The Essential NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Quarterfinals Preview

NOW FOR AN ENCORE.

Following a riveting first round that ensured a brand new elite eight, the NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse quarterfinals are set to take place this weekend at Albany and Navy.

​Here’s a primer on all four matchups and all eight teams, how they got here, what to watch for, the latest lines and more as we settle in for another epic weekend of college lacrosse.

(7) GEORGETOWN VS. (2) VIRGINIA

Date: Saturday, May 20
Time: 12 p.m. EDT
Venue: Tom & Mary Casey Stadium
City: Albany, N.Y.
Tickets: Buy Here

TV: ESPNU
Stream: Watch ESPN

HOW THEY GOT HERE

(7) Georgetown (13-3, 5-0 Big East)

An 0-3 start to the 2023 season following a surprise first-round exit in the 2022 NCAA tournament hardly portended this kind of run for the Hoyas. In hindsight, it was always going to take time to integrate five graduate transfers and a new offensive coordinator. Georgetown’s top four scorers — Tewaaraton finalist Tucker Doredevic (Syracuse), Brian Minicus (Colgate), Jacob Kelly (North Carolina) and Nicky Solomon (North Carolina) — all came from the transfer portal. So did goalie Danny Hincks (Dartmouth).

The Hoyas marched to their fifth straight Big East championship and summoned enough firepower to get by Yale in a thrilling first-round shootout. Dordevic scored six goals, four of which came in the second quarter as Georgetown stormed back from an 8-3 deficit. Solomon and Minicus combined for nine goals and four assists.

Now comes the Hoyas’ kryptonite: the quarterfinal round. They’ve made it this far 11 times since 1998 but have only advanced to championship weekend once (1999).\

(2) Virginia (12-3, 4-2 ACC)

The Cavaliers are part of the ACC triumvirate that took turns staking claims to the nation’s No. 1 ranking this spring, their only losses coming to Duke (two defeats by a combined three goals) and Maryland (in overtime). Otherwise, they’ve been sensational.

Tewaaraton finalist Connor Shellenberger (21 goals, 47 assists) is getting hot at the right time, Payton Cormier (49 goals) is shooting better than 50 percent for the season and the “Slim Reaper” Xander Dickson has set UVA’s single-season record with 58 goals.

While inclement weather can be a great postseason equalizer, it did little to slow down Virginia in the first round. The Cavaliers raced past Richmond 17-8.

SERIES HISTORY

Despite the relative proximity between the schools, they’ve only met five times. Virginia is 5-0 all-time against Georgetown, most recently dispatching the Hoyas 14-3 in the NCAA quarterfinals two years ago at Hofstra.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

After that quarterfinal loss, Georgetown coach Kevin Warne famously referred to Virginia’s rangy defensemen as velociraptors. “I feel like I’m in Jurassic Park,” Warne quipped after Georgetown failed to establish any kind of offensive rhythm.

The dinosaurs are still there. But the Hoyas now have the speed at attack and midfield to penetrate the Cavaliers interior patrolled by 6-foot-5 redshirt senior Cade Saustad and 6-foot-7 junior Cole Kastner, who make 6-foot-2 Griffin Kology look like a Lilliputian out there. Minicus’ first step is explosive, while Dordevic and Solomon are so good in space that you almost forget about All-American midfielder Graham Bundy Jr.

It’s almost as if the Hoyas rebuilt their offense specifically with this matchup in mind.

THE LATEST LINES

Virginia opened as a 3.5-point favorite on both DraftKings and FanDuel, with a slightly higher total on FanDuel (30.5) than DraftKings (29.5).

THE ROAD AHEAD

The winner plays either sixth-seeded Johns Hopkins or third-seeded Notre Dame in the NCAA semifinals May 27 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

MICHIGAN VS. (1) DUKE

Date: Saturday, May 20
Time: 2:30 p.m. EDT
Venue: Tom & Mary Casey Stadium
City: Albany, N.Y.
Tickets: Buy Here

TV: ESPNU
Stream: Watch ESPN

HOW THEY GOT HERE

Michigan (10-6, 2-3 Big Ten)

After taking their lumps for 12 years as a Division I program, the Wolverines have hit their tipping point at the most opportune time. An April 1 triumph at defending NCAA champion was heralded as the biggest win in Michigan history, only to be followed by setbacks to Rutgers and Penn State that dropped the Wolverines to 5-6 entering the last week of the regular season.

