Virginia wins 2021 men's lacrosse championship over Maryland
Virginia wins 2021 men's lacrosse championships
THE CAVALIERS ARE YOUR 2021 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!! 🏆
— NCAA Lacrosse (@NCAALAX)
takes down Maryland in a close battle, and hold onto the National Champions title for another year.
Virginia won its second consecutive national championship on Monday, as the No. 4-seeded Cavaliers ended No. 3 seed Maryland's bid for a perfect season, 17-16, tying the most goals ever in the national championship. After Virginia built a five-goal lead in the fourth quarter thanks to five consecutive goals, Maryland clawed back with three goals in 61 seconds and the Terrapins cut the deficit to 16-15, before Virginia's Matt Moore added one more for insurance. Maryland's Anthony DeMaio scored with 11 seconds to make it a one-goal game again.
Maryland won the final face-off but Virginia goalie Alex Rode saved Luke Wierman's game-tying shot.
Virginia's Connoor Shellenberger led the team with four goals and two assists, while Jeff Conner had three goals and an assist. Click or tap here to view the final stats.
It was the program's seventh national championship in school history.
Here is the final DI men's lacrosse bracket.
Maryland scored three goals in 61 seconds
BUBBA MAKES IT A TWO GOAL GAME
— Maryland Lacrosse (@TerpsMLax)
Maryland needed a big push to try to keep its hopes of an undefeated season alive, and it may be in the middle of one. The Terrapins scored three goals in 61 seconds to cut Virginia's lead from five to two late in the fourth quarter.
Virginia builds largest lead of the game
CONNOR SHELLENBERGER!!! His fourth of the game.
— Virginia Men's Lacrosse (@UVAMensLax)
UVA up 15-11.
Watch the Game Live on ESPN2:
With a goal from Matt Moore – his 32nd of the season – No. 4 Virginia took a 16-11 lead with roughly 11 minutes left in the national championship, its largest lead of the game. The Cavaliers opened the final quarter with a goal in the opening minute from Connor Shellenberger, followed by Moore's strike, to distance themselves from Maryland.
End of 3Q: No. 4 Virginia 14, No. 3 Maryland 11
From his KNEES! Matt Moore puts UVA back up by three goals, 14-11. We are under five left here in the third.
— Virginia Men's Lacrosse (@UVAMensLax)
Watch the Game Live on ESPN2:
Reigning national champion Virginia will take a three-goal lead into the fourth quarter of the national championship, having scored the last three goals of the third quarter to break a tie game. In a span of roughly 2.5 minutes, Virginia's Peter Garno, Connor Shellenberger and Matt Moore scored to turn an 11-all game into a 14-11 advantage.
Maryland ties the game at 11
GROOT IS SO HOT RN!!
— Maryland Lacrosse (@TerpsMLax)
TIE GAME!
Maryland has come out of halftime firing, scoring four goals in the first six minutes of the third quarter to tie the game at 11-all. Logan Wisnauskas scored three of the four, the last of which was assisted by Bubba Fairman, as Wisnauskas now has 40 on the season.
Maryland opens second half with a goal
START THE HALF HOT.
— Maryland Lacrosse (@TerpsMLax)
Groot has two.
No. 3 Maryland needed just 53 seconds to score the first goal of the second half, cutting Virginia's lead to 9-8. Logan Wisnauskas found the back of the net for his 38th goal this season.
But Virginia's Dox Aitken answered with a goal of his own 41 seconds later after a long run, which he completed with a left-handed goal.
Halftime: No. 4 Virginia 9, No. 3 Maryland 7
UVA halts a 3-0 Maryland run as Shellenberger finds Cormier on the doorstep with 25 seconds left to put UVA up 9-7.
— Virginia Men's Lacrosse (@UVAMensLax)
Watch the Game Live on ESPN2:
Virginia scored the last goal of the first half to take a 9-7 lead into halftime. Six different Cavaliers have scored, including three players with two goals apiece – Connor Shellenberger, Jeff Conner and Payton Cormier.
Virginia goalie Alex Rode had five saves in the half.
Meanwhile, Maryland, which is chasing an undefeated season, was led offensively by Jared Bernhardt, who had back-to-back goals in the first half, plus two assists.
