With just over two minutes remaining in the third quarter, Virginia desperately clung to a 13-12 lead over Colgate. In a game where the Cavaliers (1-0, 0-0 ACC) had failed to extend a lead greater than one goal since 3-1 midway through the first quarter, the pesky Raiders (0-2, 0-0 Patriot League) were comfortably within striking distance.
That’s when junior faceoff specialist Henry Metz ripped a wristshot on a rolling rebounded ball into the back of the net.
“[Metz] is a former hockey player, and he showed that on that goal,” senior attackman Truitt Sunderland said. “It’s so exciting to see a face-off guy score, and Metz — he's a great kid, he works so hard and it was awesome to see him get on the score sheet.”
This goal — only the second of Metz’s career —came amidst a 5-0 run that gave Virginia the momentum to finally pull away from Colgate and secure a 19-14 win.
The Cavaliers opened the season Sunday in a spectator-free George Welsh Indoor Football Practice facility. Safe from the icy and frigid conditions, Virginia put on an offensive clinic, matching its highest goal total since hanging 19 on the Raiders to start 2025 — providing reason for tempered enthusiasm as the Cavaliers sputtered against stiffer defenses later on in the 2024-25 season.
Sunderland and junior attackman McCabe Millon stuffed the statsheet with 17 combined points. Sunderland, who led the team with 32 goals in 2025, picked up right where he left off with four goals in the first half alone, finishing the day with six goals and two assists.
“All the credit goes to Coach Cassese and Coach Shellenberger,” Sunderland said. “They give us the answers to the test before the test.”
As Virginia’s all-time leader in points, Coach Shellenberger made an immediate impact on the Cavalier offense in his coaching debut.
Millon netted four goals of his own, but his biggest impact came in the facilitation department. Millon controlled the six-on-six offense with the ball in his stick at X, threading the needle to Virginia’s cutters and shooters on countless occasions. For Millon, his five assists and nine points are both career highs.
McCabe was not the only Cavalier dishing out dimes, though — his brother, freshman attackman Brendan Millon, matched his five assists, all in just the first half of his collegiate debut. Brendan’s second assist provided a special moment for the Millons, setting McCabe up beautifully for his first goal of the season.
“It was awesome to be back out there playing with him, you know, it's been a long time coming, he and I,” McCabe said. “It was just so much fun, especially him getting to throw me, you know, an apple to start to open up the year, so that was really special.”
Teammates at the McDonogh School, the Millon brothers were reunited on the field Sunday and gave a sneak peek of the chemistry they bring to the Virginia offense.
“Very, very happy for him, super pumped for him, and can't wait to see what he's going to do in these upcoming weeks,” McCabe said.
While the Cavaliers lit up the scoreboard, the Raiders also faced little resistance on the offensive end, much of which had to do with the groundball battle, which Colgate handily won 43-32.
“They were just getting every extra possession,” Coach Lars Tiffany said.
Faceoffs were also an issue for much of the game, making it difficult for Virginia to extend its lead in the first half, where its win rate was a poor 38 percent. In the second half Cavaliers won the faceoff battle 10-7, allowing them to build on momentum and make their run to seal the game late.
“I thought Metz did a nice job keeping it, and then maybe that's what's going to happen for your first game in college, with [freshman faceoff specialist] Griff Meyer learning what's happening,” Coach Tiffany said.
Meyer took the bulk of the work in his first college action, lining up for 23 out of 35 faceoffs, winning a respectable 10. He certainly did become more comfortable as he got more live reps, winning five of his last seven faceoffs.
Virginia also made up some of the possession ground using their ride, speeding up many of Colgate’s passes in an attempt to break the press, leading to 26 turnovers to the Cavaliers’ 15.
In the cage, graduate goalie Jake Marek, who beat out senior goalie Kyle Morris for the starting job, made his debut for the Cavaliers after four years at Air Force. Despite the goal total, Marek showed promise, as he was subjected to numerous uncontested shots around the crease, making it difficult to properly evaluate his performance.
The shaky defense for Virginia could provide concern, though it is not too surprising in a season opener where the Cavaliers rolled out a very young and inexperienced back line. Despite the growing pains, highly touted freshman defenseman Robby Hopper impressed in his debut.
“[Hopper] did not scrimmage much at all in the first three scrimmages we had, and so for his first contest, there wasn't the hesitation that maybe you see some first years,” Coach Tiffany said. “Hopper stepped on the field and seemed ready to play Division I lacrosse, and it was great to have him pressuring the ball, handling the ball, making him some tough ground balls.”
Additionally, senior defenseman John Schroter was sidelined with a lower leg injury that has been flagged as day-to-day by Coach Tiffany. Without its captain and best on-ball defender, Virginia figured to show its limp.
“We miss [Schroter] out there — he's become an emotional leader for us in the weight room and everywhere, he transcends the mundane and is really helpful when everyone is tired,” Coach Tiffany said. “And of course, he's a really incredible one-on-one cover defender, so we have a really good matchup for him next weekend.”
While the result was not pretty on the defensive end, Virginia hopes to improve as the personnel gain more experience and return to full health — something that Coach Tiffany hinted at.
The Cavaliers will need all the help they can get on defense when they travel down Interstate 64 to take on in-state rival No. 9 Richmond Saturday at Robins Stadium. The Spiders gave Virginia fits in the matchup last season and will give the Cavaliers their first look at a title contender this year. Face-off is set for noon and can be streamed on ESPN+.
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