The 2015 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Tournament Final Four is here, with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Denver Pioneers, Maryland Terrapins and Johns Hopkins Blue Jays as the four remaining teams in the 16-team bracket.
The Final Four will take place over Memorial Day weekend at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pa., with the national semifinals on Saturday and the national championship game on Monday.
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Here is the complete schedule for the 2015 NCAA Lacrosse Final Four (all times ET):
National Championship: Monday, May 25 (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Game 3: No. 4 Denver vs. No. 6 Maryland, 1:00 p.m. | ESPN2 | WatchESPN
A new NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse National Champion will be crowned on Memorial Day when the No. 4 seed Denver Pioneers (16-2) take on the No. 6 seed Maryland Terrapins (15-3). Will the national championship go west of the Mississippi River for the first time in NCAA history or will the Terrapins win their first title since 1975, keeping the trophy in the hotbed of lacrosse?
The Pioneers' emergence as a lacrosse powerhouse coincides with the hiring of former Princeton head coach Bill Tierney. After winning six national championships in 22 years at Princeton, Tierney headed west to take over a program that had just two previous trips to the NCAA Tournament. Since Tierney arrived in Denver in 2009, the Pioneers have made four Final Fours, but are making their first appearance in the national championship game.
The Pioneers are led by arguably the best attack duo in the country in Connor Cannizzarro and Tewaaraton Trophy finalist Wesley berg. The two seniors combined for 109 goals and 53 assists. Tierney's club also boasts one of the best faceoff specialists in the country in Trevor Baptiste. The New York native was the only freshman to be tabbed as a Tewaaraton Trophy nominee at the beginning of the season, and backed up the hype, winning 68-percent (300-437) of his draws. He also leads the team with 139 ground balls.
Maryland, like Denver, is trying to break through. The Terps are making their first championship game appearance since 2012, the second of their back-to-back second palce finishes. The Terrapins last national championship came way back in 1975. Like Denver under Tierney, Maryland has thrived under head coach John Tillman, who took over the program in 2010. Since then, the Terps have won three regular season conference titles, and have appeared in four Final Fours.
Maryland is led by standout sophomore attackman Matt Rambo and senior midfielder Joe LoCascio. Rambo leads the team with 38 goals and 18 assists, with LoCascio's 29 goals and 14 assists not far behind.
Whether or not the Terps win the national championship is likely to be decided by two key phases of the game: the faceoff and goalkeeping. Winning the face-off battle leads to extra possessions, which leads to extra goal opportunities. Senior midfielder Charlie Raffa (116-197) leads the nation in faceoff percentage. Over half of Denver's offensive possessions are a result of faceoff victories, meaning Raffa will serve as the first line of defense. If Baptiste is unable to get the ball to Berg, Cannizzaro and others, the Terps will be be able to control the pace of play.
With All-American goalie Niko Amato departing College Park, the situation in goal appeared to be murky for the Terps. But Kyle Bernlohr has been outstanding in net, starting all 18 games and leading the nation with a 6.78 goals against average. Bernlohr has faced elite competition all season, and with both teams opting for a controlled pace of play, a stout performance in net will give the Terps an excellent chance to win the game.
National Semifinals: Saturday, May 23 (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Game 1: No. 4 Denver 11, No. 1 Notre Dame 10
Game 2: No. 6 Maryland 12. Johns Hopkins 11
Notre Dame, the No. 1 seed in the tournament, defeated Albany 14-10 in the quarterfinals to advance to its fourth Final Four since 2010. The Irish fell short in 2014, losing to Duke 11-9 in the National Championship game.
The No. 4 seed Denver Pioneers topped Ohio State 15-13 to advance to their third consecutive Final Four and fourth since 2011. Despite four Final Four appearances in five years, the Pioneers are still looking for their first championship game appearance.
No. 6 seed Maryland routed North Carolina 14-7 to earn a spot in the Final Four for the fourth time since 2011. But despite national championship game appearances in both 2011 and 2012, the Terrapins are still looking for their first national championship since 1975.
The unseeded Johns Hopkins Blue Jays upset the No. 2 seed Syracuse Orange 16-15 in the national quarterfinals to advance to the Final Four for the 29th time in school history but just the first time since 2008.
(Source: NCAA.com)