CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Virginia men's lacrosse head coach Dom Starsia announced his team's schedule for the 2013 season today. UVa, a 2012 NCAA quarterfinalist, boasts a schedule which features nine home games and contests against five teams that saw postseason action in last year’s NCAA Championship. Starsia announces his schedule on the heels of Inside Lacrosse's Face-Off Yearbook ranking UVa No. 9 in its preseason poll.
“Announcing our schedule is always the first sign that spring is not too far off,” said Starsia. “While the quality of the competition in our regular season is not for the faint of heart, players, coaches and fans of Virginia Lacrosse look forward to some exciting moments.”
The 84th season of Virginia lacrosse commences on Feb. 16 when Drexel come to Klöckner Stadium, the 12th year in a row Virginia has started its season against the Dragons. UVa faces in-state foe VMI for the seventh year in a row when the Keydets make the jaunt to Charlottesville on Feb. 19.
Virginia heads to Long Island on Feb. 23 for its first road contest of the season when it faces the Stony Brook Seawolves. UVa returns home Feb. 26 for a midweek tilt with Mount St. Mary’s.
The Cavaliers head back to the Empire State to face Syracuse in the Carrier Dome on March 1. UVa returns home for three-straight games inside the historic confines of Klöckner Stadium, beginning March 5 against former UVa All-America defenseman Ryan Curtis' Vermont squad.
The Cornell Big Red come to Charlottesville for the first time since 2009 when UVa hosts the Ivy League foe on March 9. UVa concludes the three-game home stand with Ohio State on March 16 for the seventh all-time meeting in a series that began in 1968, but went on hiatus until 1999.
Virginia heads to the Charm City on March 23 for a meeting with Johns Hopkins for the Doyle Smith Cup. The previously released contest will be part of a double-header at Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium in Inside Lacrosse’s seventh annual Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic. The contest with the Blue Jays is the 66th season in a row the teams have played each other and marks the first regular-season game in the series not played on either of the schools’ campuses. All seven previous neutral-site games with the Blue Jays have been played in the NCAA Tournament.
Virginia opens ACC play on March 30 when Maryland comes to Klöckner Stadium, followed by North Carolina visiting Charlottesville on April 6. UVa concludes ACC play on April 12 at Duke. UVa faces Bellarmine for the second time in program history and the first time since 2006 when they come to Charlottesville for Senior Day on April 20, concluding the regular-season portion of the schedule.
Virginia travels to Chapel Hill, N.C., for the 2013 ACC Championship on April 26 and 28. North Carolina is hosting the league tournament for the first time since 2009.
The NCAA Championship begins May 11-12 at home sites, followed by the quarterfinals at either Maryland’s Byrd Stadium (South) on May 18 or Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium (North) on May 19. Notre Dame and Indiana Sports Corporation will host the quarterfinal match-ups in the home venue of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts.
The Final Four returns to Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field, the site of the event in 2005 and UVa’s NCAA title run in 2006. The third Final Four to be held at Lincoln Financial Field will be hosted by Drexel with the semifinals on May 25, followed by the finals on May 27.
“From the opener with an excellent Drexel team to the ACC Tournament, I do not believe there is a more challenging schedule to be found,” said Starsia. “The promise of 2013 will help us all get through the advent of winter, but we will be facing off before you know it.”
All dates, locations and times are subject to change and a list of televised contests will be announced at a later date.
Season tickets for men's lacrosse go on sale Jan. 7 at 9 a.m. The all lacrosse season pass for reserved seats is $60. The all lacrosse season pass for adult general admission is $50, while the all lacrosse season pass for youth, senior citizens and faculty/staff general admission is $40. The all season pass is good for all men's and women's lacrosse home games. A reserved season ticket for all nine men's lacrosse home games is $50.
Virginia sold out of reserved seat season tickets last year and all season ticket holders from last year will have priority on renewal. All new reserved seat orders for 2013 will be put on a waiting list and seating will be done based on priority. Patrons on the waitlist from last year will be carried over to this year.
Single-game tickets will go on sale Feb. 8.
2013 Virginia Men's Lacrosse Schedule
Feb. 16 DREXEL 1 p.m.
Feb. 19 VMI 7 p.m.
Feb. 23 at Stony Brook 12 p.m.
Feb. 26 MOUNT ST. MARY'S 7 p.m.
March 1 at Syracuse TBA
March 5 VERMONT 7 p.m.
March 9 CORNELL 1 p.m.
March 16 OHIO STATE 3 p.m.
March 23 vs. Johns Hopkins^ 4:30 p.m.
March 30 MARYLAND* 2 p.m.
April 6 NORTH CAROLINA* 1 p.m.
April 12 at Duke* 6 p.m.
April 20 BELLARMINE 1 p.m.
April 26-28 ACC Championship (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
May 11-12 NCAA First Round (Home Sites)
May 18 NCAA Quarterfinal Round (Maryland - Byrd Stadium)
May 19 NCAA Quarterfinal Round (Lucas Oil Stadium - Indianapolis, Ind.)
May 25-27 NCAA Final Four (Lincoln Financial Field - Philadelphia, Pa.)
^ - denotes the Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic (M&T Bank Stadium - Baltimore, Md.)
* - denotes ACC game