The No. 2 Cavalier men’s lacrosse team will square off against defending national champion No. 1 Syracuse Sunday at home.

The undefeated Cavaliers, who lost in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament last year, face a Syracuse team which also has yet to lose a game. Although this clash between the nation’s top two teams has the feel of postseason contest, Starsia emphasized that his team must bear in mind the long season that still lies ahead following Sunday’s contest.

“I think we do have to be careful not to sell our soul for any one of these games,” Virginia coach Dom Starsia said. “It’s still early March; we have a long way to go. But the point of what we do is to be involved in an activity like this.”

The Orange (2-0) will attempt to protect its rank and earn its 12th consecutive victory, dating back to their last loss April 4 against Princeton. Offensively, Syracuse has excelled, scoring 27 points to just 16 by its opponents. The squad also has dominated at the faceoff, recording a win-loss percentage of .680, taking 34 of the 50 thus far. 

Junior attack Stephen Keogh leads Syracuse with five goals, and senior attack Chris Daniello has earned six points, as well, scoring five goals and notching one assist.

Virginia (3-0) does not lag far behind, however, as the team has outscored opponents 39-23 and has outshot them 137-88, while averaging netting 13 goals per game. Sophomore attack Chris Bocklet is Virginia’s lead scorer with nine goals and four assists, followed by sophomore attack Steele Stanwick with seven goals and five assists. Junior midfielder Rhamel Bratton and freshman attack Connor English each have contributed four goals, as well. 

Nevertheless, Syracuse’s junior goalkeeper John Galloway has maintained a 0.667 save percentage. In comparison, Virginia junior goalkeeper Adam Ghitelman has a .556 save percentage during 165 minutes of play.

“It’s a lot of fun as a goalie. You know, going into this game, you are going to see a lot of shots. They are going to test you — they aren’t going to work the ball around and sit on it,” Ghitelman said.

Both teams are coming off home wins. The Orange defeated Army 12-7 in the Carrier Dome Feb. 28, while Virginia outdueled No. 18 Stony Brook 13-8 at the University Hall Turf Field. Bocklet and Stanwick put away three goals each to seal the Cavalier victory.

“I think the teams have a lot of great lacrosse players on them,” Stanwick said. “They like to take chances.”

The all-time series record between Syracuse and Virginia stands at 11-11, with the last meeting resulting in a 13-12 Virginia win at Syracuse.

After Sunday’s contest, Virginia will continue its three-game homestead March 9 against the Virginia Military Institute.