Virginia Men's Lacrosse 2023 Roster Preview

Breaking down the roster for the 2023 UVA men's lacrosse season

With the 2023 Virginia men's lacrosse season set to begin this weekend, here's a complete roster breakdown for Lars Tiffany's Cavaliers, beginning with the attack and offensive midfielders. 

Offense

The Cavaliers are returning five of their six offensive starters from last year and have added a multitude of talent to bolster an already dominant offensive group. The Virginia offense ranked third in goals per game last season at 15.5 per game and was 6th in shooting percentage. Despite the loss of Matt Moore, who holds the all-time record in points for Virginia, the UVA offense has the potential to excel and dominate opposing defenses due to new additions and experienced returning veterans.

Before looking at the newcomers, let’s reflect on last season’s standout stars, beginning with attackman Connor Shellenberger, who earned preseason All-American honors this year and was a Tewaaraton finalist last year. Shellenberger led the team with 76 points in 2022 and was one of the two initiators of the offense with Matt Moore. Head coach Lars Tiffany referred to the two of them as a “two-headed quarterback,” which involved Shellenberger dodging from behind combined with Moore’s ability to dodge from the top, allowing for the offensive set to be initiated from two different places. Their role as initiators transitioned to feeders as both would draw a large defensive presence when either of them had the ball, leading to a combined 70 assists last season.

With Moore gone, Shellenberger will continue to operate from behind the net and be the primary facilitator in Virginia's offense, but the role of the second spark plug may fall to sophomore Griffin Schutz. Last season, the former No. 1 overall recruit Schutz was often seen on the left side of the goal and served as an offensive midfielder who used his size to bulldoze past defenders, leading to 23 goals.

Lars Tiffany said on Wednesday that the coaching staff is still trying to find the right balance and fit as to who will be the the third attackman alongside Shellenberger and Payton Cormier, who led Virginia in goals last season with 60 and is primed for another massive year. Cormier has used his box lacrosse experience to make him an elite goal-scorer on the crease, utilizing his quick catch-and-shoot ability and lacrosse IQ to find narrow openings in front of the goal.

As of right now, it is a mystery as to which player will fulfill that third attackman spot. Schutz has the versatility to fulfill different roles, whether that is playing behind the goal alongside Shellenberger on attack or as a downhill dodging midfielder. One thing to look out for with Schutz is how his ability to distribute the ball will need to improve. After registering only 7 assists last season, he will draw a much stronger presence after an exceptional freshman year and will need to rely on his teammates when he is inevitably doubled on his way to the net.

Midfielder Jeff Conner also returns for the Cavaliers after producing 32 points last season and will continue to play a vital role as a two-way midfielder. The fifth starter to return is Xander Dickson who had a breakout season last year, registering 31 goals and 8 assists. Dickson played as an offensive midfielder last season, but with Moore now gone that leaves an opening for either Dickson or Schutz to snatch up. Either way, Dickson, known for his quickness and precision finishing, will provide significant contributions for the Virginia offense.

With five players returning to Virginia’s starting lineup, many expect the man to fill the sixth spot in the offense to be Payton Cormier’s old friend, Thomas McConvey, who transferred from Vermont after scoring a program-record 60 goals and adding 14 assists as well. He was also picked No. 1 overall in last year's National Lacrosse League Draft. McConvey was limited in the fall after having shoulder surgery due to an injury he picked up at the U19 World Championship last summer, but is still expected to play a role for the Cavaliers this spring. McConvey is known for his ability to play in a “two-man game” due to his extensive experience playing box lacrosse in Canada. McConvey slots in as a midfielder and is capable of dodging from the top of the key or playing on the crease. 

Another transfer to the team is Ricky Miezan, who was a standout linebacker at Stanford for the last four seasons before transferring to Virginia to once again pick up a lacrosse stick. In high school, Miezan was the No. 3 recruit for lacrosse, known for his downhill dodging. The key for Miezan will be shredding himself down from a linebacker to an offensive midfielder and how quickly he adapts to the collegiate level as he has not played since high school. If he can adjust to the sport at this level, Miezan could play a key role in the UVA midfield given his athleticism and size at 6'2", 235 pounds. 

Other than the two transfers who will both look to bring life to an already explosive offense, incoming freshman attackman Truitt Sunderland will attempt to make a splash. Sunderland was ranked the No. 2 incoming freshman according to Inside Lacrosse and serves as yet another gifted offensive playmaker, tallying 47 goals and 42 assists his senior year. In addition to his potency on offense, Sunderland is known for his riding ability which fits perfectly with Virginia’s famous 10-man ride that has caused opponents nightmares for years.

Expect Patrick McIntosh and Peter Garno to continue to bring energy off the bench. The duo played pivotal roles as super-subs last season, combining for 15 goals and four assists. Garno and McIntosh both provided meaningful contributions on Virginia’s man-up offense with Garno being tied for most man-up goals with three and McIntosh adding two of his own.

Some big questions remain for the Virginia offense as the season gets underway. Most notably, what will the starting six look like and how will they operate? It is most likely that Shellenberger will play behind the net, Cormier on the crease, Dickson on the right side and Jeff Conner at the top, but there are lots of different options for the Hoos beyond that and Lars Tiffany said there will be lots of experimentation early in the season. Last year, the Cavaliers often lined up in a 2-3-1 formation with lots of off-ball picks and cutting, but with the addition of McConvey, it’ll be interesting to see what Virginia changes. With McConvey, the incorporation of a 1-4-1 formation could see McConvey and Cormier on the crease which may be a lethal combination against opposing defenses. 

Defense

With Goalie Matthew Nunes commanding a defense once referred to as, “ a bunch of velociraptors running around in front of the goal," the Cavaliers will look to field a strong defense in 2023 to pair with their overpowered offense. 

