COLLEGE PARK, Md. — The Maryland Terps men's lacrosse program is the top-seeded team in this year's NCAA Men's Lacrosse Tournament. But its quarterfinal matchup against the Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday is a shot at redemption after its loss in the championship game last year.
The matchup in Providence, Rhode Island will have the Terps face off against the Cavaliers less than a year after its Memorial Day weekend loss to Virginia. It gave UVA the National Championship, and in return, Maryland and its fans heartbreak.
The Terps in 2021 had a perfect season on the line when it fell to UVA in the season's final game. In 2022 it's a similar feeling of Deja Vue for Maryland, with it now fighting for a perfect season again with a 15-0 overall record heading into this weekend's match.
Virginia (12-3 overall) will look to play the upsetter of dreams.
The Cavaliers handled Brown University in the first round with a steady stream of goals in the second half and are on a four-game winning streak after its last loss to the Duke Blue Devils in mid-April.
These two teams don't play often, anymore. Conference realignment in the 2010s due to football forced these once Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) foes to miss what was for decades appointment viewing for lacrosse fans in this region.
Collectively, both Virginia and Maryland have won 10 NCAA Men's Lacrosse championships since 1971. The Cavaliers have six titles and the Terps have three, according to NCAA records.
This lacrosse rivalry includes a slight edge for the Terps over the Cavs of 47-46 through 93 matchups dating back to 1926, according to Maryland Athletic Department record books.
The last national title Maryland won came in 2017.