#5 UVA (13-3) upended the #9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-6) in the ACC Championship final on Saturday afternoon, 10-4, in front of 4,489 fans at Klöckner Stadium.
The win yielded the ‘Hoos their 18th Atlantic Coast Conference title and first since 2010.
After dropping the 2018 ACC Championship final to Notre Dame, 17-7, at Klöckner Stadium, UVA won the rematch behind a stellar team defensive effort. With the game tied, 2-2, at the 4:11 mark of the first quarter, Virginia held Notre Dame scoreless for the next 42:12 as the Cavaliers enjoyed an 8-0 run.
Unassisted goals by Matt Moore and Dox Aitken put UVA up early, 2-0, with 8:20 left in the first quarter. Notre Dame bounced back to tie the game, 2-2, after an extra-man goal by Bryan Costabile, followed by a score from Nick Stinn at 4:11 in the first.
A transition goal by Ian Laviano on a Michael Kraus helper started an 8-0 UVA run that spelled doom for the Fighting Irish. Ryan Conrad and Aitken each scored two during the run, while Cory Harris’ open-net goal in transition with 9:12 left to play capped the run. Meanwhile, UVA’s defense was stingy, causing 16 of Notre Dame’s 23 turnovers. Long-stick midfielder Jared Conners finished with four ground balls and caused three turnovers, while also scoring a goal off a faceoff. UVA long-pole Logan Greco picked up five ground balls and caused four turnovers.
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Chris Graham
