A guide to the NCAA men’s lacrosse championships at Gillette Stadium
Here's everything you need to know about the weekend of games.
For the second straight year and fifth time overall, Gillette Stadium will host the NCAA men’s lacrosse championships, beginning Saturday with the Division 1 semifinals.
Maryland will face Duke and Yale will duel Albany in the Div. 1 semifinals with the winners advancing to Monday’s championship game. There will be 13 athletes among those four teams who call New England home, including four from Massachusetts.
The Div.2 and 3 championship games are Sunday with Saint Leo and Merrimack battling for the D2 title and Salisbury and Wesleyan (Conn.) battling in D3. Those four teams boast 50 players who are from New England, including 18 from the Bay State.
Here is a rundown of the weekend and a look at each of the eight teams competing:
Schedule
Saturday, May 26
Lacrosse Fan Fest, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Division 1 semifinal: Yale vs. Albany, noon (ESPN2)
Division 1 semifinal: Duke vs. Maryland, Saturday, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
Sunday, May 27
Lacrosse Fan Fest, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Division 3 championship: Salisbury vs. Wesleyan (Conn.), 1 p.m.
Division 2 championship: Saint Leo vs. Merrimack, 4 p.m.
Monday, May 28
Lacrosse Fan Fest, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Division 1 championship: 1 p.m. (ESPN2)
Here is the full day-by-day schedule, including postgame entertainment.
Tickets
Here is where you can buy tickets for the whole weekend
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Here are the hours for the box office, which is across from the Patriots ProShop:
Saturday: 8 a.m until halftime of the second semifinal game
Sunday: 7 a.m. until halftime of the Division 3 championship
Monday: 9 a.m. until halftime of the Division 1 championship
Gates open at 11 a.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. Sunday, and noon Monday.
Parking
Parking is free for those with tickets. Parking lots open at 8 a.m. Saturday, 7 a.m. Sunday, and 9 a.m. Monday.
A glance at each team
DIVISION 1MARYLANDRecord:
14-3.
Path to the Final Four: Defeated Robert Morris, 14-11, in the first round; topped Cornell, 13-8, in the quarterfinals.
Briefly: This is the defending champions’ fifth straight semifinal appearance and seventh in the last eight years . . . Maryland is ninth in the country in goals per game (11.880) and 19th in goals against per game (9.31) . . . The Terrapins are 3-2 all-time against Duke in the NCAA tournament . . . Connor Kelly leads Maryland in goals (45) and assists (33) for a team-high point total (78) . . . Jared Bernhardt and Logan Wisnauskas have also broken the 30-goal mark this season, scoring 38 and 33, respectively . . . Dan Morris, who got 17 starts in goal for the Terps, is 14-3 with 10.1 saves per game, a 8.94 goals against average (18th in the country), and a 52.9 save percentage (T-21st).
DUKE
Record: 15-3.
Path to the Final Four: Defeated Villanova, 17-11, in the first round; beat Johns Hopkins, 14-9, in the quarterfinals.
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Briefly: The Blue Devils, champions in 2010, 2013, and 2014, are back in the semifinals for the 11th time in program history. They are 5-5 in their previous appearances, the last of which was in 2014 . . . Duke is 2-3 all-time against the Terps in the NCAA tournament . . . They are second in the country in goals per game (13.78) and 10th in goals allowed (8.41) . . . Justin Guterding, Duke’s all-time leading scorer, leads the country finding the net, notching 61 goals, an average of 3.39 per game. He is also eighth in the country in assists with 43 (2.39 per game) . . . Joe Robertson (43) and Brad Smith (28) are second and third on the team in scoring while also combining for 44 assists . . . Danny Fowler is 15-3 in 18 starts this season, recording a 53.8 save percentage (16th in the country), a 8.40 goals against average (11th), and 8.6 saves per game.
YALE
Record: 15-3.
Path to the Final Four: Got by UMass, 15-13, in the first round; defeated Loyola (Md.), 8-5, in the quarterfinals.
Briefly: For the first time in 28 years, the Bulldogs are in the NCAA semifinals. They are the first Ivy League program to reach the semis since 2015, and are trying to become the first Ivy program to advance to the championship since Cornell in 2009 . . . Ben Reeves is second in the country in scoring, tallying 56 goals so far, 3.11 per game. Reeves is also seventh in the country in assists (46) with 2.56 per game . . . Joseph Sessa, John Daniggelis, and Lucas Cotler are the other main offensive weapons. Sessa is second on the team in goals (17) and assists (9) while Daniggelis and Cotler are tied for third in scoring with 14 goals apiece . . . Goalie Jack Starr is 14-3 in 17 appearances, registering a 8.12 goals against average (eighth in the country) to go along with a 48.5 save percentage (44th), and 7.47 saves per game.
ALBANY
Record: 16-2.
Path to the final four: Crushed Richmond, 18-9, in the first round; edged Denver, 15-13, in the quarterfinals.
