Getting Ready for College Lacrosse's Biggest Weekend
Published: Thursday, June 6, 2024
by Kyle Ferreira
PHILADELPHIA – Memorial Day weekend in Philly is about to be fun.
Philadelphia has seemingly become the hotspot for lacrosse championships over the past couple of years, both professionally and collegiately.
This weekend’s NCAA Final Four should be another memorable one. The popularity and demand for college lacrosse skyrocketed following three excitingly close games last year. It became so big that one of Notre Dame’s players, Pat Kavanagh, appeared on "The Pat McAfee Show."
The Final Four includes familiar faces from lacrosse’s biggest weekend, like the reigning national champs, Notre Dame, Maryland, Virginia, and Denver. So, what does this weekend have in store?
Notre Dame vs. Denver
The Fighting Irish grabbed the attention of many casual fans last year. The Kavanagh brothers, Pat and Chris, are undeniably two of the best players in college lacrosse. With a generational first-round pick in the PLL Draft in goalie Liam Entenmann, another national championship is in sight.
However, the Big East representative, the Denver Pioneers, are not to be underestimated. In their first Final Four since 2017, the Pioneers are looking to bring back the trophy to the Rocky Mountains. The Big East Regular Season Champs have talent across the board, including Jimmy Freehill and Malcolm Kleban, and an upset could be brewing.
Still, Notre Dame should be able to prevail considering the amount of talent displayed on their roster. One interesting fact about these two teams is that both have freshmen who played locally at Seton Hall Prep in West Orange: Denver’s Brody Davis and Notre Dame’s Shawn Lyght.
Maryland vs. Virginia
Old ACC rivals and two of the top programs in the DMV? This is going to be a good one. Maryland has been questioned heavily by media pundits, who said they shouldn’t have been seeded highly in the tournament. John Tillman and his crew silenced the critics with big wins over Princeton and Duke in the first two rounds. Ajax Zappitello on defense was the Big Ten’s best and will be up to the challenge of taking on a loaded Virginia squad.
Speaking of the Cavaliers, this is a scary team. From Payton Cormier to Griffin Schultz to the second-best player in college, Connor Shellenberger, they are frightening. With goal-scorers all around this squad, Virginia can get back to the championship for the first time since 2021, when they won it.
So, when Saturday comes and goes, who ultimately advances to Memorial Day? Notre Dame likely gets back and battles for the championship again behind their amazing talent. Virginia and Maryland is a toss-up and could come down to whose game plan is better assembled and more effective.
With more offensive weapons, however, it should be Virginia that wins the game and heads to another all-ACC National Championship game. But when it's all said and done, Notre Dame likely goes back-to-back to continue its historic run.
kyle.ferreira@student.shu.edu