Spiders Fall to #2 Virginia in NCAA Tournament First Round

Saturday, May 13

Charlottesville, Va.

Noon

University of Richmond

11-5

Virginia

12-3

Richmond

Virginia

Spiders Fall to #2 Virginia in NCAA Tournament First Round

05/13/2023 | Men's Lacrosse

Box Score

Charlottesville, Va. – The University of Richmond Men's Lacrosse team fell to No. 2 Virginia, 17-8, in the NCAA Tournament First Round Saturday. With the loss, the Spiders ended their inaugural A-10 Championship-winning season with an 11-5 record while the Cavaliers improved to 12-3 and advance to the NCAA Tournament Second Round.

Derrek Madonna led the Spiders with three goals on the afternoon while Dalton Young posted two goals and two assists. Three additional Spiders, Lance Madonna (2 assists), Aidan O'Neil and Luke Grayum also put their name on the score sheet with tallies.

After the Cavaliers jumped to a quick 2-0 start, Grayum put the Spiders on the board with 11:57 left on the clock from a goal assisted by Lance Madonna. After UVA added another at the 7:33 mark, Derrek Madonna recorded his second of the day and kept Richmond within one, 3-2, with 6:34 left in the first quarter. The Cavaliers would then get two more goals off as time expired to lead the Spiders, 5-2, at the quarter break.

The game went into a 20-minute weather delay between the first and second quarters due to approaching thunderstorms. As teams returned to the field after the delay, torrential downpour ensued and would last for most of the second half.

In the delayed second quarter, Derrek Madonna added another goal for the Spiders to cut the deficit to 5-3, while Young responded to another UVA goal with one of his own for a 6-4 score line with 7:14 left in the half. However, following Young's goal, the Cavaliers recorded four unanswered to go up 10-4 at the break.

Lance Madonna ended the scoring drought for the Spiders after the half to make it 11-5. Two minutes later, O'Neil netted a goal before UVA ended the third quarter with two more as the Spiders entered the fourth down 14-6.

Three minutes into the final frame, Young added his second goal to make it 15-7. Richmond's defense held the UVA offense to two more goals before Derrek Madonna netted one final man-up goal for the Spiders with just over a minute left off a feed from his younger brother.

Zach Vigue recorded 10 saves in cage while he, Jake Saunders and Young each scooped four ground balls. Saunders paced the defense with a pair of caused turnovers.

With both teams playing in sloppy, wet conditions, Richmond out-shot the Cavaliers, 35-33, but the difference came in Virginia's shots on cage (27) compared to Richmond's 17.

The Spiders have reached unprecedented success under head coach Dan Chemotti, with Saturday's contest coming as Richmond's fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in its decade of existence. The team will now return in 2024 to begin its second decade of history making.