Matt Moore went to practice with his University of Virginia teammates like any other day. The Cavaliers were preparing for another run in the NCAA tournament. Yet, this night was not just another practice for Moore.
It was draft night.
“Lars [Tiffany] scheduled practice right in the middle of the draft,” Moore said. “I was going to say something, but I thought ‘I can’t say anything. I’m not going to say move the practice for me. I’m not doing that.'”
As the first round was underway, Virginia’s trainer kept tabs on the results and yelled out when Moore was picked fourth overall by the Archers Lacrosse Club.
“She was watching [the draft] on her phone and then she yelled it out, and then we stopped practice and everyone tackled me,” Moore said. “I wish they got film of me getting tackled by everyone cause that was hilarious.”
Moore had talked to both Chris Bates of Archers and Ben Rubeor of Atlas before the draft and was a virtual lock to go in the top five, especially after a historically successful career with the Cavaliers.
By the end of his fifth season, Moore became the all-time points leader at UVA and a four-time All-American. As one of the top recruits in high school, Moore was always expected to be a star in Charlottesville, but the Garnet Valley, Pennsylvania product grew as both a player and a leader during his college career.
The individual accolades are secondary to the monumental team success UVA underwent during Moore’s time on campus. The Hoos won back-to-back national championships in 2019 and 2021, marking one of the best runs in school history.
“In 2019, I learned so much because everyone on the whole entire team had never been there before,” Moore said. “We did it together. There was not one person who’s ever been there that could show us the ropes, so I think that’s why we were successful because everyone was just very excited.”
Moore was voted a team captain in his final college season and evolved as a leader on and off the field for the Cavaliers. Despite a lower statistical season than in previous years, Moore was an unselfish member of the team and helped elevate his teammates around him.
“Matt’s leadership and the style he played in 2022 created a much more unified locker room,” Virginia head coach Lars Tiffany said. “I’ll never forget how he matured as a leader.”
On the field, Moore learned how to play with other elite players such as Michael Kraus and Ryan Conrad. He said it helped him to play more free and loose and not put too much pressure on himself to be the best player on the field. That same mindset that he developed throughout his college career has helped him transition to the professional game.
“Playing in the PLL now, I feel like a freshman in college again. I’m playing with amazing players and there’s no pressure,” Moore said.
The transition from college to the professional level is never easy, with both a shorter field and play clock and the introduction of the two-point arc. Moore started the opening game for Archers at attack, but the team struggled to break through against the Chrome and Moore finished with no points and two turnovers.
“The game is a lot faster and a lot of people don’t talk about the two-point arc as much as they should,” Moore said. “It really packs everyone in, but it also pushes it out. The defenders are sitting lower. If there’s not a guy outside that two-point art, they’re gonna sink in.”
The Archers’ spacing was off in week one, but with two rookies in the lineup and several other pieces playing in different spots, that’s a natural growing pain. After a week to mesh, the offense finally kicked into high gear, scoring 17 goals against Chaos in week two, including a hat trick from Moore. Archers have continued to score at an elite rate and are currently the most efficient and highest scoring units in the PLL.
Moore’s been one of the driving forces for the Archers’ offensive success, scoring 11 goals and dishing out five assists as a complimentary piece to superstars like Tom Schreiber, Will Manny and Marcus Holman.
“Guys like Tom [Schreiber] don’t even have to say much to me. It’s more so how hard they play,” Moore said. “They have that in the Archers culture where it’s like ‘Hey, you’re on the roster, you play freely.’”
After a strong start to his rookie year, including being named a PLL All-Star, Moore is still working to grow as a player and learn from the legends and leaders on the Archers roster.
“I really want to learn as much as I can from these guys and as every week goes, I’m becoming more and more friends with these guys where I’m more open to asking them questions,” Moore said. “Like at the end of the All-Star game, Tom’s asking me about a move I did… I would never think Tom Schreiber would ever ask me about a move I did.”
Through the first three PLL seasons, the Archers have been one of the strongest squads in the league, but unable to break through in the playoffs, failing to even reach the championship game in the past three seasons.
“Every Wednesday, we have a meeting and talk about how to not be the same team of the last couple of years,” Moore said. “[There’s] not much to be said; it’s about what’s happening on the field. I think we have to continue doing that.”
