PHILADELPHIA, Penn. – The NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse championships continue today with the Final Four. The second of two semifinal games is seventh-seeded Maryland battling sixth-seeded Virginia on ESPN2, which is slated to start at 2:30 p.m. Eastern from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Lacrosse fans have a number of options to watch the game for free if they don’t have cable, including FubuTV and DirecTV Stream, which each offer a free trial. Sling TV has promotional pricing if you’re a new customer.
These are two programs who know quite a bit about winning, especially in recent years. Virginia won back-to back national champions in 2019 and 2021, excluding the no tournament-year in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, while Maryland last won in 2022.
Maryland has had an above average performance offensively, as they tie for 44th rank in goals per game (11.27), but have been better defensively as they rank 17th in fewest goals allowed per game (10.40). Daniel Maltz guides the Terrapins with 28 goals this season.
Maryland defeated Princeton by a score of 16-8, then upset Duke by a score of 14-11, and now take on the Cavaliers.
Virginia has been one of the better offensive teams in the nation, ranking ninth in goals per game (14.24), but have been a little sloppy with a 30th rank in fewest goals allowed (11.35). Payton Cormier leads the charge with 64 goals.
The Cavaliers downed St. Joseph’s by a score of 17-11 and edged out Johns Hopkins in a 11-10 win in double overtime, and now finds themselves two wins away from their first national championship in three years.
The winner will play in the National Championship on Monday, May 27 against either No. 1 Notre Dame or No. 5 Denver at 1 pm on ESPN.
Here are more details about semi-final game and how to watch it via various TV and streaming options:
What: Notre Dame vs. Denver; NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse championships Final Four
When: Saturday, May 25, 2024
Time: 2:30 p.m. Eastern
Where: Lincoln Financial Field | Philadelphia, PA
Channel: ESPN2
Live stream: FuboTV (free trial), DirecTV Stream (free trial), Sling TV (promotional offers)
Cable channel finder: AT&T U-Verse, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, Cox, DIRECTV, Dish, Verizon Fios.
Here’s more background on the game and series’ history, courtesy of the University of Maryland.
COLLEGE PARK, MD - No. 7-seeded Maryland is playing in its 29th Final Four in program history, tied with Johns Hopkins for the most of any program. This marks the third semifinal appearance in four years for Maryland. The Terps are searching for their fifth NCAA Championship in program history.
Maryland is coming off a thrilling come-from-behind 14-11 victory against No. 2 Duke to earn a spot in the Final Four. The Terps, who trailed by as many as four goals at one point, outscored the Blue Devils 7-2 in the final frame to claim the win. Daniel Maltz scored four goals and Luke Wierman was exceptional at the faceoff X, going 20-of-29 with two goals.
Virginia is also coming off a thrilling win, beating No. 3 Johns Hopkins 11-10 in double overtime. Connor Shellenberger scored the game-winner for the Cavaliers to lead them to Championship Weekend for the fourth time in the last five full seasons.
SERIES HISTORY - VIRGINIA
Maryland owns a 50-47 all-time advantage over Virginia as the two storied programs head into their 98th matchup.
The two former ACC foes have met in the NCAA Tournament nine times, with Virginia holding a 5-4 advantage.
The last time the two teams met in the postseason came in the 2022 Quarterfinals. The Terps came away with a 18-9 win en route to an undefeated National Championship season. Owen Murphy led the way offensively with four goals.
Maryland and Virginia played earlier this season in College Park in a top-five matchup. The Cavaliers came out on top 14-10. Griffin Schutz led Virginia with six points. Luke Wierman won 16-of-28 faceoffs for the Terps and Eric Spanos totaled four points.
The two teams have met in the NCAA Semifinals just once, coming in 2003. Virginia ultimately won 14-4.
The series is nearly a century old, with the first game coming in 1926, a 10-1 Maryland win. The Terps won the first six games of the series. Maryland and Virginia are two of the most storied programs in all of college lacrosse.
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