lacrosse: Keys to a Virginia Victory Against No. 8 North Carolina

Virginia (5-5) will take on No. 8 North Carolina (7-2) in Chapel Hill for its second ACC matchup of the season. The Cavaliers suffered a tough 12-10 loss to Syracuse in their ACC opener last weekend. As it stands, running the table and winning the ACC Championship appears to be UVA’s only path towards postseason contention. Still, this test against the Tar Heels––and Notre Dame later this month––will be benchmarks for the Hoos and their hopes to make a run towards Memorial Weekend. The following are some keys to a Virginia victory against the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Greenspan Must Replicate Big Day

Andrew Greenspan, UVA’s sophomore face-off specialist, is coming off a career day at the stripe. Following an injury to senior Anthony Ghobriel in the second quarter against Syracuse, Greenspan stepped up as the Cavaliers’ primary FOGO. He went on to win 13 of his 18 draws against Syracuse’s John Mullen, the ACC’s leader in face-off percentage at the time.

It was a career day for Greenspan, and one he––and Ghobriel if healthy––will need to replicate against North Carolina if the Hoos hope to be competitive in Chapel Hill. Brady Wambach, UNC’s sophomore FOGO, has replaced John Mullen as the ACC’s leader in face-off percentage (following Mullen’s underwhelming performance at the hands of––*checks notes*––Andrew Greenspan). Wambach is winning 67% of his draws this season and is scooping up over nine ground balls a game. He consistently wins clamps to himself, pushes in transition, and encourages early offense for North Carolina.

For UVA, on the other hand, while much credit should go to Greenspan, its success at the stripe has been largely dependent on wing play from Ben Wayer, Noah Chizmar, and a whole cast of other contributors. They’ll need to be ready to put pressure on Wambach’s exits and scrap for ground balls in the midfield. Whether it’s Greenspan or Ghobriel taking draws, it will take a collective effort from UVA––and a big bowl of Wheaties––to beat Wambach.

Efficiency is Key, UVA Needs to do Better

Getting possessions is important, but doing something productive with them is imperative. Inefficiency and stagnation have been Virginia’s serial sins all season. Against top talent, UVA routinely has quarter-long scoreless slumps. The worst offenses came against Ohio State, when the Buckeyes had two unanswered four-goal runs on the way to a 14-5 victory, and Syracuse, as the Cavaliers were outshot 17 to 4 in the fourth quarter of their 12-10 loss to the Orange.

North Carolina has the tools to expose this weakness. UNC has the ninth best shooting percentage in the country this season, scoring on 33% of their shots. Virginia, on the other hand, has only found the back of the net on 27% of their shots. That percentage is good for 48th best in the nation, settled between blue bloods Canisius and Manhattan (if you are an alumni from either of these institutions, pretend that was said with sincerity). As a result, despite both teams taking 25 shots a game, the Tar Heels are averaging three more goals a game.

Virginia needs to find a way to score more of its shots––preferably for a full four quarters.

UNC Has an Elite Defense, McCabe Millon Must Perform

Times only get tougher for Virginia as we turn towards the Tar Heels’ defense. North Carolina has the third best scoring defense in the country, allowing only eight goals a game. This is particularly impressive given that UNC’s goalie, Michael Gianforcaro, is good, but not great. The senior is saving 54% of the shots that he faces (just slightly better than Matthew Nunes, for reference). Comparatively, the two defenses allowing fewer goals than the Tar Heels, Army and Maryland, are led by goalies Sean Byrne and Logan McNaney (whose graduation will be celebrated by Cavalier lacrosse fans everywhere), who are saving 67% and 63% of their opponents’ shots, respectively.

Alternatively, the Tar Heels just don’t let their opponents take good shots. They are led by Chase Cellucci, who is averaging almost two caused turnovers a game––second most in the ACC. The freshman––deep breaths Virginia faithful––has 16 caused turnovers on the season and, as UNC’s top cover defender, will likely match-up against UVA’s McCabe Millon. Millon has struggled this season against some of the nation’s best defenders, and particularly against Ohio State and Maryland.

He did have some success against Syracuse, however, scoring three goals and three assists. He’ll need to have a similarly stellar performance against Cellucci and this North Carolina defense if he intends to leave Chapel Hill with a victory. Ryan Colsey and Truitt Sunderland will also need to make significant contributions, but this is still very much McCabe Millon’s team. Virginia will either rise or fall to his level of play.

Schroter Shut Down Spallina, Duffy Will Be More Challenging

Despite the difficulties of this season, Virginia's defense has been a point of pride for the program. Their unit has been put in a precarious position this spring, routinely playing through quarter-long scoreless droughts from the offense. Still, the backline has kept games competitive, most notably holding Maryland scoreless for 21 minutes earlier this season, and limiting Joey Spallina to one assist and no goals in their first ACC matchup.

John Schroter smothering Spallina for the second straight year was confirmation that he is a dominant cover defender—but he’ll have his work cut out for him against Owen Duffy. There are few players better with the ball in their stick than UNC’s sophomore attackman. With 16 assists to go along with 26 goals on 33% shooting, Duffy takes what the defense gives him, and beats them anyways. He changes directions on a dime, dodges with his head up, and distributes the ball at an elite level. In short: he’s tough to guard.

His right-hand, left-handed, man all year has been Dom Pietramala. Pietramala is a bit of a one-trick pony––but it’s a good trick. The redshirt sophomore’s shot blends quickness, power, and accuracy and has allowed him to tally 30 goals on the season (in addition to two assists). He can and will hammer it from anywhere on the field––a lethal combination with Duffy’s prowess as a passer.

UVA’s defense looks to be facing their toughest challenge yet. They will need a complete game from their SSDMs and close defenders, but they look to be peaking at just the right time.

It is to be seen if Virginia can put this all together as the Hoos take on No. 8 North Carolina on April 5th at 4:00 pm in Chapel Hill.