Hoos' hex ends with defeat of Duke

Dom Starsia figured his Virginia lacrosse team would eventually upend Duke again.

It came emphatically tonight in the ACC semifinals.

From dominant play from Shamel Bratton to a late open-net 60-yarder from goalie Adam Ghitelman, the Cavaliers owned the final 50 minutes of a 16-12 rout of the Blue Devils.

Top-seeded Virginia (12-1) snapped an eight-game winning streak and advanced to Sunday's title game against the winner of the North Carolina-Maryland semifinal.

Duke (11-4) bolted to a 4-0 lead, and it seemed as if the Blue Devils would continue their ownership of their conference finals. Instead, Virginia held a 16-8 edge in after absorbing an early burst to further solidify their credentials as the nation's top team.

Ghitelman had 12 saves, while Bratton had three goals and two assists.

It was the first time the Cavaliers beat Duke since 2004, and scored their most goals against the Blue Devils since a 17-14 victory in 1997.

Overall, Virginia won 22 of 32 faceoffs, reversing the issues that plagued it just six days ago against Duke. In that game --- a Duke 13-9 victory --- the Blue Devils won 17 of 25 faceoffs.