UVa upsets Syracuse to advance to ACC men's lacrosse final

Freshman midfielder Matt Moore’s career-high four goals and freshman goalkeeper Alex Rode stopped 10 shots for the Cavaliers.

The first-ever ACC lacrosse tournament meeting between longtime rivals Syracuse and Virginia looked like so many of their memorable regular-season meetings – excruciatingly close. The two were never separated by more than two goals all evening.

UVa had a 9-7 lead going into the fourth quarter, but committed three turnovers in the first nine minutes of the period. Syracuse capitalized on the third, when Stephen Rehfuss scored from in front of the Cavaliers’ cage to make it a one-goal game.

The game — one both teams felt they needed for their NCAA tournament resume — was tight from the start.

The teams were tied 3-3 in the opening quarter when a Syracuse penalty left the Orange a man down. But Syracuse took advantage of a UVa miscue, getting a short-handed goal from sophomore attackman Stephen Rehfuss and ending the period up 4-3.

In the second quarter, a pair of personal foul penalties on Virginia’s Scott Hooper and Logan Greco gave Syracuse a two-man advantage. The Orange got one good scoring chance but Virginia freshman goalie Alex Rode made a big stop that helped the Cavaliers kill off the penalty.

Shortly after, sophomore attackman Michael Kraus scored for U.Va. to tie the game 4-4 with 8:17 to go before halftime.

After the rapid pace of the opening period, scoring died down in the second. Virginia added a man-up goal by sophomore Dox Aitken with 3:12 left to go up 5-4, and that score held until halftime.

Virginia pushed that lead to two immediately in the second half, getting a goal from freshman midfielder Matt Moore just 41 seconds in to go up 6-4, part of a furious scoring third quarter.

The two teams combined for six goals in the period, a stanza that ended with the Cavaliers up 9-7 and set up the tight-as-always finish.