No. 6 Virginia Kicks Off Two-Game Road Swing at Towson

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 6 Virginia (4-1) travels to Towson (4-2), which is receiving votes in both the USILA coaches’ and Inside Lacrosse polls, for the Cavaliers second road game of the season on Saturday (March 9). Opening faceoff from Johnny Unitas Stadium is set for noon on Lacrosse TV.

Saturday’s meeting marks the fourth consecutive in as many years between the two teams.

NUMBERS TO KNOW

7 – Connor Shellenberger needs just seven assists to break Tim Whiteley’s program record of 159 career assists.

13 – Virginia has won the last 13 games in the series against the Tigers. The Cavaliers have not dropped a game in the series since 1991, when Towson reached Championship Weekend.

806 – Jack Boyden (325), Connor Shellenberger (263) and Payton Cormier (218) combine for 806 career points. No other team in the nation has three active players on its roster combine for that amount.

SERIES HISTORY

• Virginia leads the all-time series over the Tigers, 16-3, and is currently riding a 13-game win streak which began in 2001.
• The two teams played each year from 1972-77 before going head-to-head again 14 years later in the 1991 NCAA Tournament, when the Tigers ultimately advanced to the program’s only NCAA championship game appearance (fell to Princeton, 12-11).
• Ten years passed before the annual series resumed in 2001 with a 12-8 Cavalier victory in what proved to be the biggest defeat the Tigers suffered in a season in which they, once again, advanced to Championship Weekend.
• UVA and the Tigers played eachother every year from 2001-10 before the series went on hiatus following the Cavaliers’ 15-9 win at Towson.
• Virginia and Tigers rekindled the series in 2021 after a 10-year hiatus from 2011-20.
• The two teams went head-to-head last season at Klöckner Stadium, when Connor Shellenberger set a career-high 10 points on four goals and six assists.
• UVA and the Tigers squared off at Johnny Unitas Stadium in 2022, when the Cavaliers overcame a 4-1 first-quarter deficit. Nine different UVA players found the back of the net, including Payton Cormier who scored a game-high four goals.
• The 2021 matchup was Connor Shellenberger’s collegiate debut. The then-redshirt freshman registered seven points on four goals and three assists. Payton Cormier scored a then-career high six goals and notched one assist.
• Two of Towson’s three victories have been by one-goal (1977 & 1991). The Tigers’ average margin of victory in their three wins of the series is 2.0 goals.

LAST TIME OUT

• After suffering its first loss of the season to then-No. 7 Johns Hopkins, Virginia bounced back with a 16-7 victory over Robert Morris at Klöckner Stadium on Tuesday (March 5).
• McCabe Millon (4g, 3a) recorded a hat trick within the first two minutes of the game before the Hoos ultimately leaped out to a 9-1 lead midway through the first half.
• Payton Cormier (5g), Connor Shellenberger (1g, 3a) also stood out offensively for UVA. Defensively, the Cavaliers were led by George Fulton, who recorded career highs in both ground balls (5) and caused turnovers (3).
• Redshirt freshman goalie Kyle Morris started the second half and held the Colonials to just two goals in over 26 minutes of action.
• Both teams combined for 43 turnovers.

CAVALIERS AMONG THE NATION’S STATISTICAL LEADERS

• For games played through March 6, Virginia leads the nation in clearing percentage (.955).
• The Cavaliers are also second nationally in assists (10.60/gm), third in ground balls (39.20/gm), fifth in points (26.00/gm), seventh in saves (14.40/gm), eighth in scoring offense (15.40/gm), ninth in scoring margin (5.00/gm) and 10th in opponent clearing percentage (.805).
• UVA also leads the ACC in clearing percentage and saves.
• Payton Cormier is currently 12th in goals (3.40/gm). Matthew Nunes is 14th in save percentage (.565) and 25th in saves (12.20/gm). Connor Shellenberger is 16th in assists (2.60/gm) and 18th in points (4.80/gm) and McCabe Millon is 21st in goals (3.00/gm) and 25th in points (4.60/gm).

VIRGINIA IN THE POLLS

• 6 Virginia fell out of the top 5 in the most recent edition of the USILA coaches’ poll.
• The Cavaliers had been ranked in the top 5 in the previous 22 editions of the poll.
• UVA has been ranked in the top 10 in 472 polls all-time, including in the most recent edition of the poll.
• Virginia has been ranked No. 1 in the nation in 70 all-time polls.
• UVA has been ranked in 520 out of 539 (.965) total USILA polls all-time.
• The USILA Poll began in 1973.

ON THE HORIZON

• The Cavaliers return to the Old Line State to challenge Maryland (4-1), which is ranked No. 7 in the most recent USILA coaches’ poll, on Saturday (March 16).
• Opening faceoff from SECU Stadium is set for 3 p.m. on Big Ten Network.