If you were a betting man, and put money on the teams I picked last weekend, I am sorry. The upset picks I had in store for the second round of the NCAA lacrosse tournament did not pan out, as Syracuse, Army, Towson and Hopkins all fell to the hands of the higher seeded opponent last weekend. Only one team playing an away game lost last weekend, in Maryland as they beat Towson in OT Sunday.

(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)

Here goes my quick recap of each game:

Loyola started off slow, but led by senior goalie Jacob Stover (17 saves) and Pat Spencer (3g, 6a) the Hounds were able to fight back into it in the fourth quarter with seven straight goals. Loyola 15, Syracuse 13.

Georgetown lost to Yale 19-16, which would have been much closer if Yale did not get out to a 9-1 start. The first ever battle of the Brandaus (Matt, Chris) went to Matt who scored 4 goals on his brother. Td Ierlan won 31 faceoffs and Georgetown’s Bucaro had 8 goals and an assist. I expected a high scoring matchup, and this did not disappoint.

Penn has reached the quarterfinals for the first time in 30 years. Penn won 22/25 faceoffs which allowed Penn to put a stop to any offensive run Army went on. Penn had a solid lead most of the game, but Army continued to battle back even after being down 5-0 early. Penn 13, Army 8.

Virginia ran away from Robert Morris for their first win in the NCAA tournament in 7 years. Herring had 6g, Conrad had 5. Virginia showed grit and toughness all game, a reason they have been playing so well. Robert Morris battled early but didn’t have enough, as they couldn’t keep up with Virginia like they did Maryland last year. Virginia 19, Robert Morris 10.

After UMBC scored the first goal, Penn State turned on the jets with an offensive display. The Nittany Lions had themselves a day, while UMBC could not succeed on faceoffs which led to the outburst in goals. Penn State wins their first NCAA tournament game in school history. Penn State 25, UMBC 10.

Maryland tied the game up with 3.7 seconds left and won it moments later in OT. The game featured a series of runs, and Maryland found themselves with the final offensive spurt. Towson started 5-0 and rose to #1. Maryland was ranked #2 most of the season. Both teams cant move on, but they played a great game. Maryland 14, Towson 13 (OT).

The middle of the game belonged to Duke, outscoring Richmond 11-5 in those quarters. Duke held on late as Richmond battled back in the fourth quarter to bring the game closer. It wasn’t pretty for Duke, but they are moving on. Duke 12, Richmond 11.

Ryder Garnsey has returned from his suspension and racked up 3 goals and an assist in a big win over Hopkins. It was unusual suspects who came up big for the Irish, as they held Hopkins to only tallying four players with at least a point. Notre Dame 16, Johns Hopkins 9.

This season is down to 8, as we have four games this weekend that will decide who makes it to Philadelphia for championship weekend in just over a week. Two games will be the first time the opponents have seen each other, while two feature rematches of earlier this season.

Saturday, May 18th

Virginia vs Maryland – 12PM

These two will play their first game since 2014, when Maryland beat the Cavs 9-6. Both teams have changed drastically since then, as Matt Rambo was just a freshmen in 2014. With these two teams, however, you get very different playing styles. Maryland likes to and always has slowed the ball down and played the possession game. They are comfortable winning with 10 or 11 goals. Virginia on the other hand has multiple midfielders who can run both ways, generate offense and play solid defense. They have scored single digit goals twice this season (both in losses). Virginia’s fifth and sixth leading scorers had 11 total goals last weekend. They are a deep team who can put the ball in the goal. They started out 1-2, and now sit at 14-3. Virginia plays a tough, fast style of lacrosse for the full 60 minutes. Maryland has to rely on those not named Bernhardt and Wisnauskas to contribute on offense. When Bernhardt was covered closely by Koby Smith against Towson, Maryland had nothing. They have had a week to find a way to use him as an off ball player if he is heavily guarded, while allowing the other five players to do more dodging. Whoever plays faster will win this game.

Prediction: Virginia 17, Maryland 13.

