CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — A lot can change in a year. Just ask Lars Tiffany.

This time last year, the Virginia men’s lacrosse team was doing some head scratching after a 17-9 season-opening loss to Loyola.

On Saturday, the Cavaliers raised their 2019 NCAA championship banner over Klockner Stadium, then staved off a second-half comeback to defeat the Greyhounds 12-9 in an impressive 2020 debut.

“To be honest with you, I was like, ‘OK, let’s move on,’” Tiffany said of the banner ceremony. “We’ve been telling our guys since September when we had the championship ring ceremony, ‘OK, it’s over now.’ It’s 2020. Let’s move forward.”

What a beautiful day in Charlottesville to RAISE a banner! #GoHoos pic.twitter.com/YFaMKwRuhm

— Virginia Men's Lacrosse (@UVAMensLax) February 8, 2020

NCAA championship MVP Alex Rode picked up where he left off last May, boosting a young Virginia defense with 19 saves.

“The guy behind us is the one who bailed us out,” said Tiffany, the Cavaliers’ fourth-year coach. “[We’re] seeing an extension of what he did last May.”

“Unbelievable,” short-stick defensive midfielder and captain John Fox said of Rode’s performance Saturday. “He’s much more vocal this year commanding the defense, which is super helpful with two freshmen starting on defense.”

Rode finished the first quarter with 10 saves as UVA jumped out to a 4-1 lead.

While Loyola is just beginning its quest to discover an offensive identity in the post-Pat Spencer era, UVA returned more than 80 percent of last year’s offense, including the starting attack of Michael Kraus, Ian Laviano and Matt Moore.

Moore (three goals, two assists) led the way for the Cavs, with Laviano (two goals, one assist), Kraus (two assists) and midfielder Dox Aitken (one goal, one assist) all heavily involved.

However, it was redshirt-freshman Payton Cormier’s three goals that might turn a few heads.

Cormier missed all of last year with a torn ACL, but had no problem finding his niche on an already loaded offense.

“It was just guys getting me open,” Cormier said. “I was fortunate enough to be the open guy today. Other days it will be someone else.”

I am an attackman, but I'm playing midfield today. #SCTop10 Goal from Payton Cormier, his third of the day and Virginia leads 11-4 in the third. #GoHoos pic.twitter.com/omFN3IJkNP

— Virginia Men's Lacrosse (@UVAMensLax) February 8, 2020

“He looked really comfortable out there and he made the most of his opportunities,” Tiffany said of Cormier, a big lefty from Ontario. “We’re really fortunate to have our entire attack back and essentially a fourth attackman in Payton.”

That UVA offense put its firepower on full display during a 5-0 second quarter run, stretching its lead to 9-2 before a goal from Loyola’s Kevin Lindley made it 9-3 at halftime.

Loyola was able to get back in the game in the third quarter, thanks in big part to a 7-for-7 effort at the faceoff X from junior Bailey Savio.

Returning attackmen Kevin Lindley (two goals) and Aidan Olmstead (two goals, one assist) started to find some open spots offensively in the second half, and junior goalkeeper Sam Shafer (15 saves) began to settle in behind a zone defense that proved puzzling for the Cavaliers.

Virginia scored just three goals in the second half.

“Certainly not happy with the way we played lacrosse in the second half offensively,” Tiffany said. “Give credit to Loyola’s zone defense and their goalie play, but I thought we got a little tight. We’ve got to make sure that we play a little freer and looser.”

An Olmstead goal with 10:44 left in the fourth quarter cut the UVA lead to 11-8, but that’s as close as Loyola would get.

Aitken was relatively quiet, but he scored his lone goal on a step-down finish at the 8:39 mark in the fourth quarter before Loyola’s Dan Wigley would cap the scoring.

After the game, the home team sat at tables below the newly hung banner to sign autographs for the Klockner crowd. Many of the fans wore 2019 championship garb.

Now it’s on to 2020.