An Enticing Appetizer to the Main Course

NCAA Lacrosse Games at Navy Could Set Second-Round Attendance Record

The attendance record for the NCAA men's lacrosse semifinals has been broken four times in the past five years; the title game has drawn record attendance five consecutive years.

However, the enthusiasm shown for the sport's showcase event has not filtered down to the earlier playoff rounds. Attendance records for the quarterfinals and first round were set in 1999.

That likely will change tomorrow at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

Navy is hosting a quarterfinal doubleheader that could not have been scripted any better. No. 7 Maryland plays No. 2 Virginia at noon. At 3 p.m., the unseeded Midshipmen play No. 5 Johns Hopkins.

Navy officials are anticipating a crowd of at least 20,000. The record attendance for a quarterfinal is 12,289, set at Hofstra in 1999.

"Our phones have been ringing off the wall," Navy Athletic Director Chet Gladchuk said. "The ticket people [yesterday] morning said there is a very significant pre-sale . . . plus most of the crowd tends to be a walk-up crowd. This is going to be as good as it's been in Annapolis in a long time."

The expected crowd has forced Gladchuk to enact many of the same procedures used for home football games.

The NCAA did not have total control over the ideal quarterfinal matchups in Annapolis, but it is trying to jump-start attendance at first-round games.

The first-round record of 5,727 was set during a 1999 game in Providence, R.I., between Princeton and Syracuse. That game also was played under a beneficial set of circumstances -- it pitted the teams that had combined to win the past seven national titles.

That first-round record will live for at least another year. The most-attended first-round game this year was third-seeded Syracuse's 20-3 victory over unseeded Canisius on Sunday night at the Carrier Dome. It drew 3,452.

The NCAA lacrosse committee plans to address the lack of first-round attendance at its meetings in September.

Currently, the first round features single games hosted by the higher-seeded team.

The model for the future is quite different. It calls for the first-round games to be played in four four-team "pods," where the games would feature doubleheaders.

The proposal was voted down last year but only by a narrow margin, according to John Williams, the NCAA's director of championships. If the proposal is passed, it will be enacted for 2010.

"There's not as much excitement for the first-round games," Williams said. "It needs to be more of a tournament atmosphere. With the pods, it would help generate more revenue, and it would be great for TV; they don't need as many trucks. It's a win-win."

Meantime, the quarterfinals tomorrow are the last chance for local fans to see live playoff games conveniently.

The final four will be held in Foxborough, Mass., on Memorial Day weekend; it is only the fourth time since 1992 that it will be hosted outside of Maryland or Philadelphia.

The list of officials who have contacted the NCAA about bidding to host the men's lacrosse semifinals and final in the coming years includes representatives from FedEx Field, the new complex at the Meadowlands in New Jersey and NFL stadiums in Baltimore, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Foxborough and Philadelphia.

"The success we're having in the springtime in [NFL] stadiums, people are seeing that and saying: 'Our stadium is sitting here open. Let's have that event here,' " Williams said.

Last year's semifinals drew 52,004 to Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium. The title game drew 48,443. More than 36,000 tickets have been sold this year, according to event organizers. Williams said he was worried that a number of factors would negatively impact the attendance, including the high price of gasoline.

But area fans believe the excitement for the final four has not been diluted despite its distance from the Washington area. Their disappointment at not being able to attend the games has been somewhat offset by the fact that the games will be televised on ESPN and ESPN2.

"I don't sense any less excitement," St. Albans Coach Malcolm Lester said. "People are still following it as closely. I haven't sensed any mass despair or disappointment [about the final four not being in the area]. . . . I think we got spoiled in this area when it was in Maryland for five straight years [from 1993 to '97]. But it's a great sign that it's being held in a different area."

Chris Dax, director of athletics development at Johns Hopkins, estimated that 300 to 500 fans attended the school's alumni pregame tailgate party before the national title game last year in Baltimore.

"A bigger factor than Foxborough is the advent of the games being on TV," he said. "What used to be the die-hard fan is now finding it more convenient to watch it on TV. . . . I'm a little disappointed [in Foxborough]. What Philadelphia and Baltimore have to offer is wonderful. We haven't been treated poorly in either space. But if we get there this year, we will be excited to bring in the Boston area alumni groups. I know they are hoping to get a chance to pull out the red carpet."

Navy also is hosting a quarterfinal doubleheader next year. Gladchuk said he has applied to host one every year.

"The game is speaking for itself," Williams said.