In an era of expected excellence under Lars Tiffany, the Cavaliers are entering their most uncertain year in some time.
With a plethora of graduations from program-changing players, Virginia now must rely on an inexperienced (yet talented) roster to get back to Championship weekend.
McCabe Millon.
Yes, it’s true that the Cavaliers need many young players to step up. But none will be more important than Millon.
Millon racked up 66 points (41G, 25A) in his freshman season and looks to up that production as the unquestioned #1 option in 2025.
In my opinion, Millon needs to have a Tewaaraton-finalist level season for the Cavaliers to win it all in 2025, and he’s capable of doing that.
A fearless dodger, Millon can score in a variety of ways, from turning the corner, to an inside move, to a question mark move. He’s a skilled and polished dodger, and like all elite attackmen, has the vision and IQ to guide the offense.
I’m excited to see Millon take the next step this season, as he has the potential to be one of the premier attackers in the nation.
Following in the footsteps of Connor Shellenberger is never a fun task, but Millon looks like he might just be up to the task.
Along with Millon, it feels like the Cavaliers need added production from junior attackman Truitt Sunderland. A top recruit in the Class of 2022, Sunderland has had a slow start to his career in Charlottesville, but he could be the X-factor for this team in 2024.
Top-ranked freshman Ryan Duenkel is also a candidate to start at attack. Battling injuries in the fall, it might take Duenkel a little bit to get up to college lacrosse speed come spring, but he’s another talented option that could be in line for a big role.
Losing freshman Kyle Colsey for the season due to a knee injury hurts, so the likely option on the left side of the attack will be his brother, Ryan Colsey. Like Millon with replacing Shellenberger, replacing Payton Cormier is nearly impossible, but I liked the flashes Colsey showed from a finishing standpoint inside last season, particularly on the EMO.
At midfield, senior Griffin Schutz will be relied on heavily as the top option once again. A big, physical and two-handed dodger, Schutz is able to take over games when he gets confidence and hits his shots early.
I really like Bryant transfer Johnny Hackett as a compliment to Schutz on the first midfield line. The speedy lefty posted 47 points (23G, 24A) from the midfield for the Bulldogs last season, and I'm excited to see what he can do in the ACC.
Senior Thomas Mencke and Duke transfer Charles Balsamo figure to get plenty of minutes at the midfield as well, and I could see junior two-way midfielder Joey Terenzi taking on an expanded role in the offense too.
Beyond that, it’s a little unclear who could step up in secondary midfield roles, but one to keep tabs on is freshman Sean Browne, a big time shooter by way of Dallas.
While we are accustomed to high-scoring offenses being the staple of UVA teams, the defense will likely be the strong suit for the Cavaliers in 2025.
Ben Wayer is not only one of the best LSM’s in the country, but one of the best players in the country. I know the Tewaaraton Award is basically an attackman award, but I wouldn't be shocked to find Wayer in the running in 2025.
Senior Tommy McNeal figures to be the second LSM after playing in every game for the Cavaliers last season, a nice option behind Wayer.
I really like Virginia’s SSDM unit. Senior Noah Chizmar is one of the more underrated SSDM’s in the nation while sophomores Wills Burt and Will Erdmann played significant roles in 2024. Freshmen Hudson Hausmann and JP Langunowich will likely see minutes here as well.
I’m particularly interested to see how Virginia deploys Hausmann. A top midfield recruit, he could play a two-way role similar to Terenzi if needed.
At close defense, junior John Schroter is a blossoming superstar and will be the top defender after the graduation of Cole Kastner.
Senior George Fulton figures to join Schroter on the back line after starting 15 games last season, and while Griffin Kology looks to be the third defender right now, don’t count out talented freshmen Luke Hublitz, Tommy Snyder or Luke Jamin pushing for a starting spot. Senior Max Wooten played in 14 games last year, as well.
In net, I expect a competition between senior Matthew Nunes and junior Kyle Morris to be a storyline all season. Nunes was the starter most of 2024 before being replaced by Morris late in the season. It’s anyone’s guess who will be the Week 1 starter.
At the faceoff dot, Anthony Ghobriel returns as the top faceoff man, but transfers Andrew Greenspan (Notre Dame) and John Totaro (Denver) look like intriguing options here, as does freshman Christian Grosso.
Biggest Question Marks
Easily the biggest question mark for the Cavaliers. Nunes was pulled as the starting goalie multiple times 2024 while I thought Morris played well in relief. Can Nunes return to 2022 and 2023 form? If so, he could have a bounce back year. Or will Morris take over the starting goalie spot with newfound confidence? Whoever the answer is, it’ll play a significant role into UVA’s success this season.
does uva have enough firepower to win it all?
It’s crazy to think that a UVA offense could have question marks, but it’s true. Three of their top five point-scorers in 2024 are gone, and only Millon and Schutz (and probably Colsey) feel like safe bets for steady production. Outside of that, they have talented players, but need some new guys to make their marks, particularly on offense, to have a shot at making a serious run in 2025.
I might be a little down on UVA than most just because of the inexperience. According to sportsbooks, UVA is a favorite to win it all, but I’m just not seeing it right now. That being said, if the defense plays like we expect it should and the offense finds its rhythm and go-to guys, we know how dangerous Virginia can be with confidence.
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