NCAA Lacrosse Championships

The NCAA Division I Lacrosse Championships is looking to be excellent this year. All four teams not only have outstanding players, but all have a formidable chance of winning. The number one seed, Syracuse, is in. So is the four seed Denver and the seventh seeded North Carolina. Rounding out the final four is the unseeded Cornell. The semifinals will take place on May 25th, and the national championship on the 27th. On the 26th, the Division II Championship between Mercyhurst and Le Moyne and the Division III Championship featuring Rochester Institute and Stevenson. The Division I semi's are Syracuse-Denver and Cornell-Duke.

Rob Pannell
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Cornell is my favorite to win it all. They have a lot of things going for them. Even though they were unranked in the tournament, they went 12-3 in the regular season. That did, however,  include a loss to fellow semi-finalist Syracuse. In the tournament, there has been no one better. In the first round against a good Maryland team, they won easily by the score of 16-8. Then, in the quarters, they destroyed the number three seeded Ohio State, 16-6. This should not be a surprise. Cornell has arguably the best player in the nation in Rob Pannell. Pannell, an attack, was an All-American in 2010 and 2011. He on track to return to the list in 2012, but had a season-ending injury in the second game of the season. This season, he has come back in a big way. Pannell's 42 goals, 53 assists, 95 points, and 5.59 points per game place him. His partner is fellow attacer Steve Mock. Mock has 59 goals on the season to lead the nation. In the game vs. Ohio State, the Big Red showed their power. Pannell has two goals and six assists, while Mock had seven goals. The Big Red have the most offensive firepower in the tournament and will lead them to victory. 

Syracuse may be the number one team in the tournament, but I would not be so confident about them winning the championship. Of the four teams left standing, their team offense is the only one outside of the top five. Their team defense is the best of the four, but not by much. They have had many close calls this season, and a few tough losses. They needed to dominate more to gain my confidence. They may be a good team, but they will have a very tough time in the semi's and, possibly the championship game.

Denver is a good team that always play very hard. Five of their games in the regular season went into overtime. In those games they are 3-2. Their offense is led by Attacker Eric Law and Midfielder Wesley Berg. Law has 40 goals and 25 assists on a .526 shooting percentage. Berg was the team's leading goal scorer and second leading scorer in the nation with 56 goals.  Denver played very tough competition in the first two rounds so far. They beat a very good offensive team in Albany, 19-14, and an always good North Carolina squad, 12-11. Their schedule will have them mentally prepared to take on Syracuse.

Jordan Wolf
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Duke is looking to redeem it's self after loosing in the final four last season to Maryland. They have one of the best player in the nation in Attacker Jordan Wolf. The junior has led the third best offensive team in the nation with 49 goals and 25 assists. He also averages 2.58 goals per game. It is not just Wolf on the offense. Josh Dionne, David Lawson, Case Matheis, Josh Offit, and Jake Tripecka all have 40+ points on the year. The Blue Devils ride to the semi's has not been easy. They faced defending champion Loyola (MD) and beat them 12-11 in double overtime. Then, they faced the number two seed Notre Dame and won 12-11.