Briefly: The Great Danes are making their first appearance at championship weekend in program history, the first SUNY program to do so and the first America East program since Towson in 2001 to reach the semis . . . This senior class is 59-11 overall, making it the winningest group in program history . . . Albany leads the country in scoring with 263 goals, 14.61 per game . . . T.D. Ierlan has won 341 faceoffs this season, breaking the NCAA record for a single season . . . Tehoka Nanticoke leads the Great Danes in scoring (49, third in the country) and is tied with Connor Fields for most points (81) . . . In addition to Fields’s 31 goals, he has racked up 50 assists, sixth in the country and 3.33 per game . . . Three other Great Danes have point totals in the 40s: Jakob Patterson (41-6—47), Kyle McClancy (29-18—47), and Sean Eccles (31-14—45) . . . J.D. Colarusso is 16-2 in 18 starts in net with a 7.63 goals against average (third in the country), a 57.4 save percentage (sixth), and 9.67 saves per game.
DIVISION 2
MERRIMACK
Record: 17-1.
Path to the final: Shellacked NYIT, 24-6, in the first round; defeated Seton Hall, 16-9, in the semifinals.
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Briefly: En route to its second consecutive national title game appearance, the Warriors set a program record for wins in a season with 17, and have won 13 straight, also a program record . . . The Warriors, aiming for the program’s first national title, have won 29 straight contests when scoring 10 or more goals . . . To advance to the final, Merrimack held Seton Hall, Division 2’s highest-scoring offense at 16.42 goals per game, to just nine . . . Sean Black, a freshman, is the first Warrior since 2006 to reach the 90-point mark, tallying 37 goals and 54 assists. His 54 assists lead Division 2 . . . Two other offensive weapons reached the 70-point mark: Charlie Bertrand (58-17—75) and Christian Thomas (32-38—70) . . . Peter Brown is 15-1 in 16 appearances in net, with a 6.71 goals against average (third in Division 2), a 49.7 save percentage (50th), and 5.56 saves per game.
SAINT LEO
Record: 16-2. Path to the final: Got by Tampa, 12-11, in the first round; edged Lenoir-Rhyne, 12-11, in the semifinals.
Briefly: The win over Tampa in the quarterfinals was the program’s first Division 2 postseason win ever . . . The Lions are ninth in Division 2 in goals per game (14.06) and 23rd in goals allowed per game (9.22) . . . While Jake Gilmour leads the squad in points (36-39—75), Kyle Pauwels has tallied the most goals (54) and Charlie Kurtenbach has contributed a healthy line of 39-29—68 . . . Goalie Thomas Tatarian is 16-2 in 18 starts for the Lions with a 9.24 goals against average (20th in Division 2), a 60.4 save percentage (fourth), and 13.83 saves per game (tied sixth).
DIVISION 3
WESLEYAN (CONN.)
Record: 18-3.
Path to the final: Defeated SUNY Cortland, 16-12, in the second round; beat Cabrini, 12-7, in the third round; got by Tufts, 12-11, in the quarterfinals; edged RIT, 19-18, in the semifinals.
Briefly: This is the first national championship appearance for the Cardinals, earned by scoring a season-high 19 goals and upsetting No. 1 RIT, Division 3’s third-highest scoring team, in the semis . . . They also knocked off the No. 2 team, Tufts, notching a game-winning goal with 20 seconds left to win the quarterfinals . . . Carter Hawthorne leads the Cardinals in points (85), having scored 24 goals to go along with 65 assists, third-most in Division 3 . . . Ronan Jacoby has scored a team-high 66 goals (T-7 in Division 3) and tallied 14 assists . . . Harry Stanton isn’t far behind with his 58 goals . . . Otto Bohan is 16-2 in 18 starts in net, recording a 8.74 goals-against average (56th in D3), a 53.7 save percentage (92nd), and 10 saves per game.
SALISBURY
Record: 20-3.
Path to the final: Defeated Morrisville State, 19-5, in the second round; got by Christopher Newport, 12-11, in the third round; beat Dickinson, 9-7, in the quarterfinals; edged Gettysburg, 8-7, in the semifinals.
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Briefly: In the national title game for the 18th time, the Sea Gulls are back to defend their title from last year after notching the game-winning score in the semis with four minutes left and Brandon Warren coming up with a save of the potentially game-tying goal with 20 seconds remaining . . . Salisbury ranks 13th in goals per game (13.96) and 23rd in goals allowed per game (7.17) . . . Warren is 17-1 in 18 starts in net this season with a 6.42 goals against average (fourth in D3), a 53.8 save percentage (91st), and 6.33 saves per game . . . Corey Gwin is the Sea Gulls’ points leader (66) and leading scorer (47) . . . Pierre Armstrong has strung together a healthy line of 24-36—60 while four other players have broken the 40-point barrier for the season: Josh Melton (23-34—57), Griffin Moroney (46-11—57), Zach Pompea (32-20—52), and Garrett Reynolds (38-5—43).
