Scouting Report on Richmond Ahead of Virginia's First Round NCAA Matchup

Breaking down the strengths and weaknesses of the Spiders ahead of Saturday's first round NCAA Tournament game between UVA and Richmond

Matt Riley/Virginia Athletics

Virginia rumbles into the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Tournament after a 12-8 win over Notre Dame and will now host Richmond at home for the second time this season. In their first meeting, the Cavaliers handled the Spiders with ease, winning 25-8 back on Saturday, March 4th.

Since the loss to Virginia, Richmond has only lost two games and enters the postseason on a six-game win streak. Of those losses, the first was a 13-12 loss to No. 7 Georgetown, and the second was a 14-12 loss to St. Joseph’s. Against Georgetown, Richmond led 7-4 at halftime, but a comeback by the Hoyas denied the Spiders a chance at a win over a ranked opponent. 

Despite not having a ranked win, Richmond dominated the Atlantic 10 conference tournament with a 15-8 win against UMass in the semifinals and another 15-8 win against High Point in the finals. By winning the Atlantic 10 conference tournament, the Spiders secured their 5th trip to the NCAA tournament and their second in a row. Last season, Richmond came up just one goal shy of pulling a first round upset against No. 3 seed Penn. 

Coming off a conference tournament win, Richmond does have numerous strengths that Virginia needs to be prepared for to beat the Spiders for the second time this season. To add, the Spiders also defeated the Cavaliers for the first time ever last year 17-13 with a roster that includes many players on this current Richmond roster. With that said, here are three strengths and two weaknesses of the Spiders and what they are bringing to Charlottesville this Saturday:

Strengths

Offensive Firepower

On offense, senior Dalton Young leads the Spiders with 30 goals and 39 assists. Young operates from X and is the quarterback of the Richmond offense. Young’s favorite target is Lance Madonna, who was named alongside Young as a USA Lacrosse Magazine All-American honorable mention. Madonna has 28 goals and 15 assists this season, with three of those goals being game-winners. Madonna plays alongside his older brother Derrick Madonna who plays on the right side and is known for his step-down shooting. Luke Grayum is another name to watch out for on this Richmond roster, entering this game with 44 points this season which is second-best on the team.

Strong Transition

Despite all the discussions about whether the ten-man ride is effective, the Cavaliers have continued to use it this season and have let in multiple open-net goals. This year, Richmond is 7th in the nation in clear success rate and has the opportunity to make Virginia pay in transition. Going into this game, the Cavaliers should be vigilant of Richmond's ability to make fast transition plays and earn scrappy goals in a game where the Spiders will need a lot to go their way if they want to knock off the No. 2 seed Cavaliers.

Goalie Zach Vigue

As a redshirt-sophomore, Vigue has made the net his own and has caught fire entering the postseason. During the conference tournament, Vigue made 26 saves, and against High Point had a 65.2 save percentage. Earlier this season, Vigue had 19 saves against Georgetown, showing he is more than capable of rising to the occasion against elite-level offenses. In the Spiders' win over the Cavaliers last year, Vigue had 16 saves and showed he is not afraid of anyone on this Virginia offense.

Weaknesses

Questions at Faceoff

One of Richmond’s biggest weaknesses is the faceoff x. Against Virginia, Richmond was 13/33 and their lead faceoff specialist Jared Chenoy was 8/27. In their last game against High Point, Chenoy was 8/24 from the X. Now facing Petey LaSalla for the second time this season, it could be a long day at the X for Chenoy. Expect Virginia to have the possession advantage in this contest. 

Ground Balls Win Games But Can Also Lose Them

Richmond ranks 41st in the nation in ground balls per game, which causes them to lose out on extra possessions and goal-scoring opportunities. In comparison, Virginia is first in the nation in ground balls per game with 40.86 and will lean on that advantage to deny the Spiders the extra possessions they need to keep up on the scoreboard. 

It will be interesting to see how the two teams match up after the first game was lopsided in Virginia’s favor. The first round matchup between UVA and Richmond is set to start at noon on Saturday at Klockner Stadium and will be broadcast on ESPNU. 

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