The 2026 Final Four will be played at Scott Stadium in a couple of weeks. Without the host school.
Virginia, a week out from winning the 2026 ACC championship, came out hot – scoring twice in the opening 2:22 – but could only manage three goals in the final 38:18 in a 14-10 defeat to Georgetown in a first-round NCAA Tournament game in front of 4,137 fans at Klöckner Stadium on Sunday night.
“I feel like I need to apologize to our fanbase. The ups and downs of this season will give you an ulcer, a headache, or whatever. We can play some great lacrosse at times, and unfortunately today was one of those we (didn’t) put our best foot forward,” UVA coach Lars Tiffany said afterward.
After missing out on the postseason entirely a year ago, it had looked like 2026 was going to play out the same way, after the ‘Hoos got out to a 3-4 start.
As Tiffany alluded to in his postgame, his group could play great lacrosse at times – two wins over top-ranked Notre Dame; the blowout win over North Carolina in last week’s ACC title game.
The ‘Hoos (10-7) came out looking like that team, getting out to a 5-3 lead after one period, and it was 7-5 following a Ryan Colsey goal with 8:18 to go in the second.
Georgetown (11-4) made it a war of attrition, taking the lead with a pair of goals in the final 21 seconds of the second quarter to go into the break up 8-7.
Virginia didn’t get on the scoreboard again until an even-strength goal from Truitt Sunderland at the 3:11 mark of the third quarter – ending a 20:17 scoreless drought.
A McCabe Millon goal with 19 ticks on the third quarter clock cut the Georgetown lead to 10-9, but another scoreless drought, this one totaling 13:04, would prove fatal.
“Just so grateful for all the people who stuck through it with us when we weren’t very good in the early part of the season and supported us through ACC play. But yeah, this is certainly disappointing. This isn’t at the level that Virginia Lacrosse is supposed to be at,” Tiffany said.
It’s certainly not what the boosters paid for, with an eye toward that once-in-a-lifetime chance to play for a national title on Grounds.
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Chris Graham
