That’s the good news.
The great news: Duke isn’t sitting there in the semifinals waiting for us.
Duke, the #2 seed, lost to #7 seed Maryland, 14-11, on Saturday.
Duke has gone 24-2 against UVA since 2005, a span in which the ‘Hoos have won four national titles.
Maryland and Virginia met earlier this season in College Park, with the Cavaliers winning that one by a 14-10 final.
This run to Championship Weekend is a bit unexpected. Virginia had lost four straight to finish out the regular season, beginning with an 18-12 loss at Duke on April 14.
The ‘Hoos rebounded with a 17-11 win over Saint Joseph’s in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last weekend, setting up the rematch with Johns Hopkins, which had won the teams’ regular-season matchup, 16-14, back on March 2.
Hopkins got out to an early 4-0 lead on Sunday, but UVA was able to scratch and claw its way back into it, eventually tying the game at 7-7 on back-to-back goals by Shellenberger and Ryan Colsey midway through the third quarter.
Another quick Hopkins blitz put them up 10-7 going into the fourth, but the Cavaliers fought back again, getting the equalizer with 2:59 to go from McCabe Millon.
The first overtime period saw a combined five turnovers, including three by Virginia.
The Cavaliers lost their second straight faceoff to start the second overtime, but a blocked shot by the UVA defense gave UVA the ball 90 seconds into the period.
After a successful Virginia clear, coach Lars Tiffany called a timeout, and coming out of the break, Shellenberger made his move and fired the game-winner to punch Virginia’s ticket to Championship Weekend, the fourth in the past five years and the 26th overall for the Virginia program.
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Chris Graham
