Saturday’s matchup was already special for Virginia star Michael Kraus. Playing on a neutral field against Vermont, Kraus returned to his high school field at New Canaan (Conn.).
The day got even better when Kraus finished off the game-winner with 1:47 left to seal a big 10-9 non-conference victory for the Cavaliers. Kraus finished with three points on two goals and an assist, but none bigger than the one that won it for Virginia.
ICYMI - Here is the game-winning goal by hometown hero Michael Kraus. His second goal on his old high school field brings home the W for UVA. pic.twitter.com/Qa0MCTH6tl
— Virginia Men's Lacrosse (@UVAMensLax) April 21, 2018
Mike D’Amario (Virginia) and Liam Limoges (Vermont) each had two goals in a tight first quarter that ended with a buzzer-beater from Dawes Milchling to tie the game at 4-4.
The back-and-forth battle continued through halftime, where Virginia led 6-5. The Cavaliers led 8-6 before Vermont rallied off three straight goals — two of which came from Jack Knight — to take a 9-8 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Virginia held off Vermont through the fourth quarter. It tied the game with 2:30 left on a goal from Mikey Herring, and finished it off with Kraus’ winner.
Marr Wins it for Hopkins
Kyle Marr proved to be the hero for Johns Hopkins, as his goal with 31.1 seconds remaining helped down Michigan 10-9 and clinch a berth in the Big Ten tournament. Marr led the team with four goals, while teammate Joel Tinney had two goals and four assists for Johns Hopkins.
Marr, Tinney and Patrick Fraser scored to start the game for the Blue Jays, helping them jump out to an early 3-0 lead. Three different scorers combined to give Michigan a three-goal rally of its own and tie the game at the end of the first quarter.
Marr and Fraser added goals in the second quarter to give Johns Hopkins the 5-4 lead at halftime. The Blue Jays extending the lead to 7-4 out of the break, but Brent Noseworthy and Decker Curran tallied goals to help the Wolverines cut the deficit to 7-6 at the end of the third quarter. Noseworthy finished with a team-high four goals.
Kevin Mack scored twice for Michigan in the early fourth quarter, but Tinney and Brinton Valis responded both times to keep the Blue Jays in the lead. Noseworthy, made sure the Wolverines weren't done, finding the back of the cage off an assist from Chase Young with 1:04 left to tie the game at 9-9.
After a faceoff violation on Michigan, Johns Hopkins took possession and Marr finished off the game-winner in the final minute.
McGeary Helps Penn Avoid Upset
Penn avoided a second consecutive upset thanks to an overtime goal from Kevin McGeary, clinching a 10-9 victory over Dartmouth in Ivy League play. With the win, the Quakers solidify third place in conference, with a 3-3 record.
McGeary scores the final goal of the game, bringing Penn to a 10-9 Victory over Dartmouth. pic.twitter.com/mkNUDytR7Z
— Penn Men's Lacrosse (@PennMensLax) April 21, 2018
Both teams battled through a tight first half that only saw seven combined goals. Dartmouth’s Richie Loftus had his team’s first three goals and assisted on the fourth to give it a 4-3 lead into halftime.
After a 1-1 third quarter, the game opened up. Dartmouth extended the lead to 6-4 before Penn responded with four of its own to take the lead with 7:57 left in the game. Adam Goldner had two goals in the run. Dartmouth wasn’t done, though, scoring twice in less than a minute to tie the game in the final five minutes.
Riley Hupfeldt scored what could have been the game-winner with 1:13 left, but Loftus gave the home team life with 27 seconds left. Neither team could win it after one overtime period. McGeary scored his only goal with 2:55 left in the second overtime period to win it for the Quakers, Loftus and Martin finished with four goals each.
North Carolina Downs Irish, No ACC Tourney
North Carolina came into Saturday’s matchup with Notre Dame knowing it needed to either win and hold the Irish under six goals, or win by eight or more, to extended its season and make the ACC tournament. The Tar Heels picked up the victory, but it wasn’t enough to clinch a berth in the conference tournament.
