May Madness Memorial Day Preview
The college lacrosse season will be completed this Memorial Day weekend. The champion will either emerge from the Big 10 or Ivy League, both conferences who have dominated throughout the tournament. Will Maryland end its revenge tour on top, or will heartbreak happen again? Destiny will be determined this weekend, yet there are few headlines to keep eyes peeled for.
Semifinal 1: Cornell vs. Rutgers, May 28 @ 9 AM PDT; Rentschler Field, East Hartford, CT
The motto to describe this game comes from the legend Ricky Bobby: “If ain’t first, you’re last.”
With Rutgers’ “NASCAR” style and Cornell’s tactical offense, the defenses will be strained this game. One should expect for some intense transition throughout the game, and the sibling rivalry of the Kirst brothers should promote some good tension and chirps along the way. With each team averaging more than 40 shots a game, and tenacious defenses with poles that can push, the first semifinal will provide fireworks to all.
This is Rutgers’ first trip to Memorial Day weekend, and it has been led by net minder Colin Kirst and attackman Ross Scott, who has been hot this tournament. As for Cornell, for their season under first year head coach Connor Buczek, there were doubts, yet expectations have been met and shattered.
Cornell’s Head Coach Connor Buczek
Besides the Kirst match up, another key matchup to watch this game is Rutgers’ attackman Ross Scott versus Cornell’s bulldog defender Gavin Adler. Ross started the tournament with eight goals against Harvard, and kept production with a goal and an assist against Penn. On the defensive end, Adler has been an absolute bully, with a team leading 30 caused turnovers. Overall, the teams are seven and six respectively, so the overall competition on both sides of ball will be highly contentious.
Semifinal 2: Princeton vs. Maryland, May 28 @ 11:30 PDT; Rentschler Field, East Hartford, CT
The revenge tour for Maryland escalated as they took down the Virginia Cavaliers 18-9 in the quarter finals. Many thought the Cavs were the only team who could beat Maryland. Across the board, the Terps have one of the most potent teams seen in recent decades, and they are hoping to cap their “perfect” dominance with a raised trophy.
Maryland midfielder Jonathan Donville celebrates a goal in the 18-9 rout against Virginia.
However, Princeton could be a sleeper in defeating the Terps. In their early season matchup, the Tigers lost by five in College Park, Maryland, yet since then they have either had quality losses or tremendous victories. Their three losses in Ivy League play all came under three goals or less.
The key matchup to watch is how Princeton will respond to Maryland’s faceoff specialist Luke Wierman. Ranking second in the country with a win percentage of 66 percent, Wierman has been on a tear since last Memorial Day weekend’s heartbreak. Princeton’s primary faceoff specialist, Tyler Sandoval, has a winning percentage of 55 percent, so wing play and strategy will be crucial for the Tigers. In addition, it shall be interesting to see how Princeton’s Alex Slusher and Chris Brown will fare against the tenacious Terrapin defense.
Key Thoughts for the Weekend
Tillman’s experience: Maryland’s head coach John Tillman is the only coach with Memorial Day experience. Will expectations make him and the Terrapins crack or will the novices out smart the master?
What Could Have Been: This year’s selection has been one of the more controversial, as Notre Dame, who was ranked number four in the country according to Inside Lacrosse at the end of the regular season, was snubbed for a tournament berth. In addition, this year particularly saw a far greater push for Ivy’s rather than the ACC.
Weather: There is supposed to be rain and thunderstorms on Saturday in East Hartford. The possibility of weather delay and cramps are high, as this also occurred in last year’s tournament as well. With Rentschler Field being a grass surface, expect some players to slip or something uncanny to happen.