They haven’t lost since, ripping off consecutive wins over archrival Ohio State, stunning top-seeded Penn State in the Big Ten semifinals, handing Maryland its most lopsided loss since 2006 to claim the conference championship and then defeating eighth-seeded Cornell in 15-14 overtime in the first round of the NCAA tournament last week.

Ann Arbor native and Georgetown transfer Peter Thompson played the unlikely hero. Thompson scored four goals, including the OT winner.

(1) Duke (14-2, 5-1 ACC)

The Blue Devils’ typical February soon only lasted a week. They followed a (somewhat) surprising loss Feb. 11 at Jacksonville with an eight-game winning streak that included triumphs over Denver, Penn, Syracuse, North Carolina, Loyola and Virginia. Then they went ahead and beat Virginia again, securing the top seed in the NCAA tournament. Their only other loss came at Notre Dame, with whom Duke and Virginia toggled back and forth over the No. 1 ranking.

That said, Delaware sure put a scare into the Blue Devils in the first round. The Blue Hens came oh, so close to becoming the first team to defeat a No. 1 seed since the NCAA tournament expanded in 2003. Delaware jumped ahead 8-5 before Andrew McAdorey sparked Duke’s offense in the third quarter. The Blue Devils were down one early in the fourth quarter but summoned enough firepower to escape with a 12-11 victory.

SERIES HISTORY

This is the first-ever meeting between Michigan and Duke — in lacrosse at least. Don’t be surprised if Blue Devils coach John Danowski phones his friend Coach K for a little inspiration derived from the schools’ shared basketball history.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

What’s Ryan Cohen’s status? A big-time playmaker out of the midfield for Michigan, Cohen sat out the first round due to a undisclosed disciplinary issue. The Wolverines beat Cornell without him, but sure would love to have him back as another weapon against Duke’s underrated defense.

THE LATEST LINES

Duke is a three-point favorite on DraftKings and a 3.5-point favorite on FanDuel, with the total set at 28.5 on both sites.

THE ROAD AHEAD

The winner plays either Army or fifth-seeded Penn State in the NCAA semifinals May 27 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

ARMY VS. (5) PENN STATE

Date: Sunday, May 21
Time: 12 p.m. EDT
Venue: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
City: Annapolis, Md.
Tickets: Buy Here

TV: ESPNU
Stream: Watch ESPN

HOW THEY GOT HERE

Army (13-3, 8-2 Patriot League)

Ever the model of consistency, the Black Knights shrugged off the graduation of all-time leading scorer Brendan Nichtern and the transfer (to Ohio State) of All-American defenseman Marcus Hudgins to put together a quietly superb season. They sure got everyone’s attention last Saturday, knocking out fourth-seeded Maryland 16-15 in a first-round nightcap in College Park.

Co-captain Jacob Morin coined the phrase, “Keep the change,” after Patriot League coaches picked Army to finish fourth in the conference.

“It’s just that mentality that we’re underdogs,” Morin said, according to the team’s website. “We take that personal.”

“Even after some of our big wins this year, keep the change,” co-captain Andrew Kelly added. “Whatever the media wants to say let them say it. We know what we have in this room and in this family. We just need to focus on us and keep it rolling.”

The Black Knights have been strong up the middle, getting excellent returns from goalie Knox Dent (53.9 percent, 9.47 goals against average) and faceoff specialist Will Coletti (61 percent), the latter of whom successfully kept Luke Wierman from tilting the field.

Offensively, the Black Knights are getting contributions from a host of players, including five with at least 20 goals.

All-American AJ Pilate anchors the typically disciplined Army defense.

“Keep the change, we don’t want to hear it,” Dent said. “You didn’t believe in us at the beginning. So don’t believe in us now.”

Army, which won eight national championships in the pre-NCAA era, has not been to the final four since 1984.

(5) Penn State (10-4, 4-1 Big Ten)

It was easy to overlook Penn State coming into the season. Between the pandemic cutting short the Nittany Lions’ encore to their 2019 breakthrough and injuries contributing to a combined 7-18 record over the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Jeff Tambroni’s program wasn’t in the spotlight entering this year.

But then Penn State beat Yale. And Penn. And Cornell. And as if mastery of the Ivy League wasn’t enough, the Nittany Lions also claimed back-to-back victories over Ohio State and Johns Hopkins early in Big Ten play.

There is no ignoring Penn State anymore. Yes, largely staying healthy has helped. But the Nittany Lions have also re-established a slick offensive identity featuring graduate student TJ Malone (29 goals, 32 assists) as a do-it-all attackman and brothers Jack and Matt Traynor both figuring to finish with 30-pljus goals.

