Good morning. Here’s the latest from around the lacrosse world:
1. The busiest day of the conference tournament season went late into the evening on Thursday. What did you miss? Let's start here on the men's side (complete recap):
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Johns Hopkins pulled off another upset in the Big Ten tournament, beating Rutgers 12-10 to advance to Saturday’s final against archrival Maryland.
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Albany knocked off No.1 seed UMBC in the America East final, setting up a showdown against Vermont.
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Even with all-time leading scorer Ryan Tierney being held scoreless, Hofstra knocked off No. 1 seed Delaware 10- in the CAA semifinals behind five goals from Dylan McIntosh, The Pride will meet Drexel in the championship game.
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The men’s slate wrapped up with a thrilling nationally-televised game between Georgetown and Villanova with the Hoyas scoring the final two goals for a 14-12 win. Georgetown and Denver will square off for the championship.
In women's lacrosse, we've got the usual powers advancing, but the stage is set for some historical breakthroughs as well (complete recap):
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Connecticut downed Georgetown 15-13 to advance to the Big East championship game for just the second time in school history. The Huskies will play Denver, which is riding a 14-game winning streak, in the final.
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Lehigh is into the Patriot League final for the first time since 2010 after beating Army 10-8. The Mountain Hawks play at Loyola in Saturday’s championship game.
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UMBC scored the first four goals of the and trailed prohibitive America East favorite Stony Brook just 11-8 at the half, but the Seawolves poured it on in the second half in a 25-13 victory. Ally Kennedy had seven goals to set up a matchup with Albany for the league title.
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Despite 18 saves from Arizona State’s Berkely Bonneau, Stanford’s undefeated season continued with an 18-11 win in the Pac-12 semifinals. The Cardinal will meet Colorado in the championship game after the Buffs rallied from a three-goal deficit to beat USC 9-8.
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Hailey Rhatigan had 10 points (6g, 4a) in Mercer’s 13-11 win over Coastal Carolina in the Southern Conference semifinals. The Bears will meet Furman in the final.
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Florida will carry a 12-game winning streak into the American Athletic Conference final against Temple. The Gators have won their conference tournament the last six seasons dating back to 2014.
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Jacksonville heads to the Atlantic Sun championship game for the fourth straight year after dominating Stetson. The Dolphins will play Liberty for the league title.
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Fairfield will get the chance to avenge its only loss of the season when it plays Siena for the MAAC title on Sunday. The Stags pulled away in the second half for a 15-10 win over Niagara. Siena ran its winning streak to eight gams with a 20-11 win over Monmouth.
2. Selection Sunday is coming, and for the first time ever, ESPNU will broadcast a joint selection show for NCAA Division I men’s and women’s lacrosse.
For the first time ever, ESPNU will exclusively present a joint NCAA selection special for Division I men and women.https://t.co/HaP9nVXWtj
— US Lacrosse Magazine (@USLacrosseMag) May 6, 2021
3. St. John’s Fisher sophomore Idriss Traore embraces his Harlem Lacrosse roots as a badge of honor. A great first-person read on his experience.
Idriss Traore wears @HarlemLacrosse like a badge of honor.
— US Lacrosse Magazine (@USLacrosseMag) May 6, 2021
The @FisherAthletics sophomore came through Harlem Lacrosse and used the sport to set up his future.
In his own words, Traore writes about the impact of the organization.https://t.co/m4FVxJq9SA
4. You might not find Villanova’s Keegan Khan on SportsCenter, but the “never too flashy” attackman is a big reason behind the Wildcats’ resurgence.
5. High Point’s Abby Hormes will enter the NCAA tournament just four goals away from breaking the Big South’s all-time goals mark.
6. An unusually long layoff has Virginia men’s lacrosse coach Lars Tiffany reaching out to the school’s football coach for the best way to approach the downtime.
7. A new puppy has brought out the inner-child with Brent Adams. Get to know the PLL midfielder from out Give & Go feature.
WHAT WE’RE READING
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A tale of two universities in Connecticut. The University of New Haven, which has a women’s lacrosse program, is exploring moving from NCAA Division II to I. The University of Hartford, which has men’s and women’s lacrosse programs, Board of Regents voted to move its athletic program to Division III.
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Farmingdale State has withdrawn from the NCAA Division III Women’s Lacrosse Championship, allowing Washington & Jefferson to advance to the second round. The teams were scheduled to play on Saturday.
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Lacrosse players have frequently gained notoriety for their names, but you’d be hard-pressed to find one better than Richmond men’s lacrosse midfielder — Mustang Sally.
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The Baltimore Sun with a look at the Athletes Unlimited professional women’s lacrosse league launching this summer.
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The Premier Lacrosse League announced it will start a Pro Lacrosse Hall of Fame with 11 inductees to be inducted this September.
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Seventeen players from Cleveland’s St. Ignatius boys’ lacrosse program were suspended and the team withdrew from the Midwest Scholastic Lacrosse Coaches Association Tournament due to hazing allegations.
WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
Ryan Genord with an assist for the ages, helping Drexel beat UMass to advance to the CAA men’s lacrosse championship game.
Ryan Genord with the flop shot over to Aidan Coll.
— US Lacrosse Magazine (@USLacrosseMag) May 7, 2021
That’ll play.@DrexelMLax takes the lead in the second half against @UMassMLacrosse. pic.twitter.com/vMaEZQ3USu
Is there anything Sydney Watson can't do? UConn's star helps the Huskies reach the Big East title game.
If you look closely, you can see the fire coming off Sydney Watson’s cleats.
— US Lacrosse Magazine (@USLacrosseMag) May 7, 2021
No one was stopping the @UConnWLAX star in a 12-10 win over Georgetown. pic.twitter.com/BbyB9Ch4lB
WHAT’S ON TAP
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A much lighter slate today, but some intriguing conference tournament action, including the Southern Conference men's championship between High Point and Richmond at 12 noon.