Virginia defense’s most notable performance last season was when the Hoos traveled into Chapel Hill and limited the Chris Gray-led North Carolina offense to only four goals in an 11-4 win. This season, the Cavaliers return that entire close defense squad that shut down the Tar Heels which includes Cole Kastner, Cade Saustad and Quentin Matsui. Additionally, Virginia brings back four long-stick midfielders from last year and a loaded short-stick defensive midfield crew. 

The 2022 ACC Defensive Player of the Year Cole Kastner anchors the Cavaliers' defensive squad after finishing last season with 29 ground balls and 32 caused turnovers. “Project 39” was named preseason All-ACC this season and Coach Tiffany refers to him as “the lynchpin in our 10-man ride.” Kastner will continue to be a menace to opposing attackmen, using his 6 '7' frame and tremendous turnover-causing abilities. 

To complement Kastner, captain Cade Saustad, who played on both the 2019 and 2021 national championship teams, serves as the lead communicator for the defense as he returns for his fifth season on grounds. Saustad was right behind Kastner with 27 ground balls and caused 17 turnovers. Lastly, Quentin Matsui rounds out the starting close defense from last season and finished third on the team in caused turnovers with 12. The three of them will aim to continue to disrupt attackmen and hope to limit top offenses such as Duke and Maryland that caused trouble for them last season.

At defensive midfield, preseason All-American short-stick defensive midfielder Grayson Sallade and LSM Scott Bower both return for the Hoos after starting last year. Sallade registered 29 ground balls last season and played an integral role on the wing as well as in the defensive zone. Sallade is joined by a deep and talented unit of short-stick defensive midfielders, including Evan Zinn, Danny Parker, Noah Chizmar, and Dawson Chitwood, although Lars Tiffany indicated that the group has been banged up in preseason play.  Zinn has fully transitioned to defensive midfield after serving as a two-way midfielder last season known for his speed which will prove effective in end-to-end transition. As for other players, Chizmar had a breakout year as a freshman after walking onto the team and Parker was eighth on the team in ground balls with 27. The four will look to rotate with Sallade on the wing as well.

From a close defense and LSM perspective, expect guys such as Mitchell Whalen, Jake Giulieri and Ben Wayer to all rotate in behind the starting four defensive poles. Whalen also brings a unique talent as he went 7/15 on faceoffs last season which could be important, especially early in the season with the injuries in the faceoff unit. Wayer also scored two goals against Brown in the first round of the NCAA tournament last season. 

Additionally, freshman Malachi Jones joins the LSM group and will attempt to break into a talented defensive room after helping his high school to an MIAA championship his senior year. Jones is known for his quick speed and ability to dislodge the ball from defenders. Griffin Kology joins the team after transferring from Richmond after only one year. His brother Kyle Kology was a staple of the UVA defense four four years, helping the Cavaliers win two national titles before graduating from Virginia in 2021. Now, Griffin Kology, who was an All-Conference selection as a freshman at Richmond, looks to follow in his older brother's footsteps and help UVA win another national championship. 

The last and possibly most important member of this Virginia defense is goalie Matthew Nunes, who had a tremendous freshman year, earning the ACC Freshman of the Year award. Nunes recorded a Virginia freshman record of 159 saves and is poised for another big year in the cage. He has also proved he can distribute the ball quickly and accurately when clearing the ball while making his voice heard. Lastly, Nunes made multiple acrobatic saves last season including stuffing Notre Dame’s Pat Kavanagh on the crease in a 12-8 win.

Backing up Nunes will be senior David Roselle, while freshman Kyle Morris, the No. 6-ranked goalie from the class of 2022, may redshirt for the year as it will be extremely difficult to surpass Nunes for the starting job.

Virginia looked to have a solid faceoff specialist unit for this season, but injuries have derailed those plans. Petey LaSalla, the all-time leader in faceoffs won in UVA program history, is back for his fifth and final season, but he is currently dealing with a lower-body injury and it's unclear if he'll be ready to go for the season-opener against Michigan on Saturday. He was in a boot during practice on Wednesday. LaSalla's backup, Gable Braun, has gotten a lot of experience over the last couple of seasons, but Braun will be redshirting this entire season with an injury. 

That leaves freshman Mac Eldridge, the No. 1 faceoff specialist in the recruiting class of 2022. With Braun out and LaSalla's status unclear, UVA might be faced with having a true freshman as the sole active faceoff specialist to start the season. Eldridge took every faceoff in Virginia's two preseason scrimmages against Navy and Georgetown with mixed results. The Cavaliers might have to overcome a possession disadvantage early in the season depending on the availability of Petey LaSalla and how quickly Mac Eldridge can adjust to the collegiate level. 

When LaSalla is healthy, he packs a punch at the X. He finished 8th in the country in face-off percentage, winning 59.7% of his draws. But LaSalla's biggest calling card is his ability to stay on the field as an offensive midfielder, resulting in a mismatch as the opposing team's faceoff man is often forced to stay on the field to tag LaSalla. The beauty of this is that the opposing faceoff specialist may not be familiar with the defensive set which creates mismatches and missed slides and leads to easy goals for the Cavalier offense. Additionally, LaSalla is a capable dodging midfielder who has a nose for the goal which has led to goals in key moments for the Cavaliers such as two goals in the National Championship in 2019 against Yale when LaSalla was just a freshman. Short-stick defensive midfielder Grayson Sallade and LSM Scott Bower return and will once again most likely join LaSalla on the wings to create a lethal faceoff line filled with ground-ball machines.

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Virginia returns essentially its entire starting lineup outside of Matt Moore. With star power, experience, and depth at every position on the field, the Cavaliers look to not only maintain their spot at the top of the ACC, but make a run at a third national title in the last five years. 

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