Syracuse, N.Y. -- The Syracuse women’s lacrosse team will open its NCAA Tournament by hosting Georgetown on Sunday. Syracuse (15-4) is the No. 5 seed in the tournament and earned a first-round bye. The Orange finished in a three-way tie for second place in the ACC regular-season standings with a 5-2 league mark. Georgetown (12-8) won the BIG EAST Tournament to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Hoyas defeated Penn 13-12 in double overtime on Friday to advance to the second round. Taylor Gebhardt (Baldwinsville) scored seven times for Georgetown, including the OT winner. SU’s Emily Hawryschuk ranks among the leading scorers in the nation, recording career highs in points (82), goals (65) and assists (17) this season. She was one of five members of the Orange to earn all-ACC honors. Hawryschuk was a first-team selection, while senior Nicole Levy, redshirt junior Mary Rahal, junior Kerry Defliese and freshman Sarah Cooper earned second-team honors. In addition, Cooper was voted the ACC freshman of the year. Sunday’s game will the 23rd all-time meeting between Syracuse and Georgetown. The Hoyas lead the all-time series, 14-8. Georgetown won the first 10 contests played between the two teams. Since that time, the Orange have come out on top in eight of the last 12 meetings, including the last four. The game starts at 3 p.m. at the SU soccer stadium. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for youth ages 18 and under and for students from participating institutions. Parking is free. The winner of Sunday’s game will take on the winner of the Northwestern-Notre Dame contest in next week’s quarterfinals.<doc-sep>Rich Barnes/Getty Images The 2019 NCAA men's lacrosse championship opened Saturday and continued into Sunday, with eight games spread across the weekend. Saturday didn't provide any surprises, with the four seeded teams moving on to the quarterfinals. The defending champion Yale Bulldogs are on track to retain their title following a 19-16 victory over the Georgetown Hoyas. The top-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions headline the teams in action Sunday. Penn State entered the tournament having lost just once, falling to Yale by one goal in February. Here's a look at the results from the week and a recap of Sunday's play. First-Round Results Saturday, May 11 No. 8 Loyola (Maryland) beats Syracuse, 15-13 Video Play Button Videos you might like No. 5 Yale beats Georgetown, 19-16 No. 4 Penn beats Army, 13-8 No. 3 Virginia beats Robert Morris, 19-10 Sunday, May 12 No. 1 Penn State beats UMBC, 25-10 Maryland beats No. 6 Towson, 14-13 (OT) No. 2 Duke beats Richmond, 12-11 No. 7 Notre Dame beats Johns Hopkins, 16-9 Quarterfinals Schedule Saturday, May 18 Maryland vs. No. 3 Virginia No. 7 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 Duke Sunday, May 19 No. 1 Penn State vs. No. 8 Loyola (Maryland) No. 5 Yale vs. No. 4 Penn Full tournament bracket is available on NCAA.com Sunday Results No. 1 Penn State 25, UMBC 10 The UMBC Retrievers men's basketball team made history in 2018, becoming the first No. 16 seed to upset a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. The men's lacrosse team couldn't pull off a similar upset Sunday. Penn State rolled to a 25-10 win, with Jack Kelly and Mac O'Keefe each scoring six goals. UMBC actually drew first blood as Ryan Frawley gave the Terriers a one-goal lead at the 13:11 mark of the first period. Cole Willard didn't let the fun last long as he answered back with an equalizer shortly thereafter, and Nick Spillane gave the Nittany Lions a 2-1 advantage with 3:12 off the clock. That was part of a four-goal unanswered streak by Penn State that helped the No. 1 seed grab control of the game. UMBC remained within striking distance after the first period, trailing 7-4. By the end of the second period, though, the Nittany Lions were up 15-6, all but wiping out the chance of a Terriers comeback. They coasted to the finish line by outscoring UMBC 10-4 in the second half. Maryland 14, No. 6 Towson 13 Maryland pulled off the first upset of the tournament and did so in dramatic fashion, beating sixth-seeded Towson in overtime. Jared Bernhardt tied the score at 13 with three seconds remaining in regulation, and Louis Dubick scored with 2:21 remaining in overtime to give the Terrapins the win. Maryland needed Bernhardt's heroics after throwing away a two-goal lead in the fourth period. Bubba Fairman put the team ahead 12-10 at the 5:31 mark. In just under four minutes, Towson not only tied the score but went ahead 13-12 with goals from Timmy Monahan, Brody McLean and Brendan Sunday. The Terps had little answer for McLean and Sunday, who finished