NCAA Men's Lacrosse Week 8 Preview: Schedule, TV, Odds and Storylines

Schedule | TV Listings | Rankings

It's time for a goalie appreciation post.

In 2024, not a single goalkeeper in Division I men's lacrosse finished north of 60 percent in save percentage. Penn's Emmet Carroll led all netminders at 59.4 percent.

As we approach the midpoint of the 2025 season, a dozen goalies who qualify for NCAA statistics are operating above that level, including nine in the 60-percent-plus range.

The leader of the pack is Sean Byrne, Army's 6-foot-3 goalie from Georgia who has made 89 saves and allowed just 36 goals for a sparkling 71.2 percent. If the season ended today that would be the highest mark in more than 40 years.

Byrne balled out even in the Black Knights' first loss of the season, making 18 saves in a 10-9 setback against Army nemesis Boston University last week.

For context, only three goalies in NCAA history have surpassed 70 percent in a single season. Villanova's Drew Cunningham set the record (73.3 percent) in 1984. Hofstra's Dave Giannone (70.3 percent, 1988) and Syracuse's Tom Nims (70.1 percent, 1984) are the others.

The Big Ten, meanwhile, is chock full of Goalie of the Year candidates. The rebirth of Logan McNaney at (63.6 percent) Maryland , the breakout of "Big Tasty" Caleb Fyock (62.8 percent) at Ohio State and the consistency of reigning conference freshman of the year Cardin Stoller at Rutgers (60.1 percent) have been early storylines.

Elsewhere, freshman Owen Salenger (62.1 percent) has UMass outperforming expectations, Mason Morel (60.3 percent) has backstopped Dartmouth to its longest winning streak since 2004, Thomas Riccardelli (59.5 percent) has fared quite well as Liam Entenmann's successor at Notre Dame and Princeton transfer Michael Gianforcaro (56.7 percent) has been a stabilizing force between the pipes for North Carolina.

So go get your goalie, dap him up and take a look at these five games to watch this weekend.

— Matt DaSilva

FIVE TO WATCH

#5 NORTH CAROLINA (7-1) AT #12 ARMY (7-1)

Sat 12 p.m. EDT | Watch: ESPN+ | DK: UNC -1.5

North Carolina storyline to watch: Both teams rank top-15 in Division I for defensive efficiency, according to Lacrosse Reference. You'd expect as much from Army. But not North Carolina, not after top defenseman Peter Thomann went down with a season-ending injury. The Tar Heels have risen to the occasion. Freshman Chase Cellucci has been a revelation and Paul Barton is thriving at LSM. 

Army storyline to watch: The faceoff battle against Brody Wambach. All-American Will Coletti has not played since March 1, when went 2-for-4 against Lafayette. Robert Simone (50.6 percent) has held his own and even added some scoring punch (three goals), but the Black Knights have not had to face a specialist of Wambach's caliber during Coletti's absence.

— Matt DaSilva

#10 DUKE (8-2) AT #7 NOTRE DAME (4-2)

Sat 12 p.m. EDT | Watch: ESPNU | DK: Notre Dame -3.5

Duke storyline to watch: What went wrong in Dallas, and was it simply an aberration or a harbinger of struggles ahead? The Blue Devils went scoreless for more than 42 minutes against Denver in a neutral-site loss last week. They shot just 15 percent and squandered a stellar faceoff performance by Luke Engelke (16-for-21). Possessions will be harder to come by against Will Lynch (64 percent) and company, who have had two weeks to prepare specifically for Duke and no doubt were watching to see what the Pioneers exposed last week.

Notre Dame storyline to watch: What do the Fighting Irish look like coming off the bye week? Their 19-7 beatdown of Michigan on March 15 looks even more impressive after the Wolverines upset Maryland in triple overtime last week. In true Notre Dame fashion, everybody ate. If that was the get-right game, then what comes of the two-week hiatus?

— Matt DaSilva

#6 PENN STATE (6-2) AT #3 MARYLAND (7-1)

Sat 12 p.m. EDT | Watch: BTN | DK: Maryland -2.5

Penn State storyline to watch: The distribution of touches. Top attackmen Matt Traynor and Kyle Lehman returned from injuries to play last week against Ohio State. Traynor had four assists, as freshman midfielder Hunter Aquino reverted to more of a secondary role after serving as the primary initiator in Traynor's absence. The Nittany Lions also shifted Ethan Long back to midfield. Penn State can be dangerous with its depth. The alpha could change on a weekly basis.

Maryland storyline to watch: If Michigan is Maryland's kryptonite, Penn State is the Terps' serum. They're 42-2 all-time against Penn State, though both those losses have come in the last six years — including a 19-9 blowout in the Big Ten semifinals last May in Columbus, Ohio.

— Matt DaSilva

UMASS (7-2) AT #19 SAINT JOSEPH'S (7-2) 

Sat 12 p.m. EDT | Watch: ESPN+ | DK: St. Joe's -4

UMass storyline to watch: The Minutemen were on a six-game winning streak before barely escaping in-state rival UMass Lowell with a 10-9 win. The seven-game winning streak was snapped by a 8-7 loss to Brown. That now marks two eye-opening one-goal results in a row. Little went right against Brown, as UMass was behind the Bears in shots, faceoff wins and ground balls and turned the ball over 18 times. A cleaner game will be necessary against a Saint Joseph’s team that hunts turnovers.

Saint Joseph’s storyline to watch: The Hawks have won the last four meetings against UMass, though the first of that stretch was way back in March 2013. Since April 2023, though, Saint Joseph’s has won a trio of close contests. The difference maker in 2025 could be what’s likely to be the best unit on the field, a group of long poles that are as disruptive as they come. It’s a group led by Levi Verch, who’s tied for third nationally with 22 caused turnovers. The Hawks are eighth in the country with an average of 10.67 caused turnovers per game. It’s a teamwide mentality to be both physical and pesky. That ability to create chaos should be effective against UMass’ middle-of-the-pack offense. 

— Kenny DeJohn

#8 SYRACUSE (7-2) AT #18 VIRGINIA (5-4)

Sun 1 p.m. EDT | Watch: ACCNX | DK: Syracuse -3

Syracuse storyline to watch: The Orange are 7-2 but led after the first half in each of its losses (15-14 to Harvard and 11-7 to Maryland). That means the Orange need to keep attacking, with Joey Spallina and Owen Hiltz orchestrating an offense that typically doesn’t have an issue scoring. CJ Kirst might be the unofficial People's Tewaaraton winner at this point in March, but Spallina is averaging 6.0 points per game and leads the nation with 32 assists. Syracuse won last year’s matchup 18-17, and much of the Orange lineup remains the same. Spallina, though, was held to an 0-for-3 shooting day with zero points.

Virginia storyline to watch: The clock is ticking on Virginia, which has fumbled each of its three meetings with ranked teams this season (13-10 loss to Richmond, 14-5 loss to Ohio State, and 12-6 loss to Maryland). Four of the Hoos’ last five regular-season games represent resume-boosting opportunities, so it’s not as if this is Lars Tiffany’s team’s last chance to make a statement. But the Cavaliers are very much on the bubble at 5-4 and need Matthew Nunes and the defense to slow down a Syracuse offense that has deposited 34 goals in its last two games. 

— Kenny DeJohn