Virginia lacrosse stuns No. 1 Notre Dame in third straight win

The Cavaliers defeated the Fighting Irish 11-9 inside Klöckner Stadium.

Mar. 28, 2026 at 10:36pm

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The Virginia Cavaliers men's lacrosse team stunned the top-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish 11-9 at Klöckner Stadium on Saturday, March 28, marking their third straight win of the 2026 season.

Why it matters

This victory gives the Cavaliers momentum after an up-and-down start to the season, and shows they can compete with the best teams in the country. It also demonstrates the strength of Virginia's defense and faceoff unit, which were key factors in the upset win.

The details

The game was back-and-forth all afternoon, with neither team leading by more than two goals. Virginia was able to pull ahead in the final minutes and hold on for the win. The Cavaliers' defense did not allow Notre Dame to score in the fourth quarter, and they won over half of the faceoffs against the Irish.

  • The game was played on Saturday, March 28, 2026.
  • This was Virginia's third straight win of the 2026 season.

The players

John Schroter

A senior defender for the Virginia Cavaliers.

Lars Tiffany

The head coach of the Virginia Cavaliers men's lacrosse team.

Hudson Hausmann

A sophomore midfielder for the Virginia Cavaliers.

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What they’re saying

“We've been believing all week. We've been so excited all week. You know, the scout guys giving us great looks, chirping us all week, getting us ready for these guys, so it means everything. So fun.”

— John Schroter, Senior defender

“I don't know if we did a whole lot different. We made a couple little minor adjustments, but, you know, Jake Marek makes a couple saves there, and the defense gets hit with some shots, but the key was picking them up, so that we didn't give them the extra opportunity.”

— Lars Tiffany, Head Coach

“This really is the accumulation of a lot of hard-fought battles, so to get this big win is, I think, so much for us and going forward, just compounding on this is going to be really special.”

— Hudson Hausmann, Sophomore midfielder

“We know how talented we are, and if we play for a full four quarters, like, we know we can compete with the best. So, you know, the message was enjoy this one, but we know that this is just the beginning, and it's not this incredible upset. Like, we're right there at the top, and we can compete with all these guys.”

— Hudson Hausmann, Sophomore midfielder

What’s next

Virginia will look to make it four straight wins next Saturday when they travel south to play Duke.

The takeaway

This upset victory over the top-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish demonstrates the Cavaliers' ability to compete with the best teams in college lacrosse. It also shows the team's resilience and belief in themselves after an up-and-down start to the season, and sets them up for a potential deep run in the postseason.