with four goals apiece. Fairman and Logan Wisnauskas were the top offensive contributors for Maryland, each scoring three goals, but goalie Danny Dolan was the team's best performer. Dolan made 15 saves, including a pair of stops early in the fourth period when the Terrapins trailed 10-8. No. 2 Duke 12, Richmond 11 A late comeback by Richmond fell short as second-seeded Duke advanced to the quarterfinals with a 12-11 win. Heading into the final minute of the game, the Spiders trailed by three goals, 12-9. Tate Gallagher and Ryan Lee both scored to make it a one-goal game with 26 seconds left. The Blue Devils won the faceoff after Lee's goal, though, which allowed them to wind the clock down without Richmond getting a chance to complete its improbable turnaround. Richmond required a miracle after a roughly nine-minute stretch to close out the third period in which Duke turned a tie game into a 12-7 lead. Nakeie Montgomery bookended the offensive explosion, putting Duke ahead 8-7 and then beating Richmond goalie Jack Rusbuldt with 14 seconds on the clock. Montgomery had a hat trick, while Brad Smith, Joe Robertson, C.J. Carpenter and Joey Manown each scored twice for the Blue Devils. No. 7 Notre Dame 16, Johns Hopkins 9 Notre Dame jumped out to a 6-1 lead after the first period and didn't look back in a 16-9 win over Johns Hopkins. The Blue Jays likely thought an upset might be in store after Forry Smith put them ahead 1:01 into the game. However, Bryan Costabile responded 49 seconds later to tie the game, scoring the first of his three goals on the night. Connor Morin added a second for the Fighting Irish with 11:36 left in the period, kicking off a dominant first half. Notre Dame led by 10 goals after 30 minutes. Johns Hopkins was better in the second half but had far too high of a mountain to climb against one of the best teams in the country. Supplementing Costabile's hat trick, Morrison Mirer had a team-high four goals, while Quinn McCahon had one goal and three assists.<doc-sep>Tournament time is finally here! The Men’s Division I Tournament got started on Wednesday with UMBC defeating Marist, but the other 15 teams get started this weekend with the first round. All games are on ESPNU and each day of four games begins at noon. For some, it could be the final games of competitive lacrosse ever. For others, it’s a chance to extend their college lacrosse seasons and time with their teammates. While reading, check out our first round NCAA Tournament preview edition of the College Crossecast. SATURDAY GAMES Syracuse vs. #8 Loyola (Noon, ESPNU) How They Got Here Syracuse: After a 2-2 start to their season which included a stunning home loss to Colgate, the Orange have looked like a very good team in the college lacrosse landscape, especially on defense. Syracuse has limited the opposition to single-digit goal totals seven times, all of them wins. But their ACC Tournament run ended too early for the team after a late collapse to UNC to pretty much push them out of being a seed. This will be the first time since 2012 the Orange started the NCAA Tournament away from the Carrier Dome. Loyola: The Greyhounds have one of the best players in all of college lacrosse in Pat Spencer. The senior, who sounds like will play college basketball next season, has not been to Championship Weekend since he was a freshman. And that team got destroyed by North Carolina in Philadelphia. He looks to return back to Philly three years later and give the Greyhounds their second ever national title. Loyola hosted the Patriot League Tournament as the regular season champion yet again, but was upset by Army West Point in the semifinals. Players To Watch Syracuse: There will be the obvious in defenseman Nick Mellen who will more than likely be defending Spencer. But also on the other side of the ball in Stephen Rehfuss. He started the season banged up and ill and had one point in three total games. For the rest of the season, he finished with one point only once. He will be the initiator down low. Loyola: Again, the obvious is there in Spencer. The Mellen-Spencer matchup might be the best overall one-on-one matchup in the entire NCAA Tournament in just the second game. While Spencer can do it all, Kevin Lindley is the known finisher with a team-high 57 goals. He will not be afraid to shoot with a team-best 85 shots on goal. Freshmen To Watch Syracuse: It’s one of those years where the Orange don’t have a stellar freshman playing. The lone rookie that’s gotten time in all 13 games this season has been Griffin Cook who’s been a part of the second midfield and can also play attack. He’s got four goals and four assists. Could this be his breakout