Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1517945
26 CAVALIER CORNER BY PATRICK BOLING W hen Payton Cormier concludes his collegiate career at the end of the 2024 season, he will be the Virginia men's lacrosse pro- gram's all-time leading goal scorer. With his second goal in the Cavaliers' second game of the season (at Richmond), the Oakville, On- tario, native broke Doug Knight's previous pro- gram record of 165 career goals, which had stood since 1997. "It just makes [me] think about everybody that I've played with," Cormier said. "Spe- cifically, somebody like Connor [Shel- lenberger] being there for pretty much my whole career, and guys like Matt Moore, Michael Kraus and Xander [Dickson]. "It makes me think about how important they were to the success that I've had here at UVA. So, it's definitely a pretty cool feeling that I don't think catches up to you until it's actually happened." The irony is Knight was one of the first Cavalier recruits by Dom Starsia, whose 24 seasons as UVA head coach are the most by any coach in program history, and Corm- ier was his last prospect. But Starsia never actually got the chance to coach Cormier. Starsia retired at the end of the 2016 sea- son and Cormier did not enroll at UVA until the fall of 2018. Starsia, who re- mains close with the program and current head coach Lars Tiffany, was able to witness the record- setting moment at Richmond's Robins Stadium because he served as the color commentator on the broadcast. "It's no small accomplishment breaking a record that was set by Doug Knight," Star- sia said. "Doug was one of the great, great players in the country during his career. In Payton, I see somebody who understands that and appreciates it, and is a little bit humbled to be in the same company." It goes without saying Cormier's goal- scoring ability has been paramount in the Hoos' on-field success since he joined the program. During his first season at UVA in 2019, Cormier was injured, but he played a vital role in the Cavaliers' 2021 title run, which marked the program's seventh NCAA championship and ninth national title overall. The star-studded 2021 roster is arguably UVA's most talented in the program's storied history, and Cormier led that squad with 45 goals. His ability to put the ball in the back of the net did not waver. Cormier went on to lead UVA in goals the next two seasons and became the program's first two-time 50- goal scorer in 2022 and 2023. Following its gut-wrenching overtime loss to eventual national champion Notre Dame in last year's NCAA semifinals, Virginia was faced with the tall task of overcoming the loss of 18 players this offseason. Among those who departed the program were All-Americans Petey LaSalla, Cade Saustad, Jeff Conner, Grayson Sallade and Dickson, all of whom started at UVA the same time as Cormier. Additionally, graduate trans- fer Thomas McConvey, the Division I Midfielder of the Year and Cormier's childhood friend, exhausted his final year of eligibility in 2023. Except for Saustad, all went on to play in the Premier Lacrosse League. Like many of his former teammates, Cormier plans to follow suit in the pros. In his hometown this past fall, Cormier was selected fourth overall by the Vancouver Warriors in the 2023 Na- tional Lacrosse League Draft, a professional indoor box lacrosse league that competes across the United States and Canada. Cormier knows his career at Virginia has helped prepare him for accomplishing his lifelong dream to play professional lacrosse. "I couldn't be more grateful. I was always a pretty good player — never got injured be- fore," he said. "I never really had to battle [through] any adver- sity. And I think UVA took me to a different level in that regard. "I don't think there's enough good things I could say about Coach Tiffany, Coach [Sean] Kirwan, Coach [Kip] Turner, Coach [Logan] Greco, Coach Cooper Fersen, and [athletic trainer] Rebecca Vozzo, who've helped prepared me to take the next step." While the 2019 and 2021 champion- ship runs are a compilation of memories Cormier will never forget, nothing would please him more than to celebrate with his teammates one last time on Memorial Day when the final horn sounds at Lin- coln Financial Field (Philadelphia), which is once again the site of this year's national championship. "We always talked about with my classes: would you rather hold [the trophy] on your first year or your last year? And there's two different perspec- tives of it," Cormier said. "I'm super, super grateful for the two championship teams that I've been a part of. I wouldn't change any of that. "But I think when it comes down to it, af- ter this year there's nothing left in the tank, no eligibility remaining. I can say I did ev- erything I could while I was in college." GOAL GOAL GETTER GETTER Payton Cormier Has Put The Ball In The Back Of The Net More Than Anybody In School History " It's no small accomplishment breaking a record that was set by Doug Knight. Doug was one of the great, great players in the country during his career. In Payton, I see somebody who understands that and appreciates it, and is a little bit humbled to be in the same company." FORMER UVA HEAD COACH DOM STARSIA ON CORMIER