NCAA Lacrosse Tournament 2015: Semifinals Results and Championship Preview
It's rare that sporting events live up to the hype surrounding them. The semifinals for this year's NCAA lacrosse tournament certainly had momentum on its side with national powers Notre Dame, Denver and Maryland in action.
Joining the nationally ranked trio in Philadelphia is Johns Hopkins, which has won the NCAA championship nine times in the past and most recently in 2007.
All four teams took different paths to get here. Notre Dame and Maryland dominated their second-round matchups against Albany and North Carolina, respectively. Denver slid by Ohio State, while Johns Hopkins stunned second-ranked Syracuse.
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With so many storylines in play on Saturday, here's how things broke in the men's lacrosse Final Four:
| No. 1 Notre Dame vs. No. 4 Denver | Denver def. Notre Dame, 11-10 (OT) |
| No. 6 Maryland vs. Johns Hopkins | Maryland def. Johns Hopkins, 12-11 |
Final Four Recap
The Final Four was pure drama from beginning to end, with Denver surviving a furious Notre Dame comeback in the fourth quarter to win in overtime and secure a spot in the national title game. Maryland held on to survive against Johns Hopkins to secure its third title game appearance in the last five years.
Wesley Berg had three goals in the game for Denver, none bigger than the game-winner less than two minutes into the extra period.
The Canadian native also had a highlight-reel goal in the fourth quarter, picking up a loose ball in front of Notre Dame's goal and firing a shot behind his back that bounced into the net to give the Pioneers a 10-6 lead with just over four minutes to play.
Bruce Lerch of The Boston Herald tweeted that fans can expect to see Berg's dazzling fourth-quarter goal all over television:
That goal by Berg looked like it was the dagger in Notre Dame's season, but Sergio Perkovic went to work in the final minutes of regulation. The sophomore sensation had five goals in the fourth quarter, prompting ESPN's Anish Shroff to compare him with a Greek Titan:
With time winding down and Notre Dame trailing, 10-9, Nick Ossello tied the game with nine seconds left to force overtime. The Irish didn't get a chance to keep their offense rolling, as Matt Kavanagh turned the ball over thanks to an outstanding poke by Carson Cannon.
After Cannon's defensive effort, Berg took a pass from Tyler Berg in front of the Notre Dame net and fired a shot past Shane Doss. It's the second time Denver has defeated Notre Dame in overtime this season, though, there was a lot more at stake this time around.
The win also gives Denver its first appearance in the NCAA championship game after making it to the Final Four in three of the previous four years. Head coach Bill Tierney took over the Pioneers in 2009 after winning six national titles with Princeton.
Desmond M. Wallace of ESPN had high praise for Tierney after Denver's win:
It's hard to argue with the number of championships Tierney has won as well as how close he's had Denver to the promised land in the past. Now, the 62-year-old is one win away from capturing his seventh national championship and first since 2001.
In the second game, Maryland also had to fight off a fourth-quarter rally from Johns Hopkins to secure a win. The Terrapins were up, 10-7, with 15 minutes to play, but it took the Blue Jays just over three minutes to tie the game.
Ryan Brown got the equalizer for Johns Hopkins, his 61st goal of the season, and seemed to shift the momentum.
Maryland responded with two goals in the span of 2.5 minutes, both from Matt Rambo, to take a 12-10 lead. Per Lacrosse Magazine, Rambo's four goals set a new career-high, and he added two assists:
As time ticked off the clock, Johns Hopkins nearly had the game tied with an excellent opportunity in the final minute by Joel Tinney that was stopped by Kyle Bernlohr. The All-American goalie didn't have his best day, but he stepped up when Maryland needed him the most.
ESPN's Adam Amin appreciated Bernlohr's efforts even if he didn't completely understand all the rules of the game:
Both Denver and Maryland were tested to their limits on Saturday and responded exactly the way a championship team should. Now, the two will square off on Monday to determine which team will take home the big prize.
Championship Preview
Denver is in unfamiliar terrain, though, that's not going to intimidate this team. The Pioneers have been on the brink of playing for a title so many times recently that it feels appropriate they finally broke through.
There is always a learning curve that teams must go through before they can win a championship. Denver's has been a slow progression since Tierney took over, but that glass ceiling finally broke in fitting fashion against rival Notre Dame.
Tierney told The Associated Press (h/t The Boston Herald) that Denver's success since he arrived has been a surprise to him:
"It's been a whirlwind and I'm not sure I could've predicted this," said Tierney. "We've talked to our freshmen from the minute they walked in about winning a national championship. We don't skirt the issue."
Now that the Pioneers are here, they need to rely on Berg and Connor Cannizzaro. That duo has dominated on offense all year for Denver, recording 162 total points with 109 goals scored.
Offense has been the story for Denver throughout this tournament, averaging nearly 14 goals per game. Given how it's had defensive lapses—late against Notre Dame and allowing six goals in the first quarter against Ohio State—putting the pressure on Maryland through scoring is essential.
The Terrapins have been inconsistent on the offensive side, getting eight goals in the opener against Yale before exploding for 14 against North Carolina and 12 against Johns Hopkins.
Bernlohr will be their key to victory. He was only allowing seven goals per game in the tournament before Saturday, so that effort can be passed off as a weird blip on the radar. The junior star has to control Berg and Cannizzaro to keep Maryland in the game for Rambo, Joe LoCascio and Jay Carlson to put points on the board.
The difference will be which goalie steps up. Ryan Laplante didn't close the game against Notre Dame well, while Bernlohr found his All-American form when it mattered the most against Johns Hopkins.
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