(6) SYRACUSE vs. (3) PRINCETON
Saturday, 2:30 p.m. EDT (ESPNU)
James M. Shuart Stadium
Hempstead, N.Y.
How Syracuse got here: The Orange (12-5) have had their ups and downs this season but defeated Notre Dame (for the second time) and Duke to win the ACC championship and then survived a first-round upset bid by Harvard with a furious fourth-quarter rally that included five goals in a 99-second stretch before they put the Crimson away in overtime. Syracuse’s top six consisting of attackmen Joey Spallina, Owen Hiltz and Finn Thompson and midfielders Michael Leo, Luke Rhoa and Sam English is as good as any offense still standing.
How Princeton got here: The Tigers (13-3) have a pair of losses to Cornell (including the Ivy League championship game) and one to Maryland. That’s it. They’ve easily handled the rest of their schedule — including an impressive 22-12 dismantling of Towson in the first round. Coulter Mackesy, who broke Princeton’s record for career goals, is a Tewaaraton Award finalist.
Series history: For most of the 1990s and early 2000s, Princeton and Syracuse were the staunchest of rivals. They met 10 times in the NCAA tournament, including four finals. From 1992-2003, Princeton was 21-0 against all other teams and 4-6 against Syracuse in the NCAA tournament. During that time Princeton won six NCAA titles and split the four finals with the Orange. Syracuse leads the all-time series 21-9.
Story lines:
- Swiss Army knife midfielder Sam English previously plied his trade at Princeton. His career with Tigers was curtailed by injuries and the pandemic. He had 36 goals, 31 assists and 41 ground balls in 29 games spread across three seasons with Princeton. English is in his second season at Syracuse, with 21 goals, 11 assists and 56 ground balls this year. The California Redwoods selected him third overall in the PLL draft.
- Syracuse offensive coordinator Pat March spent three seasons in the same role at Princeton before joining the Orange after the 2019 campaign.
- Both teams average more than 13 goals per game, with the Orange ranking 10th in the nation with 13.59 and the Tigers right behind them, averaging 13.5.
- Syracuse has lost its last four NCAA quarterfinal games and hasn’t reached championship weekend since 2013 — an eternity for a program that played in 22 straight final fours from 1983-2004.
- Princeton has recent final four experience. Mackesy was a freshman when the Tigers advanced to championship weekend in 2022. So were standout defensemen Michael Bath and Colin Mulshine and hot-shooting midfielder Sean Cameron.
Betting lines: The sportsbooks universally have Princeton as the 1.5-point favorite with an identical total (25.5) as the Cornell-Richmond game.
If they advance: The winner gets Maryland or Georgetown in the final four. Maryland has won nine straight against Princeton and seven straight against Syracuse. Georgetown and Syracuse were Big East rivals once upon a time. The Hoyas blasted the Orange 18-8 in the first round of the 2021 NCAA tournament.
(5) PENN STATE vs. NOTRE DAME
Sunday, 12 p.m. EDT (ESPNU)
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
Annapolis, Md.
How Penn State got here: The Nittany Lions (11-4) own the distinction as being the only team to defeat Cornell (13-12 in overtime) this year. Their losses — twice to Maryland and once each to Princeton and Ohio State — have come against hot goalies and/or superior defenses. Colgate gave Penn State fits in the first round, but Liam Matthews came up clutch with the tying and go-ahead goals in the fourth quarter of a 13-11 Nittany Lions victory.
How Notre Dame got here: The two-time defending NCAA champion Fighting Irish (9-4) don’t play a ton of games and that hindered their RPI, resulting in them going unseeded. Much to Ohio State’s chagrin. Notre Dame played its most complete game of the season in the first round, marching into Columbus and ousting the Big Ten champion Buckeyes 15-6. The Irish have now won nine straight NCAA tournament games. The record is 11 (Johns Hopkins 1979-81).
Series history: Notre Dame has a 15-6 advantage in 21 games against Penn State, though the two teams have not played each other since 2014.
Story lines:
- Was Notre Dame simply playing possum this season? Not really. The Fighting Irish lost twice to Syracuse and once each to Maryland and Ohio State, the four losses by a combined nine goals. Still, they hardly looked the part of juggernaut until last week. Coach Kevin Corrigan said the team played with looseness, indicating that Notre Dame at times this season was pressing.
- When it comes down to it, the Fighting Irish have the best defenseman in the country (Shawn Lyght), a Tewaaraton Award finalist on attack (Chris Kavanagh), two excellent specialists in LSM Will Donovan and SSDM Ben Ramsey and a playoff-proven faceoff man in Will Lynch. They’re a handful.
- Look out for Matthews. Canadian finishers tend to shine in May. After not playing in any games as a freshman at Penn State, he lit up the Ontario junior box ranks last summer and has 23 goals while shooting a team-high 37.7 percent from the field.
- When he’s on, Jack Fracyon is one of the best goalies in the country. But the Penn State senior has struggled at times this season, tying a season low with just four saves in the first round and currently sporting a career-low 49.2-percent save percentage.
Betting lines: The only unseeded favorite, Notre Dame is giving 2.5 points with the total set at 22.5 on all platforms.
If they advance: The winner meets Cornell or Richmond in the NCAA semifinals. Penn State is seeking its third trip to the final four in the last six seasons the NCAA tournament has been contested. Notre Dame has become a Memorial Day mainstay.
(2) MARYLAND vs. GEORGETOWN
Sunday, 2:30 p.m. EDT (ESPNU)
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
Annapolis, Md.
How Maryland got here: With typical John Tillman-coached efficiency. The Terps (12-3) are No. 2 nationally in both defensive efficiency and shooting percentage, coming in at 23.1 percent in both metrics. They don’t have stars. They simply make the most of their opportunities. Maryland made quick work of Air Force in the first round, prevailing 13-5.
How Georgetown got here: By again hitting its stride in the Big East tournament. The Hoyas (12-4) set an NCAA Division I record by winning their seventh straight conference championship, an impressive feat considering the caliber of the competition. A low point in the season came when Georgetown could muster just three goals in a 7-3 loss to Denver on April 12. Since then, the Hoyas are averaging nearly 16 goals per game — the mark they hit in a 16-12 first-round win at seventh-seeded Duke, their first win over the Blue Devils since 2008.
Series history: You would think the schools separated by just 17 miles straddling the Maryland-D.C. line would play each other more frequently but that hasn’t been the case. Maryland and Georgetown played every year from 2003-12 but have not met since. The Terps own a 10-2 advantage in the series.
Story lines:
- Aidan Carroll’s clutch gene cannot be denied. Georgetown’s grad-year attackman who started his college career on the scout team continues to come through when it counts the most. He followed an eight-goal performance in the Big East championship game with six goals and two assists against Duke. Will Maryland counter with Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Will Schaller, or does Notre Dame transfer Fulton Bayman get that treatment?
- Tillman mentored Georgetown coach Kevin Warne when the latter was the defensive coordinator and sideline mosh pit orchestrator in College Park. The two remain good friends today, though they occasionally fight over reservations at Italian restaurants. See you at Sammy’s.
Betting lines: Maryland is the favorite (-2.5) in the game with the lowest total on the slate (21.5 O/U). The spread is 3 on DraftKings.
If they advance: Princeton or Syracuse awaits in the final four, another juicy matchup no matter how you slice it.
