Preview: No. 2 Virginia Lacrosse Heads to Durham for Rematch at No. 3 Duke

Just two weeks after their first meeting, the Cavaliers take another crack at the Blue Devils on Saturday in Durham

Olivia Taylor/Virginia Athletics

After falling to Duke two weeks ago, Virginia responded by steamrolling North Carolina 19-12 without Connor Shellenberger, who missed the game due to injury. As for Duke, the Blue Devils traveled to South Bend, Indiana, and fell to now No. 1 Notre Dame 17-12. 

The Fighting Irish, Blue Devils, and Cavaliers have pulled away from the rest of the country and have solidified themselves as title contenders who will likely face off in the postseason in May. No matter the outcome of Saturday's rematch between Virginia and Duke, both teams are expected to be among the favorites to win the national title on Memorial Day. With that said, UVA has another opportunity this weekend to end the dreaded regular season losing streak to Duke, with the Blue Devils winning the last 17 regular season meetings with the Cavaliers dating back to 2004. To add, a win against Duke would put Virginia atop of the ACC.

As May rapidly approaches, the key to the postseason is all about improvement. How much can you improve come May compared to your rivals? With the hot weather that comes with Memorial Day weekend, how much depth does your team have? 

To answer the first question, the Cavaliers will play Duke on Saturday, April 15th, and Notre Dame on April 30th. Continuing to be able to play the best of the best will allow the Cavaliers to improve as a team.

As for depth, with Connor Shellenberger out against the Tar Heels, Truitt Sunderland filled the void on the attack line and showed promise for the future of the Cavaliers. Sunderland also demonstrated how he could inherit a larger role as the season progresses. Furthermore, other guys such as Ricky Miezan, Peter Garno, and Patrick McIntosh, who serve as the second midfield, also had strong performances.

On defense, UVA's short-stick defensive midfielders put on a terrific display led by Grayson Sallade, who had four ground balls and two caused turnovers. To add, Noah Chizmar and Evan Zinn both had impactful games and are solidifying themselves as one of the top SSDM units in the country alongside Sallade.

Despite all the positives for Virginia, there are question marks surrounding the health of Connor Shellenberger, who is day-to-day with a lower-body injury according to head coach Lars Tiffany, who also noted that they are being cautious with him and are prioritizing his long-term health. If Shellenberger is out on Saturday, Virginia's offense shifts completely. But as we saw at Chapel Hill last Friday, the Cavaliers are capable of producing offensively even without Shellenberger. 

With that said, here’s what Virginia needs to fix this time around in order to avenge the earlier loss to Duke and end the 17-game regular season losing streak to the Blue Devils. 

LaSalla must win the matchup against Naso at the x and the Cavaliers need to do more with that advantage

Last time out against Duke, Petey LaSalla went 20/34 from the x against Jake Naso, who ranks 6th in the country in faceoff percentage. Due to LaSalla winning that matchup, Duke’s high-scoring offense struggled to pull away from the Cavaliers. But on the other hand, UVA's possession advantage wasn't as significant as it could have been as Virginia committed costly early-possession turnovers or even failed to secure the possession after LaSalla won the clamp. If Petey LaSalla is able to repeat his success against Jake Naso, it is critical that UVA do better to capitalize on that advantage this time around. 

In addition to LaSalla controlling possession for the Hoos, his offensive abilities could be a factor in helping Virginia win. With Shellenberger potentially sidelined due to injury, transition goals from LaSalla could alter the game. LaSalla netted two transition goals last week against North Carolina and will be relied on again to provide an offensive spark against the Blue Devils this Saturday.

The Cavaliers need to play with confidence on offense

With Connor Shellenberger being potentially limited or even inactive this Saturday, UVA's offense will require other players to take leadership. Payton Cormier has 11 goals in his last two games, including six goals in the game against Duke. Against the Blue Devils, Cormier was guarded by a short-stick and took full advantage. It'll be interesting to see if Cormier is again guarded by a short stick in the rematch. 

In addition to Cormier, the rest of the offense is capable of beating this Duke defense. Even with the absence of Shellenberger from the lineup, either Cormier, Xander Dickson, Jeff Connor, Griffin Schutz, or Thomas McConvey will have an SSDM guarding them. If none of them can exploit a short stick, the Blue Devils deserve the win. Last time out, the Blue Devils forced Virginia to win the one-on-one matchups, something the Cavaliers should be excited about this time, given their depth and talent on offense. 

Contain Brennan O’Neill

Last week when Duke fell to Notre Dame, O’Neill was limited to just one goal while being guarded by Chris Fake, O'Neill's lowest scoring game of the season. Contrast that with O’Neill's nine-point performance against against Virginia, a key reason for Duke's success in Charlottesville. If the Cavaliers want any chance of knocking off their rival on the road, Cade Saustad and company need to find a way to limit O’Neill’s production and force other players to step up. This may come in a variety of ways such as sliding to O'Neill early or switching to a zone look. The simplest solution is Saustad sticking to O'Neill like glue, winning the matchup, and delivering one of the best performances of his career. Easier said than done. 

Play smart in transition

Virginia has allowed two goals on an open net due to the ten-man ride over the last two games. Despite all the conversation about the end of the ten-man ride, it's doubtful the Cavaliers are planning to call it quits anytime soon. If Virginia continues its ten-man ride, the attackmen need to be aggressive on the ride to prevent any long-range goals. Duke has thrived in transition play this season, and if the Cavaliers can create turnovers it could alter the course of the game. 

On the clearing side, the Cavaliers need to be smart about when they push transition versus when they choose to establish their offense. Taking advantage of unsettled opportunities will always be a critical aspect of UVA's offense, but against a team like Duke, limiting turnovers will be vital, and one way to do that is by not forcing fast breaks or transition chances on every possession. 

No. 2 Virginia is set to take on No. 3 Duke at Koskinen Stadium in Durham on Saturday at 12pm. The game will be broadcast on the ACC Network. 

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