(2) Maryland vs. Georgetown
✅ Final: (2) Maryland def. Georgetown 9-6
🔥 Top Performer: Logan McNaney, Maryland — Postseason McNaney is a different breed. The savvy veteran made 11 saves in support of a defense that smothered Georgetown, one of the hottest offenses in the country, all game.
💥 Key Moment: It seemed ho-hum at the time, but a two-goal spurt at the end of the first half changed the game for Maryland. With the Hoyas riding a bit of momentum and holding a 4-3 lead, Eric Spanos finished a feed from Braden Erksa to knot things at 4. Just under three minutes later, Fairfield transfer Bryce Ford hammered home the go-ahead goal. Georgetown trailed the rest of the way.
⏭️ Next: Maryland will dance with sixth-seeded Syracuse in the semifinals. The Terps beat Syracuse 11-7 on Feb. 15, but both teams have evolved since then.
(5) Penn State vs. Notre Dame
✅ Final: (5) Penn State def. Notre Dame 14-12
🔥 Top Performer: Matt Traynor, Penn State — Traynor delivered six goals and one assist when Penn State needed him most. Scuffling on offense after a slow first half, Penn State used Traynor as a sparkplug to kickstart the rest of the team. Four of his goals and his one assist all came during an 8-0 run by Penn State to close the game.
💥 Key Moment: Yeah, that 8-0 run was massive. The Penn State offense simply could not find a rhythm in the first half. In the postgame on ESPN, Jeff Tambroni said his team played the second half with more conviction, and it showed in the results. Lost in the offensive turnaround are the performances of faceoff man Reid Gills and the entire defense. Closing on an 8-0 run against the two-time defending national champions is not a one-unit accomplishment. It takes everyone.
⏭️ Next: Penn State and head coach Jeff Tambroni will face his former employer, top-seeded Cornell, in the NCAA semifinals. Penn State is the only team to beat Cornell this year (13-12 in overtime on March 8).
(3) Princeton vs. (6) Syracuse
✅ Final: (6) Syracuse def. (3) Princeton 19-18
🔥 Top Performer: Joey Spallina, Syracuse — With four goals and four assists, Spallina took what the defense gave him. He embraced the role of facilitator late, assisting two of Syracuse's three fourth-quarter goals — including Owen Hiltz's winner.
💥 Key Moment: It was a tough day for both goalies, but Jimmy McCool kept his cool (sorry) and shook off a so-so day by making his biggest save to preserve a 19-18 lead with less than 30 seconds remaining. Syracuse successfully cleared and killed the clock to advance to its first national semifinal since 2013.
⏭️ Next: Syracuse meets the winner of Maryland and Georgetown, who play Sunday in Annapolis.
(1) Cornell vs. Richmond
✅ Final: (1) Cornell def. Richmond 13-12
🔥 Top Performer: Ryan Goldstein, Cornell — With CJ Kirst struggling to find open looks against a swarming Richmond double team, Goldstein played the part of top scorer with four goals. He chipped in two assists for good measure.
💥 Key Moment: After Cornell chose not to attack the cage on its final possession, instead opting to kill as much time as possible before chucking the ball to the endline, Richmond cleared and Dan Chemotti called a timeout with 26 seconds left. Down 13-12, Richmond looked to work the ball around toward GLE when a pass went astray. The ensuing ground ball scrum lasted close to 15 seconds, and the final horn sounded with neither team in possession. By not allowing Richmond to even get a shot off on cage, Cornell advanced.
⏭️ Next: Cornell draws the winner of Sunday's Penn State vs. Notre Dame matchup in the national semifinals next weekend in Foxborough, Mass.
