Virginia men’s lacrosse earns spot in the NCAA tournament, will face Loyola (Md.) in the first round

After missing out on the NCAA tournament in back-to-back seasons, the Virginia men’s lacrosse team will take part in post season action. The Hoos are headed to the tourney for the first time under second year head coach Lars Tiffany and will face No. 6 seed Loyola in Baltimore on May 12 at 7:15pm on ESPNU.

Virginia defeated Loyola in the first game of the season in double overtime, 13-12, thanks to a goal from second year midfielder Dox Aitken. The Hoos trailed 7-3 at halftime and 8-3 in the third quarter before going on a seven-goal run over the third and early fourth quarter. First year Ian Laviano had five goals in the win, and the Hoos won 18-of-29 face offs in the contest.

Loyola and Virginia have had themselves quite the exciting matchups in the last few meetings with four of the last five being one goal wins for the Cavaliers. The Greyhounds are led by superstar Pat Spencer, who has 31 goals and 55 assists for 86 points on the season. He had three goals and two assists in the first matchup between the two teams.

Loyola earned the Patriot League automatic qualifier by winning the conference tournament over Lehigh, 15-8.

The last time the Hoos played in the post season, they faced Johns Hopkins in Charlottesville, falling 19-7. Virginia hasn’t made it out of the first round of tournament action since 2012 when the Cavaliers fell to Notre Dame in the quarterfinals. Of the current roster, only defenders Scott Hooper, Logan Greco, and Cooper Fersen have seen NCAA tournament action the last time the Hoos went dancing.

If Virginia manages to take down Loyola, the Hoos would play the winner of No. 3 seeded Yale and UMass in the quarterfinals.

Maryland took the No. 1 overall seed for the third straight year, and ACC counterparts Duke (No. 4), Notre Dame (No. 7), and Syracuse (No. 8) all received national seeds and home games.

Here is the full bracket: