The venue may be new to the sport, but this afternoon?s NCAA men?s lacrosse national final is decidedly old school.
When the final buzzer sounds, fifth-seeded Johns Hopkins or third-seeded Syracuse will add a national-record 10th crown to their already full trophy cases. The lacrosse powers, which will play at 1 p.m. at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., have each won nine titles, but Syracuse?s 1990 championship was vacated because of NCAA violations.
Johns Hopkins (11-5) is out to win its second straight NCAA title and third in four years followingthe Blue Jays? stunning 10-9 victory against top-seeded Duke (18-1) in the semifinals on Saturday. The Blue Jays also are out to avenge a 14-13 overtime loss to Syracuse on March 15.
“Syracuse is a great team with a dynamic offense and we know we?ll be in for a tough game,” said senior attacker Kevin Huntley, who scored four goals against Duke to give him 32 for the season. “We?re two great lacrosse programs and I can?t wait to get out there and play in front of that crowd.”
But clutch performances on the national stage is nothing new for Huntley, who had three goals ? highlighted by the eventual game-winner ? in last year?s championship game against Duke.
“I?m not trying to sound overconfident, but I know what to expect having been here twice before,” Huntley, a former standout at Calvert Hall, said. “Those experiences have taught me how to prepare and how to deal with all of the distractions involved in playing in such a big game.”
As for Syracuse, it is back in the championship game a year after going 5-8 and missing the postseason for the first time since 1982 and posting its first losing season since 1975. Syracuse last won the title in 2004 when it defeated Navy, 14-13. The Orange (15-2) advanced to this afternoon?s game on ESPN with a 12-11 double-overtime against Virginia (14-4) on Saturday. Senior attack Mike Leveille led the Orange with a game-high seven points on five goals and two assists, and freshman goalie John Galloway had nine saves.
Leveille, who has 48 goals and 32 assists, said his team used last season as motivation to prove it still is one of the premier programs in the country.
“Right from the start of last summer we kept that in the back of our minds,” Leveille told reporters. “This is the point we wanted to be at. It took a lot of hard work, focus, and having the right attitude. This year our team really came together as a unit and with everybody with the same mindset ? that?s led to our success.”
Johns Hopkins and Syracuse have played each other in the title game four times, with each team winning twice. The Orange earned one-goal victories in 1983 and 1989, with Johns Hopkins prevailing 13-10 in 1984 and 11-4 in 1985.
“We have great respect for Syracuse and their tradition,” Hopkins coach Dave Pietramala said. “It?s no surprise to us that they were able to win [against Virginia].”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