Down a goal with five minutes remaining, senior Chris Cloutier scored the Tar Heels’ final two goals, and goalie Alex Bassil made a clutch save in the final seconds to seal the 10-9 win over the Irish on Senior Day.
.@UNCMensLacrosse survives! Tar Heels down @NDlacrosse 10-9 thanks to a game-saving stop by Alex Bassil. They don't make @theACC tourney, but end the season on a high note. pic.twitter.com/5ozeKw5BtL
— US Lacrosse Magazine (@USLacrosseMag) April 21, 2018
North Carolina tried to keep Notre Dame in check in a slow first half, but the Irish got a goal from Ryder Garnsey at the end of the first half to cut the deficit to 5-4. Bryan Costabile and Pierre Byrne each scored in the third quarter to force North Carolina to attempt to outscore Notre Dame by eight goals late in the game.
Alex Trippi gave the Tar Heels an 8-7 lead with 10:21 left, but the Irish responded with two straight goals to seal their ACC fate. With the minutes ticking down in his career, Cloutier scored twice in less than a minute to give North Carolina the lead. Bassil made his 14th save to clinch the win.
Jeff Teat Stars Again
Cornell dominated Brown 19-5 on Saturday afternoon thanks to another dominant game from Jeff Teat. He scored twice and added eight assists to lead the Big Red to their seventh straight win.
It's Teat third game of 10 of more points this season (10 against Hobart, 12 against Harvard). Tied with Duke's Justin Guterding with 77 points, he matched Guterding's exact statline from last night's win over Marquette.
Denver Dominates Providence
Trevor Baptiste won 17 of 22 faceoffs and Joe Reid tallied a hat trick to help Denver blow out Providence 13-6 in Big East play. The Pioneers move to 4-0 in conference as a matchup with Marquette approaches.
Reid and Colton Jackson each had two goals in the first half, helping Denver take a 5-2 lead into the break. Ethan Walker scored twice out of halftime to help push the lead to 8-2.
After Providence answered with two goals of its own to cut the deficit to four goals, Denver left no doubt. The Pioneers scores five straight goals to move to 13-4 with 10:53 left — not enough time for the Friars to mount a comeback.
Nova Tops St. John's
Villanova kept pace with Georgetown in the Big East standings with a 10-8 win over St. John’s on Saturday afternoon. Connor Kirst had a hat trick to lead the way for the Wildcats.
Kirst scored twice in the opening frame, helping Villanova take a 4-2 lead into the second quarter. Christian Cuccinello and Danny Seibel each scored to help push the lead to 6-3 going into halftime.
Cuccinello scored first out of halftime, but the Red Storm put together a three-goal run to pull within 7-6 with five minutes left in the third quarter. However, Kirst, Seibel and Devin McNamara combined for a three-goal rally of their own to help put St. John’s away late in the fourth quarter.
UMass Stays Unbeaten in CAA
No. 18 UMass overcame an early deficit and blew past another CAA opponent in an 11-4 victory over Fairfield. Buddy Carr had four goals and an assist to lead the way for the Minutemen, who improve to 4-0 in conference.
Fairfield scored three out of four goals to begin the game with a two-goal lead. Three different scorers helped the Stags grab the early momentum.
It was all UMass after that point. The Minutemen scored 10 straight goals over the course of approximately 30 minutes to seal the victory.
NIKE/US LACROSSE DIVISION I TOP 20 SCOREBOARD
No. 4 Denver 13, Providence 6
No. 6 Johns Hopkins 10, Michigan 9
No. 8 Cornell 19, Brown 5
No. 15 Navy 13, No. 10 Syracuse 12
North Carolina 10, No. 13 Notre Dame 9
No. 14 Virginia 10, Vermont 9
No. 16 Georgetown 15, NJIT 6
No. 17 Villanova 10, St. John's 8
No. 18 UMass 11, Fairfield 4
No. 20 Penn 10, Dartmouth 9 (2OT)