Another helpful development: Binghamton transfer Kevin Winkoff found his rhythm around the start of Big Ten play. The midfielder delivered one of the team’s biggest moments of the season, a step-down winner against Hopkins in overtime.

With sophomore Jack Fracyon emerging as arguably the best goalie in the Big Ten and surrounded by an improved defense, the Nittany Lions have answers at both ends of the field. And they’re tested after facing six teams that reached last year’s NCAA tournament in the regular season.

This Penn State team isn’t the No. 1 seed that entered the postseason with a mammoth target like its 2019 iteration that fell to Yale in its first final four. But it is just as much a threat as that team to reach Philadelphia and add another accomplishment to this year’s revival.

SERIES HISTORY

Army leads the all-time series 29-3 but Penn State has won the last two matchups, with the most recent one coming in 1999.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

A low-scoring affair, probably. The sportsbooks have it as the lowest total on the slate, likely a reflection of expected excellent goalie play. Dent was the Patriot League Goalie of the Year. Fracyon was the Big Ten Specialist of the Year.

THE LATEST LINES

Penn State is a two-point favorite on DraftKings and a 2.5-point favorite on FanDuel, with a total of 24.5 on both sites.

THE ROAD AHEAD

The winner plays either Michigan or top-seeded Duke in the NCAA semifinals May 27 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

(6) HOPKINS VS. (3) NOTRE DAME

Date: Sunday, May 21
Time: 2:30 p.m. EDT
Venue: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
City: Annapolis, Md.
Tickets: Buy Here

TV: ESPNU
Stream: Watch ESPN

HOW THEY GOT HERE

(6) Johns Hopkins (12-5, 4-1 Big Ten)

Led by nine seniors, five graduate students, third-year head coach Peter Milliman and three assistants, ex-Johns Hopkins players Jamison Koesterer, John Crawley and Brian Kelly, the Blue Jays’ mission since the fall of 2022 has been to leave three consecutive losing seasons in the dust.

The Big Ten regular season co-champ, Johns Hopkins fell to archrival Maryland in the conference semifinals but with an at-large berth and home seed secured easily disposed of Bryant 22-8 in the first round. Marquette transfer Russell Melendez has been a revelation for the Blue Jays, most recently setting a school postseason single-game record with nine points —one of several records that fell in the blowout win over the Bulldogs.

(3) Notre Dame (11-2, 4-2 ACC)

The Fighting Irish have been on a mission all spring following their surprising snub from the 2022 NCAA tournament — the first time since 2005 they weren’t dancing. They’ve been perfect save for a pair of to Virginia, an opponent that could await Notre Dame in Philadelphia should it get past Hopkins and the Cavaliers beat Georgetown.

Notre Dame’s balance and depth on offense is absurd. The Kavanagh connection continues to produce excellent results, with Tewaaaraton finalist Pat Kavanagh (23 goals, 49 assists) and his brother Chris Kavanagh (team-high 40 goals) operating at an elite level. Add in the crafty off-ball finish of Jake Taylor (23 goals in 10 games since returning from injury), hulking All-American midfielder Eric Dobson (27 goals) and four additional midfielders with at least 10 goals, and there’s just no telling who to pole.

Graduate transfers Chris Fake and Brian Tevlin both were top-10 Premier Lacrosse League draft picks and brought with them from Yale a championship pedigree and defensive toughness to support All-American goalie Liam Entenmann.

There are, simply, no weaknesses.

SERIES HISTORY

Johns Hopkins and Notre Dame have played each other six times previously, with all six encounters coming in the NCAA tournament. The Blue Jays have won four of the six games, but the Fighting Irish got the better of them in 2019 with a 17-9 first-round win. One interesting connection between the teams is Johns Hopkins offensive coordinator John Crawley, who has gotten a lot of credit for the Blue Jays’ turnaround this year. He started his coaching career as an assistant at Notre Dame.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Notre Dame’s midfield and ride has the potential to cause a lot of headaches for Johns Hopkins, which is not particularly deep at short-stick defensive midfield and has not faced a team that causes quite the amount of chaos the Fighting Irish incite up front.

THE LATEST LINES

Notre Dame is the most heavily favored team of the weekend, by 4.5 points on DraftKings and FanDuel with the total set at 25.5 on both sites.

THE ROAD AHEAD

The winner plays either seventh-seeded Georgetown or second-seeded Virginia in the NCAA semifinals May 27 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.