CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – After a triple overtime loss at then-No. 10 Maryland dropped Virginia’s men’s lacrosse team to 3-4, coach Lars Tiffany declared that, despite the loss, his Cavaliers had hit the turning point of their season.

Three straight victories later, including Saturday’s 11-9 upset of top-ranked Notre Dame, Tiffany is looking prophetic.

“There’s something that I’ve seen, with this team, growing the last couple of weeks,” Tiffany said. “A belief is growing.”

Brendan Millon and Truitt Sunderland each scored two goals and had two assists and Millon ripped the game-winner past Notre Dame keeper Thomas Ricciardelli with 3:29 to go Saturday.

Hudson Hausmann and Joey Terenzi each added two goals and McCabe Millon, Brendan’s older brother, had a goal and three assists to give UVA its first-ever win over a No. 1-ranked team as an unranked squad.

Goaltender Jake Marek made 11 saves for the Cavaliers, who snapped a four-game losing streak against the Irish and ended an 11-game slide against ranked foes.

“Jake Marek has been playing fantastic lacrosse the last couple of weeks,” Tiffany said. “Actually, for him it really started in the fourth quarter of that Towson game. There’s a confidence that’s growing with the rest of us in him which then breeds confidence in himself.”

Saturday, behind Marek and defenseman John Schroter, UVA shutout Notre Dame in the fourth quarter.

“We weren’t consistent with our clearing in the first three quarters,” Tiffany said. “The fourth quarter we found more success clearing the ball.”

Saturday’s game was Virginia’s ACC opener. It goes on the road the next two weekends for matchups at No. 6 Duke and at No. 5 Syracuse before returning home to host No. 4 North Carolina on April 18.