2009 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship

2009 NCAA Division I Men's
Lacrosse Championship
Dates May 9–25, 2009
Teams 16
Finals site Gillette Stadium
Foxborough, MA
Champions Syracuse (10th title)
Runner-up Cornell
MOP Kenny Nims, Syracuse
Attendance[1] 36,594 semi-finals
41,935 finals
78,529 total
NCAA Division I Men's Championships
«2008 2010»

The 2009 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Tournament was held from May 9 through May 25, 2009. This was the 39th annual Division I NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship tournament. Sixteen NCAA Division I college men's lacrosse teams met after having played their way through a regular season, and for some, a conference tournament, to play in the NCAA Tournament.

Overview

The first round of the tournament was played on May 9 and 10 at the home fields of the seeded teams. The quarterfinals were held on May 16 and 17th on neutral site fields at Hofstra University (James M. Shuart Stadium) and the United States Naval Academy (Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium). The tournament culminated with the semifinals and final held on Memorial Day weekend at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.[2] The tournament was won by Syracuse University who defeated Cornell University, 10–9, in overtime in front of 41,935 fans.[3]

Qualifying teams

The NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Committee selected the participating teams for the championship tournament. The committee announced the qualifying teams and the seeding order on Sunday, May 3, 2009. Seven conferences received automatic bids for their top team. The remaining nine teams were selected by the committee as "at-large" bids.[4]

Five conferences held tournament championships, which also determined their NCAA bids. Siena earned an automatic bid by winning the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) championship for both their first conference title and first NCAA tournament appearance.[5] Villanova earned an automatic bid by winning Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) championship and also made its NCAA tournament debut.[6] Navy earned an automatic bid by winning its fifth Patriot League championship in six years.[7] Both Notre Dame and UMBC repeated as conference champions by winning the Great Western Lacrosse League (GWLL) and America East Conference, respectively.[8][9]

Two conferences awarded their bids based on regular season performance. UMass earned the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) championship and its automatic with a 6–1 conference record.[10] The Ivy League awarded its automatic bid to Cornell. Princeton and Cornell possessed identical conference records and were named co-champions. The head-to-head regular season game, which Cornell had won, acted as the tie-breaking criterion.[11]

The remaining nine berths were awarded to at-large teams. Duke won the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) tournament for the third straight season,[12] but the league does not receive an automatic bid because it does not have at least six members.[13][14] Nevertheless, all four ACC teams received at-large bids: Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, and Virginia.[13] Additionally, the NCAA Selection Committee awarded at-large bids to: independents Johns Hopkins and Syracuse, Brown and Princeton of the Ivy League, and Hofstra of the CAA.[4][11]

Tournament bracket

First Round
May 9–10[15] 		Quarterfinals
May 16–17[15] 		Semifinals
May 23 		Final
May 25
            
1 Virginia 18
  Villanova 6
1 Virginia 19
8 Johns Hopkins 8
  Brown 11
8 Johns Hopkins 12 *
1 Virginia 6
5 Cornell 15
5 Cornell 11
  Hofstra 8
5 Cornell 6
4 Princeton 4
  Massachusetts 7
4 Princeton 10
5 Cornell 9
2 Syracuse 10*
3 Duke 14
  Navy 5
3 Duke 12
6 North Carolina 11
  UMBC 13
6 North Carolina 15
3 Duke 7
2 Syracuse 17
7 Notre Dame 3
  Maryland 7
  Maryland 6
2 Syracuse 11
  Siena 4
2 Syracuse 11

Game summaries

First round

The 1st round of the tournament, seven of the eight seeded teams advanced. Every past NCAA tournament had been won by seven of the eight teams that advanced to the quarterfinals, with Duke being the only one to have never won a national title, up to this tournament.[16] For the first time, all four Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) teams advanced to the second round. It was just the second time in tournament history that four teams from the same conference advanced. The first instance occurred in 1990 with Brown, Harvard, Princeton, and Yale of the Ivy League.[17]

The tournament began on Saturday, May 9, when the Brown Bears traveled to face the eighth-seeded Johns Hopkins Blue Jays at Homewood Field in Baltimore. The Blue Jays pulled away to three-goal leads in the first and final quarters, but the Bears equalized both times. In the final ten seconds of regulation, Brown attackman Kyle Hollingsworth batted in a loose ball to even the score, 11–11. In overtime, Hopkins won the faceoff and called a timeout, before Brian Christopher drove up the right side of the field and made a game-winning top-corner shot on the run. It was the third overtime goal by Christopher in Hopkins' past four games.[18]