game? Loyola: Chase Scanlan has been a top three freshman this season with 40 goals on the year and a potential All-American. He’s already played against the best while with the Iroquois in Netanya at the FIL World Championships last summer, so the pressure shouldn’t be a problem for him. Keys To Victory Syracuse: Control Pat Spencer’s production, and even shut off Lindley. Perhaps you find a way to shut off one of Spencer’s main finishers and make him and others step up more, especially with a great goalie in the cage in Drake Porter. And not have another late collapse. Loyola: Force 50/50 ground balls on faceoffs against Syracuse’s double pole and limit production from the midfield. The top three for the Orange are good, but the bigger key is limiting Jacob Buttermore on the second unit. Georgetown vs. #5 Yale (2:30, ESPNU) How They Got Here Georgetown: Despite an 11-4 regular season record, the Hoyas had an unimpressive resume. Their best win was Villanova at home. Not to worry, because the Hoyas yet again won the Big East Tournament with wins over Providence and Denver for their second consecutive conference title. Similar to last season, the Hoyas are playing the #5 seed. A year ago, Georgetown built an 8-3 lead midway through the third quarter against Johns Hopkins only to fall 10-9 in overtime. Yale: The defending national champions have lost players such as Ben Reeves, Chris Keating, and Tyler Warner in the offseason. But the transfer of TD Ierlan from Albany has done wonders for the Bulldogs. Despite falling short of an Ivy League title again, Ierlan has given Yale a huge possession advantage which has mattered in games such as the early season win over Penn State. All three of their losses were by a goal, with two of them coming in overtime. Players To Watch Georgetown: A one-two duo of Daniel Bucaro and Jake Carraway bolster the attack. Both players have 53 goals with Carraway adding 30 assists and Bucaro recording 25. Lucas Wittenberg up top at midfield has been an underrated offensive player and set a school record eight assists in the team’s win over Providence in the Big East semifinals. Defensively, Gibson Smith and SSDM Patrick Aslanian are the only two Hoyas with over 25 caused turnovers. Yale: With Reeves gone, Jackson Morrill has been the quarterback of the offense with 36 goals and 40 assists. Last season, Yale’s players and coaches praised Morrill’s high lacrosse IQ on the field. Matt Gaudet is a threat at the crease with 40 goals, while Jack Tigh, Joey Sessa, and second liner Brian Tevlin give the midfield some punch. Despite Chris Fake having a down year compared to his freshman campaign, he’s still a top defenseman. But I also really like Aidan Hynes, who had limited time as a reserve last season after he went down with an injury. Freshmen To Watch Georgetown: Chris Brandau came into the Providence game relieving Owen McElroy and also started the Big East title game where he made 15 saves for the win. Along with Brandau, midfielder Declan McDermott and defenseman Alex Mazzone have been key contributors as starters, with Zachary Geddes being a nice compliment to the underrated Aslanian at short stick. Yale: Yale’s only freshman worth noting is Chris’ twin brother Matt Brandau, an attackman. He’s started only once this season despite being second on the team with 52 points. He will play a big part in an offense that’s second in the country in scoring on Saturday, and he should score against his brother. Just like good old times. Keys To Victory Georgetown: Since winning faceoffs will be hard, it won’t be that big of an issue. The Hoyas did that last season against Trevor Baptiste. Forcing ground balls on the draws will help, but playing solid defense against Yale’s extra possessions will turn Ierlan’s faceoff dominance into really nothing. On offense, get something going on midfield against Yale’s LSMs and SSDMs. Yale: Keep locks on Bucaro and Carraway. Similar to Penn State, Georgetown has other contributors that can aid in the overall offensive output. Jack Starr will have to play very well with a save percentage below 50%. Army West Point vs. #4 Penn (5 PM, ESPNU) How They Got Here Army West Point: Army finally got over the Patriot League Tournament struggles and defeated Loyola and Lehigh last weekend for their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2010 after a record-setting 13-win year. They allowed only five goals to the Greyhounds and seven two days later against the Mountain Hawks. A defense led by Johnny Surdick and AJ Barretto in goal has Army boasting the second best scoring defense in the country, allowing only 8.35 goals per game. Penn: On the other hand, Penn has the third highest scoring offense with 14.86 goals per game. After losing their first three games, the Quakers have won 11 straight, including their first Ivy League title since 2014. They swept the Ivy League and are led by a mixture of upper and underclassmen. Players To Watch Army West Point: The bread and butter is on defense with Surdick, Griffin Schultz, and Barretto. Surdick has 34 caused turnovers which is more than double second place on the Black Knights. He is easily capable of shutting off the opposition’s top threat at attack.<doc-sep>
