PHILADELPHIA -- To those who were attempting to rank Virginia men's lacrosse championship teams, comparisons should have come easily Monday.

This was the one that went undefeated.

Top-ranked UVa remained dominant until the end, polishing off unseeded Massachusetts 15-7 in the Division I title game at Lincoln Financial Field.

Virginia, which completed its first-ever undefeated season, beat its four NCAA tournament opponents by a combined 31 goals and was severely tested just once, a 7-6 win at Princeton in March.

If that isn't perfection, what is?

"I hesitate to use the word 'perfect' to describe anything I'm involved in," said UVa coach Dom Starsia after the Cavs' third championship in eight years, "but, it's pretty darn good and pretty darn close."

UVa's championship came two years after a 5-8 season that was the Cavaliers' worst in the last 40 years.

"We're a product of our past, from that 2004 season to losing to [Johns] Hopkins in that amazing game last year," said senior attackman Matt Ward, referring to a 9-8 overtime loss to the Blue Jays in the 2005 semifinals.

Despite breaking his right (shooting) hand April 30 in the ACC championship game, Ward had 16 goals in four NCAA tournament contests, including five Monday, when he was covered by first-team All-American Jack Reid.

Ward, who finished the tournament with an NCAA-record 16 goals in four games, was named most outstanding player in the NCAA tournament. He was joined on the all-tournament team by teammates Matt Poskay, Danny Glading and Michael Culver.

Poskay, a senior midfielder, had five goals Monday and his 41 goals for the season set a record for a UVa midfielder.

Poskay's biggest goal Monday came with 7:29 remaining in the third quarter, after the Minutemen (13-5) had closed to 7-6.

Jamie Yaman had scored for the Minutemen with 7:59 left, but, on the ensuing faceoff, Reid was called for slashing. The Cavaliers (17-0) were shooting 51.6 percent on man-up opportunities even before they went 3-for-3 Monday.

"I asked the ref in the second quarter if I was allowed to stick-check the faceoff guy while he was still engaged and he said 'yes,' " Reid said. "Then, I went in there and put one on his wrist. They said I hit him on the hip and gave me a flag.'"

UVa faceoff specialist Drew Thompson confirmed that Reid hit him on the arm, "but, I had overheard the conversation he had with the ref," Thompson said. "I thought he was asking if he could check my stick. The ref didn't say that he could slash me."

The Minutemen entered the game with one of the most successful faceoff operations in Division I lacrosse, but the Cavaliers won 16 of 26 faceoffs. Thompson was 8-for-12 and senior Charlie Glazer was 7-of-13.