NCAA Lacrosse Championship 2015: Denver vs. Maryland TV Info and Preview
A seismic clash is set for the 2015 NCAA men's lacrosse championship. No. 4 Denver and sixth-ranked Maryland will meet Monday in Baltimore for the right to be crowned national champions.
The Terrapins are searching for the program's third-ever national title, after dispatching Johns Hopkins 12-11 in Saturday's semifinal. They bring in an unfortunate history of shortcomings in the national title game but can begin to erase that with a third title Monday.
As for the fourth-ranked Pioneers, the fourth time has been the charm. After three straight defeats in the semifinals, Denver broke through for a title game appearance—but it doesn't expect to be done there.
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Let's take a look at everything to know for Denver vs. Maryland.
2015 NCAA Lacrosse Championship
Matchup: No. 4 Denver vs. No. 6 Maryland
Date and Time (ET): Monday, May 25 at 1 p.m.
TV: ESPN2
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Denver vs. Maryland Preview
When former Princeton head coach and winner of six national championships Bill Tierney became Denver's coach, the national title runs seemed to be following closely behind.
Three straight swings and misses in the semifinal could have downed the hopes of many programs, but not the Pioneers. They broke through in thrilling fashion Saturday when a fourth consecutive Final Four loss was on the horizon and are now one more victory away from the program's first national title.
Denver had its final spot seemingly wrapped up for most of Saturday's game against top-ranked Notre Dame, leading 10-6 midway through the final period. When the Fighting Irish battled back resiliently with six fourth-quarter goals to force overtime, the Pioneers didn't blink and won in the extra frame.
After getting over the hump and making it to Memorial Day, another tough feat will be asked of Denver. It will look to become the first team to win in its national title game debut since Tierney himself took Princeton to the pinnacle, as Patrick Stevens of D1scourse.com noted:
The Pioneers' opponent Monday certainly knows something about national title game shortcomings. The opposing Terrapins are making their 12th appearance in the final game but are searching for just their third win.
Recent history in Baltimore has been perhaps the most worrisome. They're in the Final Four for the fourth time in five years and have advanced to the title game now in three of them, but they are still looking for the program's first national title since 1975.
Maryland head coach John Tillman's arrival has been the key in Maryland returning to national prominence, but he couldn't deny he has a tough task ahead of him going against a legendary coach like Tierney. He said as much to Terry Foy of InsideLacrosse.com:
Tillman and the Terrapins have a tall task ahead of them in slowing down Tierney and Denver's high-octane offense. But if anyone has the formula to be able to do so, it's Maryland.
No team allowed fewer goals per game than the Terps. In fact, it wasn't even close—their 6.89 goals-against average average is more than half a goal less than any other team in Division I lacrosse.
While Denver doesn't have the same defensive edge, it puts goals in the net at a rate capable of blowing out almost anyone. The Pioneers rank fifth nationally with 13.94 goals per game.
These two sides have a knack for dominance on one particular end of the field, but that's to be expected between national finalists. What will decide who ends the game in celebration is which side can best execute its strength.
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