2017 NCAA Lacrosse Championships at Gillette Stadium this weekend

May 30, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Maryland Terrapins midfielder Henry West (38) shoots against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
May 30, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Maryland Terrapins midfielder Henry West (38) shoots against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Looking to root for a New England team as the 2017 NCAA Lacrosse Championships will be played at Gillette Stadium this weekend? Boston College and Merrimack will both be playing.

If you don’t already have Memorial Day weekend plans, I suggest you head to Gillette Stadium on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday for the 2017 NCAA Lacrosse Championships. I’ve gone to these events in the past, and they are amazing.

On Saturday, the Division I semifinals will be played as Ohio State takes on Towson and Maryland takes on Denver. The women’s Division I, men’s Division II, and men’s Division III finals are all on Sunday. Boston College women will be playing in that final. Merrimack will be playing in the Division II final as well, so New England is well represented.

I’m sure avid lacrosse fan Bill Belichick will be there watching some of the games.

Gillette Stadium Lacrosse History

Gillette Stadium has hosted the NCAA Lacrosse Championship on Memorial Day weekend three times before. As a high school player I was lucky enough to attend twice, in 2008 and 2009. Both times, the games were spectacular.

In the 2008 semifinals Johns Hopkins defeated Duke 10-9 while Syracuse beat Virginia 12-11 in overtime. For those that don’t know, OT in lacrosse is sudden death so the intensity really revs up. On Monday Syracuse took down Johns Hopkins 13-10.

In 2009 I only attended the championship game, but it may be one of the best in the tournaments history. Over 41,000 fans attended that game, and the atmosphere was electric. Syracuse was in the final once again and they were staring down an upstart Cornell team. Each had blown past their opponent in the semifinals, and it was like two Mack trucks heading right at eachother.

Cornell led 9-6 in a defensive battle late into the 4th quarter, but that’s when Syracuse turned it on. Two quick goals made it a one goal game. Cornell then took possesion with just over 27 seconds remaining. Syracuse’s Kenny Nims forced a turnover, and Stephen Keogh recovered. He took a crazy, wild shot, but it was caught by his own teammate Matt Abbott. Abbott was immediately hit by Cornell defenders but passed as he was going down. Nims put the ball in the back of the net to tie the game and Gillette Stadium went crazy, like the noise from a Patriots playoff game.

The game went to overtime but not for long. Cornell won the faceoff, but the Orange forced a turnover and scored just seconds into the extra frame. Syracuse had won back-to-back NCAA Lacrosse titles.

In 2012 Gillette played host once again. Loyola took down Maryland 9-3 in the championship.

The tournament will conclude in Foxboro again in 2018.

Saturday 12:00 PM Division I Semifinal: Ohio State vs. Towson

Ohio State and Towson are both up and coming programs in the lacrosse world. The Buckeyes are ranked #3 and are 15-4. They have defeated Loyola and Duke to reach the final weekend of play. Towson is unranked at 12-4, but they defeated Penn State and Syracuse to get here.

Earlier in the season these two teams met, with Ohio State earning a 6-3 win. OSU is in their first ever semifinal, while Towson is here for the third time.

All signs point towards a low scoring game in this one.

Saturday 2:30 PM Division I Semifinal: Maryland vs. Denver

Top-ranked Maryland will look to get back to the championship game once again. This is their fourth straight trip to the final four and sixth in seven years, but they haven’t won a title in 42 years. The 14-3 Terrapins will look to take down the 13-3 Denver Pioneers.

Maryland defeated Bryant and Albany in the tournament. Denver has taken down Air Force and Notre Dame.

Both teams are used to playing on the final weekend, and the winner here will likely take home the championship trophy on Monday.

Sunday 11:00 AM Division I Women’s Championship: Boston College vs. Maryland

Maryland is undefeated and Boston College will be an extreme underdog here. This is the Terps’ ninth straight trip to the final four, as they try to win the program’s 13th national title. Over those nine seasons, they’ve won the title in 2010, 2014 and 2015.

BC set a school record with 16 wins, but they won’t have the firepower to take down this experience Amryland squad.

Sunday 2:00 PM Division II Championship: Merrimack vs. Limestone

#1 Limestone and #3 Merrimack will square off in what should be a close game. Both teams can score, so defense could be the difference maker. Merrimack, though they’ve lost 2 more games than Limestone this season, seems to have the stronger D.

Root for the local guys from North Andover in this one!

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Sunday 5:00 PM Division III Championship: RIT vs. Salisbury

RIT and Salisbury are both ranked #1 in their region, so this is not a surprising final. They’ve both played just one close game in the tournament, and have blown past their three other opponents.

No telling how this one goes, but I’m taking Salisbury due to their coach, Jim Berkman, being in his 29th season with the team.

Monday 1:00 PM Division I Championship: Ohio State/Towson vs. Maryland/Denver

Of course this matchup will be decided on Saturday, so not much to preview yet. If you choose to go to only one day of lacrosse this weekend, go on Monday. The Division I championship game is always a blast!

Predictions

Men’s D1 Semifinal: Towson over Ohio State, 11-7

Men’s D1 Semifinal: Maryland over Denver, 13-12

This will set up an all-Maryland final with Maryland and Towson.

Women’s D1 Championship: Maryland over Boston College, 21-14

Men’s D2 Championship: Merrimack over Limestone, 9-6

Men’s D3 Championship: Salisbury over Limestone, 18-15

Next: Should the Patriots trade Nate Solder?

Men’s D1 Championship: Maryland over Towson, 14-9

Maryland will sweep both the men’s and women’s championships this year.