Cavaliers Now

Matthew Nunes Wins ACC Defensive Player of the Week for Second Time

Nunes made 14 saves and allowed only five goals in UVA's win over Notre Dame on Saturday

Matt Newton

Virginia first-year goalkeeper Matthew Nunes was named the ACC Men's Lacrosse Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season, as announced by the conference on Tuesday.

Nunes made 14 saves and allowed just five goals to lead Virginia to a 12-8 victory over Notre Dame on Saturday at Klockner Stadium. The freshman goalie faced 43 shots and registered a .737 save percentage. A number of Nunes' saves came on high-percentage shots from the Fighting Irish that should have resulted in goals, including this point-blank shot from Notre Dame's star attackman Pat Kavanagh that Nunes denied:ย 

Notre Dame scored three goals in the final 78 seconds of the game after Nunes had been pulled from the game, but the eight goals scored is still a season-low for the Fighting Irish and the lowest Notre Dame has scored in a game since losing to Virginia 10-4 in the 2019 ACC Championship Game.ย 

READ MORE:ย Lars Tiffany Signs Contract Extension to Remain UVA Men's Lacrosse Coach Through 2026

Nunes has won ACC Defensive Player of the Week twice and Virginia has won the award five out the eight weeks this season, as Cole Kastner has earned the honor twice and Petey LaSalla once.ย 

Virginia (7-1, 3-0 ACC) is ranked No. 2 in the latest Inside Lacrosse media poll and plays at Richmond on Saturday at noon.ย 

See more Virginia men's lacrosse news and content: Virginia Men's Lacrosse on Sports Illustrated

See more Virginia sports news and content: Virginia Cavaliers on Sports Illustrated

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Matt Newton
MATT NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.

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