The No. 3 seeded Virginia Cavaliers (17-3) captured the program's sixth NCAA title with a 13-9 triumph over No. 5 seeded Yale (15-4), thwarting the Bulldogs' quest for back-to-back titles in front of 31,528 fans at Lincoln Financial Field. It was UVA's first NCAA title since 2011 and fifth since 1999. UVA set the tone early with a 6-2 run that covered the entire first half. The team defensive effort was led by the NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player, goalie Alex Rode. The sophomore goaltender made eight saves in the first half and 32 total over Championship Weekend. Entering Monday Yale had scored 26 combined goals (8.7 average) in the first quarter of each of the Bulldogs' three NCAA Tournament game. UVA limited Yale to only one goal in the first quarter on Monday. HOW IT HAPPENED After Yale took an early 1-0 lead at 12:59, Matt Moore scored two goals to give UVA a 2-1 lead at 7:50 in the first period. Yale tied the game, 2-2, at 11:41 in the second when there was a dash by Rode and company for a ball behind the crease. The ball took a carom toward Yale's Matt Brandau who found Matt Gaudet for an open-net score. UVA retaliated with a 4-0 run going into the intermission to set the tone for the rest of the day. UVA never trailed again. Michael Kraus started the run with back-to-back goals, followed by a Dox Aitken score at 5:11 in the second. Petey LaSalla won the ensuing faceoff and scored unassisted eight seconds later to cap the run and send UVA into the break with a 6-2 lead. Yale was hot coming out of halftime, cutting UVA's lead to two goals, 6-4, with 13:51 left in the period. UVA responded with a 5-0 streak that spelled doom for the defending national champions. Ryan Conrad, Kraus, Moore and LaSalla all scored goals in the run, while Moore's fourth of the game capped the run with 6:43 left in the third quarter. Yale finished the game on a 5-2 run, but it wasn't enough as UVA shut the door for the championship.