NCAA Men's Lacrosse Semifinals
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Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.TV: ESPN2.
[2] Syracuse (14-2) vs. [3] Duke (15-3), Noon
Syracuse, the defending national champion, returns most of the nucleus from last year's postseason run. Attackman Kenny Nims is the nation's leading scorer (4.25 points per game) and midfielder Matt Abbott is a Tewaaraton Trophy finalist. But Duke arrives at Gillette Stadium on a surge after winning nine straight games, including two games against both Virginia and North Carolina. Senior Ned Crosby leads the Blue Devils with 73 points. The best news for Coach John Danowski is that Johns Hopkins missed this year's semifinals after knocking Duke out of the postseason the past three times the Blue Devils have played in the NCAA tournament.
Syracuse goalie John Galloway missed last week's quarterfinal win because of illness but is expected to play. The two teams play similar up-tempo styles, so expect a high-scoring game. Duke is searching for its first national championship, while Syracuse is trying to win its 11th title.
"At some level, it might allow your team to relax a little bit," Danowski said, "because you are the hunter now as opposed to the hunted."
[1] Virginia (15-2) vs. [5] Cornell (12-3), 2:30 p.m.
Virginia beat Cornell, 14-10, when the two teams met March 8. Little can be deduced from that game, though, because both teams have changed. The Cavaliers have been dominant in their first two postseason games with the improvement of twin brothers Rhamel and Shamel Bratton creating mismatches for opponents. Senior Danny Glading (Georgetown Prep) has remained steady, leading the Cavaliers with 60 points. Coach Dom Starsia has been pleased with the play of goalie Adam Ghitelman.
Cornell's star is senior Max Seibald, who will try to prolong his storied career. But the Big Red is statistically paced by attackmen Rob Pannell (21 goals, 38 assists) and Ryan Hurley (41 goals, 7 assists) and a stingy defense. Goalie Jake Myers is a Syracuse transfer.
"I don't see the formula changing a great deal," Starsia said. "I think that their lead guys are still the guys that are going to carry the play for them. Certainly, that's where our attention has to be paid."
-- Zach Berman