Bernhardt scores again to cut deficit to 8-6
Two straight for JB1
— Maryland Lacrosse (@TerpsMLax)
Two goal game.
Maryland's Jared Bernhardt scored back-to-back goals in a two-minute span to cut Virginia's lead to 8-6. He now has 71 goals on the season.
Virginia doubles up Maryland 8-4
Errant pass picked up by Jeff Conner and the junior puts UVA up 8-4!
— Virginia Men's Lacrosse (@UVAMensLax)
Watch the Game Live on ESPN2:
Virginia has now scored six unanswered goals against Maryland to take an 8-4 lead in the second quarter. Connor Shellenberger snuck a goal inside the left goal post, then Jeff Conner scored one from the opposite side just over a minute later.
Virginia scores four unanswered
CORMIER!!!!
— Virginia Men's Lacrosse (@UVAMensLax)
Dox Aitken finds Payton Cormier and UVA has its first lead of the game, 5-4.
Watch the Game Live on ESPN2:
Thanks to an incredible individual effort by Virginia's Jared Conners, the Cavaliers lead Maryland 6-4 in the second quarter of the national championship. Conners broke up a Maryland pass, then tore downfield and scored to put Virginia up by two. The 'Hoos have scored four unanswered goals.
End of 1Q: No. 3 seed Maryland, No. 4 seed Virginia
After a Maryland goal, UVA ends the first quarter on a 2-0 run to tie the game, 4-4.
— Virginia Men's Lacrosse (@UVAMensLax)
Connor Shellenberger scores on a Matt Moore assist after UVA forced a failed clear.
Watch the Game Live on ESPN2:
After the first quarter of the national championship, No. 3 seed Maryland and No. 4 seed Virginia are tied 4-4. The Cavaliers scored the final two goals of the quarter in the span of 45 seconds to tie the game.
First, Jeff Conner cut the Maryland lead to 3-2 with his 12th goal, then Matt Moore assisted Connor Shellenberger for a top-shelf goal that tied the game.
Maryland scores two in a row late in first quarter
MARYLAND IS THE LACROSSE STATE!!
— Maryland Lacrosse (@TerpsMLax)
Best fans in the country.
After Virginia tied the national championship at two, Maryland stormed back to score two goals in a row late in the first quarter. Joshua Coffman put the Terps ahead 3-2, then Jared Bernhardt found Logan Wisnauskas, who fired a bouncing shot into the net for his 37th of the season and a 4-2 lead.
Maryland's Maltz scores first to end scoring drought
MALTZY STARTS US OFF.
— Maryland Lacrosse (@TerpsMLax)
1-0.
After a nearly seven-minute scoring drought to start the national championship, Maryland's Daniel Maltz started the scoring off of an assist that he received behind the goal from Kyle Long. Moments later, Virginia's Matt Moore answered with a low, side-armed shot from the left side of the goal.
Long then scored a goal himself as he ran down the sideline, then cut left to right to beat Virginia goalie Alex Rode on the near side.
No. 3 seed Maryland vs. No. 4 seed Virginia is underway
Cue the flag 🔴⚪️🔵
— Maryland Lacrosse (@TerpsMLax)
IT’S GAMETIME ‼️
The 2021 national championship between No. 3 seed Maryland and No. 4 seed Virginia is underway at Pratt and Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut on ESPN2. In the semifinals, the Cavaliers edged top-seeded North Carolina 12-11, while the Terrapins blitzed No. 2 seed Duke 14-5.
Both teams have won multiple national championships, with Virginia having won six national championships, including the most recent national title in 2019, and Maryland has won three championships.
Click or tap here to view the interactive tournament bracket.
Maryland vs. Virginia: National championship schedule, score
Virginia beat North Carolina 12-11 to advance to the national championship. Connor Shellenberger led with 2 goals and 4 assists with Payton Cormier adding in 3 goals.
— NCAA Lacrosse (@NCAALAX)
On Monday, No. 3 Maryland and No. 4 Virginia will meet in the DI men's lacrosse national championship at Pratt and Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut, at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN2. You can also .
Virginia is the reigning national champion, having defeated Yale 13-9 in 2019, and the Cavaliers are aiming to win their seventh national championship in program history, while Maryland is going for its fourth title.
Click or tap here to view the DI men's lacrosse interactive bracket.