UMBC then played at number-six seed North Carolina. The UMBC Retrievers possessed the most efficient extra-man offense (EMO) and the best-rated midfield in the nation. Their roster, however, lacked depth, and the first-string midfielders were forced to play in the 90 °F (32 °C) heat for almost the entire game. At halftime, the Retrievers led the Tar Heels, 8–6. The lead changed hands several times in the third period, before North Carolina took control for the remainder of the game to win, 15–13. Tar Heels attackman Billy Bitter, who attempted only nine shots, matched the school single-game record with eight goals.[19]

Hofstra played at fifth-seeded Cornell, where the teams were even at halftime, 5–5. The third period was the decisive quarter, and Cornell won three face-offs and outscored Hofstra five-to-one.[20] In Durham, third-seeded Duke hosted Navy. At halftime, the Blue Devils led 10–0 and expanded the rout to 13–1 at the start of the final period. Duke advanced with a final score of 14–5.[21]

The second day of the tournament began with the Maryland Terrapins facing the seventh-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish at home in South Bend, Indiana. The Fighting Irish entered the game in possession of a perfect 15–0 record, but still considered an unknown variable due to their schedule.[22] The magazine Inside Lacrosse called the Terrapins a talented team that had underachieved during the regular season.[23] The first-ranked Notre Dame defense frustrated Maryland, but the Terps still managed to gain a 6–1 lead in the third quarter. Maryland's defense effectively shut-down Notre Dame and the leading Irish scorer Ryan Hoff was unable to make a single shot on goal.[24][25] Maryland was the only unseeded team to advance to the quarterfinals.[15]

Both schools making their inaugural NCAA tournament appearance suffered quick elimination. The Villanova Wildcats were trounced by the Virginia Cavaliers, 18–6. The Cavaliers were led by Brian Carroll's career-high five goal performance.[26] The Siena Saints were held scoreless for nearly 42 minutes in their loss to the Syracuse Orange, 11–4.[27] Onondaga Community College transfer Cody Jamieson, who had just been cleared academically, scored three goals in his first start for the Orange.[28]

At Princeton University, the Tigers defeated the visiting UMass Minutemen, 10–7. Princeton was led by Mark Kovler's six-point effort. The game was the final in the collegiate career of Minutemen goalkeeper Doc Schneider who led his team to the 2006 championship game as a freshman. His opposite number, Princeton's Tyler Fiorito, became just the second freshman goalkeeper to start an NCAA tournament game for the Tigers.[29]

Quarterfinals

Duke and North Carolina met twice earlier in 2009, including during the ACC championship (pictured).

The quarterfinals took place over the weekend of May 16 to 17 at two neutral sites. The first doubleheader was sponsored on Saturday by Hofstra University, followed by games held at the United States Naval Academy on Sunday. Despite overcast weather at both locations, it was the first time that each NCAA quarterfinals venue attracted in excess of 11,000 spectators.[30]

The second round opened at Hofstra's James M. Shuart Stadium with the Maryland–Syracuse match-up. Al Cavalieri filled in as the Orange goalkeeper for long-time starter John Galloway who was sick with the flu. Syracuse scored three unanswered goals in the first quarter before Maryland goalie Brian Phipps suffered an ACL tear. Terrapins midfielder Grant Catalino narrowed the deficit to 5–3 before halftime on an extra-man score. In the second half, Syracuse made defensive adjustments to shut down Maryland's behind-the-goal attack,[31] and the Orange tallied three times in the span of 2:10 to pull away in the third quarter. Syracuse won, 11–6, and extended its postseason streak against Maryland to five.[32]

Ivy League rivals Cornell and Princeton then had their 70th meeting, but first in the NCAA tournament.[33] Earlier in the postseason, the Big Red defeated the Tigers to split the Ivy League championship.[34] Three Princeton shots hit the post in the first half of the second quarter, and Cornell entered halftime with a 5–1 advantage. In the third quarter, Tigers attackman Tommy Davis ended their 27:58 scoring drought with a 15-yard shot. Princeton quickly tallied again with 28 seconds in the period. In the final quarter, the Big Red withstood two penalties to win, 6–4.[35]

