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No. 7 Virginia to take on No. 4 Notre Dame in a matchup of ACC heavyweights

Cavaliers look to get even in ACC play with big road matchup

<p>Coming off a monster game against Stony Brook, sophomore attack man Michael Kraus will look to put up another big performance against the Fighting Irish.&nbsp;</p>

Coming off a monster game against Stony Brook, sophomore attack man Michael Kraus will look to put up another big performance against the Fighting Irish. 

The Virginia men’s lacrosse team (6-1, 0-1 ACC) will wrap up their three-game road trip with a return to ACC play, as they take on No. 4 Notre Dame (3-1, 0-0 ACC) in South Bend, Ind. on Saturday.

Virginia followed up their first loss, against Syracuse, with two wins on the road — at Manhattan and then at Stony Brook this past Saturday.

These two victories were critical for the Cavaliers in bouncing back not only from their first loss of the year but also from their loss of junior midfielder Ryan Conrad, a captain of the team whose steely leadership and versatility have been vital for Virginia.

Saturday’s clash against the Fighting Irish will be the first difficult test, however, since the Cavaliers lost their captain. Notre Dame, after losing a close contest to No. 2 Maryland, beat No. 6 Denver 11-9, in an impressive performance that solidified their place among the best in college lacrosse.

This will be the 12th all-time meeting between Virginia and Notre Dame, a series that has favored the Fighting Irish recently — the Cavaliers have gone winless against the Fighting Irish in the last five years.

The 10 points by Kraus are the most by a Cavalier since Garrett Billings scored 11 points — 8 goals, 3 assists — in 2009, ironically also at Stony Brook. Freshman attackman Ian Laviano leads the Cavaliers with 19 goals, which places him in a three-way tie for the most in the nation among freshmen.

The Fighting Irish will attempt to slow down the Cavaliers’ frenetic pace of play Saturday, as Virginia attempts to pick up their first ACC win.

Faceoff begins at 6 p.m. from Arlotta Stadium in South Bend.

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