Drawing the defending national champion has done nothing but fire up the Georgetown men’s lacrosse ahead of its NCAA tournament first-round matchup against Yale.
“I don’t think there’s any pressure on us,” Georgetown coach Kevin Warne said. “I think if you’re a competitive program with competitive kids, you want to play the best. I mean, we’re literally playing last year’s national champs. There’s no lying about that. We’re actually fired up to play them.”
Georgetown found its way into the tournament by earning the Big East championship with a 12-9 win over Denver. Chris Brandau made 15 saves in the win, and Warne said he has “earned the right” to start again.
The Brandau family is certainly looking forward to that, especially because Chris’ twin brother, Matt, plays on the Yale attack.
“Knowing Chris and knowing their family, they’re a big lacrosse family,” Warne said. “Both of them will probably put that aside, hug each other before the game and then kick each other’s butts.”
NO. 13 GEORGETOWN AT NO. 4 YALE
WHEN: SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2:30 P.M.
WATCH: ESPNU
These are two high-scoring teams. Yale’s prolific offense comes down to just how often the Bulldogs have the ball, thanks in large part to TD Ierlan. He’s won .772 percent of his faceoffs, giving Yale ample opportunities on offense.
The Hoyas’ James Reilly, who’s won .506 percent of his faceoff attempts, must do his part — along with the wings — to limit Ierlan. He’s not a player to completely shut down, but Georgetown needs possession. Then, the Hoyas must capitalize.
“We just have to be really, really smart,” Warne said. “We probably can’t shoot ourselves in the foot a lot. I think they’re one of the best ground-ball teams we’ve seen this year.”
The deck is not stacked against Georgetown, which has a puncher’s chance with big offensive weapons in Jake Carraway, Daniel Bucaro, Lucas Wittenberg and Robert Clark. Still, Georgetown needs to be nearly mistake-free.
“It’s going to be a challenge, but if you’re a good player, you want that,” Warne said. “At this time of year, we have to be who we are. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but we just have to play our game. By doing that, we’ve gotten to this point.”
SATURDAY’S OTHER FIRST ROUND GAMES (All games on ESPNU)
No. 6 Loyola vs. No. 8 Syracuse, Saturday, Noon
Averaging 14 goals per game behind Pat Spencer, Kevin Lindley and Chase Scanlan, Loyola is as dangerous a first-round team as Syracuse could see. The best way for Syracuse to limit the Greyhounds’ opportunities would be for Jakob Phaup to continue his run of excellence at the X. He’s won .624 percent of his attempts, placing him 12th nationally. His opponent, Bailey Savio, checks in at .527 percent.
No. 2 Penn vs. No. 15 Army, Saturday, 5 p.m.
The third-best offense in the nation takes on the second-best defense, as the Penn Quakers are hoping their potent attack can break down Army’s defensive wall. Penn, averaging 14.86 goals per contest, leans on Adam Goldner and his 3.57 goals per game. Army, meanwhile, has allowed just 8.35 goals per game. Of course, Army can go down the field and score, too, with freshman Brendan Nichtern registering 50 assists as the primary catalyst on offense. A matchup that truly could go either way.
No. 3 Virginia vs. Robert Morris, Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Three-star attackers in Ian Laviano, Matt Moore and Michael Kraus provide the formula for Virginia’s success. With Alex Rode anchoring the defensive side of things — he made 11 saves and held Notre Dame to four goals in the ACC championship game — Virginia is a force to be reckoned with. Robert Morris lost seven of its first eight games before tallying eight straight wins. They Colonials have peaked at the right time, to say the least. Led by Corson Kealey offensively, Robert Morris likes to play fast and score fast. This could be high scoring.
No. 1 Penn State vs. UMBC, Sunday, Noon
Does UMBC have another Cinderella run in it? The 2018 men’s basketball season saw UMBC defeat top-seeded Virginia and now facing another No. 1 seed, the Retrievers are likely coming in confidently. Of course, there’s no correlation between the success of the basketball team and the potential success of the lacrosse team. Penn State’s Grant Ament is surgical behind the cage, picking apart every defense he’s encountered this spring. With him running an absurdly talented offense, the Nittany Lions are primed for a run at a national championship.
No. 7 Towson vs. Maryland, Sunday, 2:30 p.m.
A crosstown rivalry based solely on proximity. These two Maryland-based programs haven’t played since 2011 but the local scene and anticipation could create for an electric atmosphere with some of the most passionate fans in the sport. The Terps are solid both offensively and defensively but could be hard-pressed to beat Alex Woodall at the faceoff X. The Tigers’ specialist has won .745 percent of his opportunities, second in the nation to Ierlan. Maryland’s Austin Henningsen checks in at a respectable .603 percent, but the senior will need to rely on his wing play to best Woodall.
No. 5 Duke vs. No. 18 Richmond, Sunday, 5 p.m.
Duke earned the second seed in the tournament despite not winning its conference tourney, setting up a first-round matchup with Richmond. Duke defeated Richmond 11-7 on March 1 behind three goals apiece from Joe Robertson and Brad Smith. Brian Smyth also won 14 of 21 faceoffs. Richmond needs to be better at the X and needs to be more efficient on offense. In that loss, the Spiders shot 30 times.
No. 10 Notre Dame vs. No. 9 Johns Hopkins, Sunday, 7:30 p.m.
A bubble team at 8-7, Hopkins’ performance in an 18-17 loss to No. 1 Penn State in the Big Ten championship game could have proven to the committee that the Blue Jays can contend with anyone. Beating Maryland twice in five days helped, too. Notre Dame is fresh off a loss to Virginia in the ACC championship game, and although that’s not the high note the Irish would have liked to enter the tournament on, there’s still much for them to confident about. These teams haven’t met since 2007, an 11-10 overtime win for Hopkins.