The second day of the quarterfinals took place at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland. The first game featured top-ranked Virginia and Johns Hopkins.[36] The Cavaliers dominated the Blue Jays, 19–8, in their worst postseason defeat in school history.[37] Shamel Bratton of Virginia scored a career-high five goals. The victory marked the 300th of head coach Dom Starsia's career, and he became the third coach in Division I lacrosse history to win as many games. Virginia advanced to their fourth Final Four appearance in five seasons.[36] With the quarterfinals elimination of both Maryland and Johns Hopkins, 2009 became only the third time since the NCAA tournament began that no team from the state participated in the Final Four.[38]

The final game of the round featured intrastate rivals Duke and North Carolina in their third meeting of the season.[39] In the first quarter, the Blue Devils jumped out to an early lead and survived a two-man-down penalty, but the Tar Heels scored four unanswered goals to briefly take the lead in the second quarter. Late in the final period, North Carolina rallied from a four-point deficit to trail by one goal, 12–11. As time expired, a shot by Sean Delaney missed high over the goal, and Duke defeated North Carolina for the third time of the year. The Blue Devils' Zach Howell scored a career-high three goals and Tewaaraton Trophy finalist Ned Crotty tallied twice and had six assists.[40] The Duke defense held Carolina's leading scorer, Billy Bitter, to just two assists.[41]

Semifinals

Syracuse vs. Duke

1 2 3 4 Total
Syracuse 4 4 6 3 17
Duke 2 2 2 1 7

Syracuse met Duke for the first game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, which was attended by 36,594 fans, a decrease from the previous year's 48,224.[42] Nine Orange players scored in a rout of the Blue Devils, 17–7, which demonstrated the depth of the Syracuse offense.[43] It was the most goals allowed by Duke all season.[42] Seniors Kenny Nims and Patrick Perritt led the Orange with four goals each. Freshman Tim Desko, son of head coach John Desko, and heralded transfer Cody Jamieson each tallied twice. The Orange dominated the faceoff circle and won 18 of 28 draws. To open the third quarter, senior Jake Moulton won the opening faceoff and scored nine seconds into the half.[44] With the victory, the Orange advanced to the championship game for the seventh time since 1999.[45]

Cornell vs. Virginia

1 2 3 4 Total
Cornell 4 4 3 4 15
Virginia 1 1 2 2 6

In the second game of the day, fifth-seeded Cornell upset first-ranked Virginia. The Big Red upset the Cavaliers decisively, 15–6, and advanced to the championship game for the first time in over two decades.[46] Cornell controlled the game from the start, and accounted for the game's first three tallies and entered halftime with an 8–2 advantage.[46] Big Red freshman Rob Pannell, junior Ryan Hurley, and senior Chris Finn each scored three times. The Cornell defense created 18 turnovers and stymied Virginia's high-powered attack.[47] Commenting on the upset, Cornell head coach Jeff Tambroni said, "We knew we weren't going to have a whole lot of believers out there. We needed to play hard first and believe second."[42]

Championship

Syracuse vs. Cornell

1 2 3 4OT Total
Syracuse 2 2 1 41 10
Cornell 3 3 1 20 9

The final game was also held at Gillette Stadium and took place on Memorial Day, May 25. Cornell controlled the tempo of the game for the first 56 minutes and frustrated Syracuse with a tough defense. Late in the fourth quarter, the Big Red led, 9–6, before Syracuse's Stephen Keogh and Cody Jamieson narrowed the deficit to one goal with 2:46 remaining. Keogh attempted another shot but missed, and Cornell took possession with 27.6 seconds left to play. The Orange's Kenny Nims then dislodged the ball from Matt Moyer, and Keogh recovered possession. He took a wild shot, which was caught by Syracuse's Matt Abbott. As he was flattened by Cornell defenders, Abbott got off a pass to Nims, who had run from midfield to the very edge of the crease. Nims connected with his shot on goal to send the game into overtime.[48] Cornell won the overtime faceoff, but Syracuse defenseman Sid Smith stripped Ryan Hurley to create a turnover. Dan Hardy feigned a shot before passing to Jamieson, positioned just beyond the crease, who scored the game-winner.[48][49][50]

