Good morning. Here’s the latest from around the lacrosse world:
1. What a weekend in college lacrosse, perhaps its most exciting each year. We’ll begin on the Division I men’s side, where the upcoming final four has been set with a mix of the old and the new.
Defending national champion Maryland reached its seventh NCAA semifinal under coach John Tillman with a 13-8 win over Cornell yesterday. Saturday in Foxborough, Mass., the Terrapins will face a nemesis from their Atlantic Coast Conference days, as Duke surged late to repel Johns Hopkins, 14-9, in the other quarterfinal in Annapolis, Md. Maryland will have to account for Blue Devils attackman Justin Guterding, who became the NCAA’s career leader in goals during the win.
Saturday marked the day for the newbies. Albany finally broke through to reach its first final four, outlasting Denver, 15-13, in Hempstead, N.Y. The Great Danes will square off against Yale in the other semifinal. The Bulldogs never trailed in salting away an 8-5 defeat of Loyola, securing their first trip to championship weekend since 1990. This matchup means a first-time finalist will compete for the national championship a week from today.
2. The Division I women’s championship weekend likewise features a mix of veteran and new-ish participants.
Defending national champion Maryland qualified for its 10th straight final four, but only after erasing a three-goal deficit to Navy 12 minutes into the second half of an eventual 17-15 quarterfinal win Saturday in College Park, Md. The Terps draw Boston College Friday in one semifinal at LaValle Stadium in Stony Brook, N.Y. The Eagles earned their shot to avenge last season’s championship-game loss to Maryland and reached their second final four by falling, in a manner of speaking, past visiting Stony Brook in overtime, 12-11, in a quarterfinal that exceeded its final-level hype.
North Carolina got a career-high tying 17 saves from Taylor Moreno to keep visiting Northwestern at bay in a 19-14 quarterfinal win. In defeat, Selena Lasota tied former Wildcat Katrina Dowd for most career goals in the NCAA tournament with 22. The Tar Heels will face James Madison Friday. The Dukes reached the semifinals for the second time in school history and first time since 2000 by defeating Florida, 11-8, thanks in part to a three-goal, 90-second spurt early in the second half.
3. Congratulations to the Le Moyne women’s team, which won its first NCAA Division II championship Sunday by defeating Florida Southern, 16-11, in Tampa, Fla.
The Dolphins had suffered heartache in national semifinal losses in each of the previous seasons, but they erased that and more by seeing their seventh trip to the NCAA tournament through to the championship.
4. The Division II men’s final Sunday in Foxborough will pit Saint Leo against 2017 runner-up Merrimack.
On the road, Saint Leo got 16 saves from Thomas Tatarian and goals very late in the second and third quarters to edge Lenoir-Rhyne, 12-11. The Bears held several statistical advantages and got off 59 shots on the day, but the Lions’ single-season record-holder in saves stood tall enough to help his team advance.
The host Warriors used a five-goal run during a 10-minute span of the first half to take control of Seton Hill and pull away for a 16-9 win in the other semifinal.
5. The Division III men’s final, also Sunday in Foxborough, will see two-time defending champion Salisbury take on first-time participant Wesleyan — each of which advanced by the slimmest of margins in their respective semifinal games.
The Sea Gulls avenged a regular-season loss at Gettysburg by defeating the Bullets, 8-7, on their campus. Salisbury didn’t lead until early in the fourth quarter, and Emory Wongus netted the game-winner with 4:15 to play.
The Cardinals also got a measure of revenge, holding off previously unbeaten RIT, 19-18. Wesleyan appeared cruising toward paying back the Tigers for defeat in the same round a year ago, having taken a 17-9 lead with just eight minutes left. RIT rallied, but couldn’t quite get over the hump. Harry Stanton’s sixth goal with 1:08 remaining proved too much.
6. The Division III women’s championship weekend will showcase the teams ranked 1-4 in the pre-NCAA tournament edition of the Nike/US Lacrosse Top 20.
No. 1 TCNJ will play No. 2 Middlebury in one semifinal Saturday in Salem, Va., while No. 3 Salisbury will take on defending national champion and No. 4 Gettysburg. The winners will meet Sunday in the final.