Duke vs Notre Dame – 2:30PM

Here we find our first rematch of the season, as Duke and Notre Dame split the season series (14-8 Duke, 12-10 Notre Dame). For Notre Dame, the difference will be their defense and Ryder Garnsey. To stop Duke’s midfielders who shredded the Irish in the first game, they were double poled, leaving an attackman with a shortstick. It seemed to work, as Smith and Montgomery combined for 2 goals in the 12-10 loss. What will the Notre Dame defense do in this game? Bryan Costabile was a force to be reckoned with in the 12-10 win. With the addition of Garnsey, who can make plays in 6v6 and on EMO, the Irish have another offensive weapon to play with. With each teams having all of their weapons in full force this weekend, this game will be fun to watch, especially because these two have seen each other twice so far. Although Duke was given the 2 seed, I think the Irish with Garnsey are better than many think, and have had a week to play with different scenarios. Notre Dame is dangerous.

Prediction: Notre Dame 15, Duke 13.

Sunday, May 19th

Penn State vs Loyola – 12PM

This game is interesting to me simply because of the talent that will roam the fireld Sunday afternoon. One one side, you get Pat Spencer on offense and Jacob Stover in net, while on the other side there is Mac O’Keefe and Grant Ament. Both offenses are lethal and I m expecting another high scoring matchup in this one. It will be interesting to see how Loyola defends Penn State’s offense, which every week shows its unpredictability and creativity as Grant Ament and Mac O’Keefe go to work. Penn State defensively is going to have to figure out a way to matchup with Spencer and then minimize the work Lindley and Scanlan can do as well. Penn State’s d has shown it can be beat, and Loyola will get their chances. One of the biggest toss ups in this contest will be the faceoff battle between Bailey Savio and Gerard Arceri. The team with more possessions will be able to control the game on Sunday. I think the Nittany Lions are too skilled offensively to see a game this early slip away from them. It will be a close one, however.

Prediction: Penn State 17, Loyola 15.

Penn vs Yale – 2:30PM

In the last quarterfinal of the weekend, we see Penn take on Yale for the third time this year. The two previous games ended up being one goal wins for the Quakers (one in triple-OT). This game is interesting on multiple levels. Yale has lost three times this season, two of which being to Penn. Penn has controlled the FO in the two previous matchups, winning 14-29 and 15-26 against debatably the best FO in the nation in TD Ierlan. Faceoffs again will be an important part of this game, and if a team significantly dominates the X, they will have more success offensively. Yale has an offense that can score when they want to, as they average 15.44 goals per game and 53.69 shots per game. In their two previous games against Penn they produced 112 shots, only scoring 23 times. To win Sunday, this must be better. Yale also has to improve on the defensive end, as they did play one of the best offenses in the nation last weekend, they let Georgetown back in the game. Make mistakes this weekend, Penn’s weapons like Mathias, Handley, Goldner and Roesner can make plays in 6v6. Penn can also run the break and play very fast. If Yale lets Penn control the tempo (which starts at the FO x), things might go south for the defending National Champions. I do see, however, Ierlan having himself a ball game and setting Yale up very well. Third times the charm.

Prediction: Yale 15, Penn 14.

Four months ago I wrote a season overview, in which I picked Loyola, Yale, Virginia and Penn State to make the Final Four. All four have a chance to make it this weekend. Only three will, as Loyola takes on Penn State. This is what these teams play for all season long, a chance to make their way to Memorial Day / Championship weekend. Four teams will book trips to Philly. Who will it be?

Sam Kuhn
Sam Kuhn

Lacrosse Analyst

Sam Kuhn currently is the graduate assistant for the men’s lacrosse program at Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio and is working to complete his Masters of Business Administration in 2020. Sam graduated from the College of Wooster in 2018, where he received his Bachelors Degree in English and played lacrosse as well. In his four years, Sam was a two time All-NCAC selection, a first team All-Region selection in 2018, and surpassed 100 goals for his career, one of seven members in program history to do so. Sam has interned with Inside Lacrosse, and wrote for the sports section of The Wooster Voice.

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