Post-tournament honors

After the championship, Cornell midfielder Max Seibald was honored with the Tewaaraton Trophy for the most outstanding Division I men's lacrosse player.[51] Syracuse attackman Kenny Nims was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.[52] The NCAA named its "All-Tournament Team" following the championship game, which consisted of five players each from Syracuse and Cornell. The following individuals made up that team:[53]

Player Position School Class
Matt Abbott Midfielder Syracuse Senior
John Glynn Midfielder Cornell Senior
Ryan Hurley Attackman Cornell Junior
Cody Jamieson Attackman Syracuse Junior
Matt Moyer Defenseman Cornell Senior
Kenny Nims Attackman Syracuse Senior
Rob Pannell Attackman Cornell Freshman
Pat Perritt Midfielder Syracuse Senior
Max Seibald Midfielder Cornell Senior
Joel White Longstick Midfielder Syracuse Sophomore

Record by conference

Conference
 Bids
 Record
 Win %
 Quarterfinals
 Semifinals
 Final
 Champions
Atlantic Coast Conference 4 6–4.60042––
Ivy League 3 4–3.571211–
Independent 2 5–1.8332111
Colonial Athletic Association 2 0–2.000––––
America East Conference 1 0–1.000––––
Eastern College Athletic Conference 1 0–1.000––––
Great Western Lacrosse League 1 0–1.000––––
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference 1 0–1.000––––
Patriot League 1 0–1.000––––

