Virginia is heading to the postseason.
That is a statement that, last season, no one could say — and that, six weeks ago, very few expected to say. But by winning five of its last seven regular-season games, No. 12 Virginia rebooted its season and plopped itself in a tie for second in the ACC.
There is a lot on the line in this weekend’s ACC Tournament for the fourth-seeded Cavaliers, starting with a semifinal showdown Friday at 5 p.m. against No. 1 seed Notre Dame. Virginia is sitting squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble, looking for one more win to cement a spot in the tournament and a chance at reaching Championship Weekend at Scott Stadium.
But the foremost goal, as Coach Lars Tiffany said, is to win the ACC Tournament. Virginia has not done it since 2019.
Here, three beat writers preview the postseason:
Is Virginia’s offense strong enough to overcome its defense?
Michael Liebermann, Senior Writer: A black walking boot and one play last weekend changed this answer.
The walking boot belongs to freshman long-stick midfielder Robby Hopper. Hopper, a talent bursting with energy off the wing and in the clearing game, missed the game against Drexel. The one play in question involved a Drexel player steaming through sophomore defender Michael Meredith, the defense’s second-best pole. Meredith left the game in the second quarter and never returned, and Tiffany gave no update on either player postgame.
Look at the first and only guaranteed game of this postseason, against No. 1 Notre Dame. The Irish’s issue this season has been offense, particularly the struggles of its midfielders in settled offense. Virginia’s defense in the regular season, with Meredith and Hopper, limited the Irish in a 11-9 win. If the two of them are out? The story changes.
Sam Chun, Staff Writer: The argument can actually be made that Virginia is in a position to contend for an ACC title because of its defense, not in spite of it. It is true that the Cavaliers have both scored and surrendered the most goals of any team in the ACC. However, their two signature wins involved holding No. 7 Duke to 10 goals and No. 1 Notre Dame to just nine — offenses that, outside of their matchups with Virginia, averaged 15.1 and 13.4 goals per game, respectively.
It was during this one-week stretch that graduate goalie Jake Marek started to catch fire, making countless spectacular saves to keep the Cavaliers in the game. Senior defenseman John Schroter also hit his stride as the team’s best on-ball defender, providing the size, athleticism and stick skills to match up with any of the attackmen in the ACC. In a similar vein, the Virginia offense was held to single digits in its loss to No. 5 Syracuse, pointing to defense not being the only source of inconsistency. If the defense can hold its opponents to 10 goals or fewer, they very well may be the reason the Cavaliers hoist the trophy for the first time in seven years.
Drew Dillman, Staff Writer: It is no secret that Virginia men’s lacrosse has as potent of an offense as ever. From the opening of the season, the Cavaliers have been blessed with offensive talent, as three of the top five leading scorers in the ACC call Charlottesville home.
Freshman attacker Brendan Millon leads the conference in points, and holds a spot in the top 10 nationally. His brother, junior attacker McCabe Millon, comes in third in the conference. The Cavalier cohort is rounded out by senior attacker Truitt Sunderland, who places fifth.
While their defense has not quite had the firepower of the three-headed monster on offense, that is not to say that they lack entirely. After the stunning upset against then-undefeated No. 1 Notre Dame, Schroter earned ACC Defensive Player of the Week, showing the ability of Virginia defense to survive against high-level competition.
Who needs to have a great postseason?
ML: This may seem like a strange choice, because McCabe Millon has taken a backseat this season to his younger brother. The Brendan Millon fervor only grows. But lost in that is the strides the elder brother has taken.
He is making better decisions this season, committing fewer turnovers with less pressure on him. Brendan’s ability to steer the team from behind the goal places McCabe in a much more natural role coming downhill.
But he is still prone to rash decision-making. He showed that early this season and at times in a rough outing against Duke. If Virginia is going to make a run, he needs to win his matchups, especially if senior attacker Ryan Colsey, who missed the game against Drexel, is out.
SC: Jake Marek. Virginia is 1-5 in games where Marek saves less than 47 percent of shots coming his way and 6-2 in games where Marek reaches double figures in saves. In his season-changing performances against Notre Dame and Duke, Marek tallied 11 and 13 saves respectively, with positive save rates of 55 and 56 percent. Marek’s numbers do not even entirely paint the picture of his play throughout this stretch, as a series of impressive point-blank kick saves, impressive footwork in the crease and the ability to push the ball downfield to break pressure have given the Cavaliers an edge in high-leverage situations.
Again, while the offense gets all of the praise and highlights posted, it is Marek holding down and commanding an underrated back line that does the dirty work for Virginia.
DD: The faceoff unit has been solid for the team, and is a decided place of improvement over last year. In the 2024-25 season, the faceoff unit won at a clip of .497. This year, the unit has recorded a faceoff percentage of .530. Although that difference is small, it is significant.
In the victory over No. 1 Notre Dame, the faceoff victories were clear in helping pave the way to victory. In the close to ACC play, a .303 faceoff percentage against North Carolina contributed to the Cavaliers falling behind early amid the overtime loss. The unit — especially freshman faceoff specialist Griff Meyer — will be tested against stiff postseason competition, and it will be important for them to be playing their best lacrosse come May.
What’s a more exciting hypothetical?
Scenario A: Virginia wins the ACC Tournament. Loses in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Scenario B: Virginia loses in the first round of the ACC Tournament. Sneaks into the NCAA Tournament and reaches Championship Weekend.
ML: Consider this for a second.
Yes, it has been since 2019 that Virginia won an ACC Tournament. But it has also been since 2019 that Virginia even played in an ACC Tournament final. In 2020, the pandemic shuttered the tournament; from 2021-23, the conference abandoned the tournament in favor of regular-season finish; in 2024, Notre Dame slammed Virginia in the semifinals; and last season, Virginia missed out on the tournament.
I’d still take Scenario B. The scenes would be indelible. But I think it’s a closer comparison than most people might say.
SC: Easily Scenario B. This may be the only time Championship Weekend comes to Charlottesville, and it can only become sweeter with an appearance from its host. The best season in recent history for the Cavaliers came in 2021, when they won their seventh national title. What is not remembered is how they were bounced by Syracuse at home in the first round of the ACC Tournament this season.
As the saying goes, you are only as good as your last game. It is likely that an ACC Championship would be overshadowed by a first-round exit in the NCAA Tournament, especially considering the chance that it comes at the hands of a low-seeded mid-major.
Additionally, from a realistic standpoint, Virginia may have work to do to make it into the NCAA field. Though their two midseason wins over Notre Dame and Duke have bolstered their resume, the Cavaliers have since dropped two straight to ACC competition to close out the regular season. A third loss in combination with other bubble teams making noise in their respective conference tournaments might put an at-large bid at risk. A trip to the ACC Championship may be necessary to even make the NCAA Tournament in the first place.
DD: Given the fact that Virginia is hosting Championship Weekend, the prospect of the Cavaliers playing in front of an electric home atmosphere is not one to pass on. This is the first time that the NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Championships are to be played in a college stadium since 2002, before most players on the team were alive. What better place for the Cavaliers to crash the party?
Reaching Championship Weekend would allow Virginia lacrosse to put forth an emphatic silencing of the haters. Opening the year, the Cavaliers were picked to finish last in the ACC, coming off of the only losing season of Tiffany’s Virginia career. They were carrying a losing streak against conference competition that stretched back to April 2024. Getting to that final weekend of the season would be the cherry on top of a late-season vibe shift for Cavalier men’s lacrosse.
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