Syracuse, N.Y -- Even historically great women’s college lacrosse programs have to re-focus on smaller steps to continue their success. That’s where the Syracuse women’s lacrosse team finds itself now, and it slogged through a driving rain to keep moving ahead on Sunday. Emily Hawryschuk scored five times to help fifth-seeded SU overpower Georgetown 14-8 in a damp NCAA Division I tournament second-round game at the SU Soccer Stadium. Megan Carney tallied three times Sam Swart added a pair for SU, which earned a first-round bye. The win was SU’s first in the tournament in three years after the program reached the final four five straight seasons prior to that. That means that juniors like Hawryschuk and goalie Asa Goldstock (eight saves) had yet to experience postseason success prior to Sunday. Syracuse’s No. 5 seed is its highest since reaching its last final four, in 2016. “This is the team that’s going to do it, going to the end. If we didn’t win this game, then it would have been a problem. So we’re going to take this and we’re going to run with it," Hawryschuk said. “Me and Emily came into this thing together. We’ve been good friends since we were kids,” Goldstock said. “I think that we both bring a lot of heart to our team. We want the best for our teammates. I think it’s been really hard for us these last three years being so close to getting that first win in the tourney. We knew that we could be better every single time. I think now we both feel like this is our time and we could do really well.” The Orange (16-4) will visit fourth-seeded Northwestern in quarterfinal game Saturday. SU topped the Wildcats 15-14 in OT earlier this season, with Hawryschuck contributing the game-winner. “It’s an opportunity for these kids to create history and create their own legacy for this team in particular and for themselves,” said SU coach Gary Gait, who has run the team since 2007. “What I love about playoff time is anything can happen and I love watching players step up and win games and win championships. We always talk about trying to teach how to do it. And you love when kids get it, when they buy in and the team gels and you create chemistry. And then all of sudden they have the potential to become a team that we’ll talk about in history as one of our best teams.” SU’s steady offense wasn’t slowed at all by the much. Syracuse led 7-4 at the half and the Hoyas drew no closer than three goals for the rest of the game. "Beautiful, sunny Syracuse. Here we go,'' Gait said. “We knew it was going to be cold and wet. I don’t think we quite expected that. I’m proud of my team for stepping out there and competing, giving 100 percent and coming out on top, making the plays when we needed them in a little bit of a messy game. Muddy, slippery grass field always makes it tough. But happy to move on. I thought top to bottom we played pretty well.” Georgetown crept within 9-6 with 15:23 left, but Hawryschuk buried a free position shot with 10:12 remaining and Julie Cross added another goal for the Orange 1:18 later for an 11-6 cushion. Hawryschuk now has 70 goals on the season, the sixth-highest single-season total in school history She has posted at least four goals in a game 14 times this year. “Just going out with a mindset of we’re not losing I think is what helped me carry through,” Hawryschuk said. "This entire year our offense, especially, just has been very dominant no matter who has a game where they’re scoring lots of points. Just being able to have all of support each other is amazing.'' The Hoyas’ Emily Ehle countered with a score to pull her team within four, but Sam Swart and Meaghan Tyrrell converted free position shots to boost SU’s lead to six again with 5:17 left. Gait also won a chess match on the defensive side of the field as well. Georgetown’s Taylor Gebhardt (Baldwinsville) came in as her team’s leading goal scorer with 50, so Gait decided to face-guard her with defender Ally Trice. Hoyas coach Ricky Fried went with the strategy of pulling Gebhardt well away from the action, drawing Trice out as well and try to beat the Orange defense in space with his remaining offensive personnel.