References

  1. ↑ http://www.laxpower.com/mobile/view_news.php?id=35712
  2. ↑ 2009 lacrosse finals to be played at Gillette Stadium, ESPN, January 18, 2008.
  3. ↑ Syracuse 10, Cornell 9 (OT), Syracuse University, May 25, 2009. Accessed 2009-06-07. Archived 2009-08-01.
  4. 1 2 The Roads To Foxborough Begin, National Collegiate Athletic Association, May 3, 2009.
  5. ↑ Siena Wins the 2009 MAAC Men’s Lacrosse Championship, Inside Lacrosse, May 3, 2009.
  6. ↑ Villanova, Hofstra To Represent CAA In 2009 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championships, Colonial Athletic Association, May 3, 2009.
  7. ↑ Navy Men's Lacrosse Will Open 2009 NCAA Tournament At Third-Seeded Duke, Patriot League, May 3, 2009.
  8. ↑ Men's Lacrosse: Notre Dame Wins GWLL Title, Inside Lacrosse, May 3, 2009.
  9. ↑ UMBC Repeats as Men's Lacrosse Champions, America East Conference, May 2, 2009.
  10. ↑ No. 15 UMass Captures ECAC Crown, NCAA Tourney Berth In 11–10 OT Win At Rutgers, Eastern College Athletic Conference, May 2, 2009.
  11. 1 2 Ivy Men's Lax Earn Three NCAA Bids, Ivy League, May 4, 2009.
  12. ↑ Duke Captures Third Straight ACC Men's Lacrosse Crown, Atlantic Coast Conference, April 26, 2009.
  13. 1 2 All Four ACC Teams Earn Bids to the 2009 NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship, Atlantic Coast Conference, May 3, 2009.
  14. ↑ John Driscoll, Terps look to continue surprising season in ACC tournament, ESPN, April 25, 2008.
  15. 1 2 3 2009 Division I Men's Lacrosse Bracket (PDF), National Collegiate Athletic Association, May 4, 2009. Accessed 2009-06-07. Archived 2009-08-01.
  16. ↑ A weekend for the bluebloods, The Washington Times, May 10, 2009.
  17. ↑ ACC leads lacrosse conference call, The Washington Times, May 14, 2009. Accessed 2009-06-07. Archived 2009-08-01.
  18. ↑ Warrior May Madness: In-Game Blog - Brown at No. 8 Johns Hopkins, Inside Lacrosse, May 9, 2009. Accessed 2009-06-07. Archived 2009-08-01.
  19. ↑ Warrior May Madness: NCAA First Round In-Game Blog – UMBC at No. 6 North Carolina, Inside Lacrosse, May 9, 2009.
  20. ↑ Warrior May Madness: NCAA First Round In-Game Final – Cornell 11, Hofstra 8, Inside Lacrosse, May 9, 2009. Accessed 2009-06-07. Archived 2009-08-01.
  21. ↑ Warrior May Madness: NCAA First Round In-Game Blog: Navy at No. 3 Duke, Inside Lacrosse, May 9, 2009.
  22. ↑ Maryland moves along, The Washington Times, May 10, 2009. Accessed 2009-06-07. Archived 2009-08-01.
  23. ↑ Warrior May Madness: Superlatives from the first round of the NCAA lacrosse tournament, Inside Lacrosse, May 11, 2009. Accessed 2009-06-07. Archived 2009-08-01.
  24. ↑ Warrior May Madness: NCAA First Round In-Game Blog: Maryland 7, Notre Dame 3, Inside Lacrosse, May 10, 2009.
  25. ↑ Maryland's defense dominates Notre Dame in 7–3 win, Inside Lacrosse, May 10, 2009.
  26. ↑ Virginia routs Villanova, 18–6, Inside Lacrosse, May 10, 2009.
  27. ↑ Syracuse stifles Siena, 11–4, Inside Lacrosse, May 11, 2009.
  28. ↑ Conor Orr, Off and running: Syracuse men's lacrosse advances to second round of NCAA tournament with win over Siena, The Daily Orange, May 10, 2009.
  29. ↑ Kovler leads Princeton past Massachusetts, 10–7, Inside Lacrosse, May 10, 2009.
  30. ↑ Quarters for your thoughts, The Washington Times, May 18, 2009. Accessed 2009-06-07. Archived 2009-08-01.
  31. ↑ Postscript from Maryland vs. Syracuse, The Baltimore Sun, May 17, 2009. Accessed 2009-06-07. Archived 2009-08-01.
  32. ↑ Syracuse Advances to Semifinals With 11–6 Victory Over Maryland, Inside Lacrosse, May 16, 2009.
  33. ↑ "New wrinkle in the Cornell Princeton lacrosse rivalry", The Ithaca Journal, May 16, 2009.
  34. ↑ Cornell men defeat Princeton, head to NCAA final four, The Baltimore Sun, May 17, 2009. Accessed 2009-06-07. Archived 2009-08-01.
  35. ↑ Cornell Wins Defensive Struggle Against Princeton, Advances to Final Four, Inside Lacrosse, May 16, 2009.
  36. 1 2 Virginia beats Johns Hopkins 19–8 in NCAA Quarterfinals, Inside Lacrosse, May 17, 2009.
  37. ↑ Final: Virginia 19, Hopkins 8, The Washington Times, May 17, 2009. Accessed 2009-06-07. Archived 2009-08-01.
  38. ↑ Where art thou, Maryland?, The Baltimore Sun, May 18, 2009.
  39. ↑ ACC Insider: Duke-UNC rivalry hardly lax during basketball offseason, The Wilmington Star-News, May 15, 2009.
  40. ↑ Duke lacrosse ousts UNC, The News & Observer, May 18, 2009. Accessed 2009-06-07. Archived 2009-08-01.
  41. ↑ Duke edges North Carolina to return to Final Four, Inside Lacrosse, May 17, 2009.
  42. 1 2 3 Big Upset Makes It an Upstate New York Final, The New York Times, May 23, 2009.
  43. ↑ A Traditional Power, Syracuse Adds a New Twist, The New York Times, May 24, 2009.
  44. ↑ No. 1 Syracuse Cruises Past No. 3 Duke in NCAA Semifinal, Lax Power, May 23, 2009.
  45. ↑ Syracuse routs Duke to reach championship game, The Baltimore Sun, May 24, 2009.
  46. 1 2 Big Red stuns Cavs, The Baltimore Sun, May 24, 2009.
  47. ↑ #7 Cornell Upends Top-Seeded Virginia to Reach Title Game, Lax Power, May 23, 2009.
  48. 1 2 Syracuse title has storybook ending, ESPN, May 25, 2009.
  49. ↑ Warrior May Madness: In-Game Blog – NCAA Championship Game, Syracuse vs Cornell, Inside Lacrosse, May 25, 2009. Accessed 2009-06-07. Archived 2009-08-01.
  50. ↑ With a Late Rally, Syracuse Defends Its Title, The New York Times, May 26, 2009.
  51. ↑ Cornell's Seibald wins the Tewaaraton, The Baltimore Sun, May 29, 2009. Accessed 2009-06-07. Archived 2009-08-01.
  52. ↑ Experiencing the lacrosse championship, ESPN, May 25, 2009.
  53. ↑ NCAA All-Tournament Team for men’s lacrosse, Inside Lacrosse, May 25, 2009.
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