“HEMPSTEAD, N.Y.” — The quarterfinals move to Hempstead on May 17 with No. 2 Syracuse facing No. 7 North Carolina in the day’s early game.
“These are the two best midfields in the country,” says Quint. “Syracuse has been scratching a seven-year itch to get back to Championship Weekend. But no one has been able to slow down Carolina’s offense all season.”
“UNC is the only team to beat Syracuse this season,” adds Carc, “and they did it twice. Chris Gray was unstoppable in both games.”
Gray continues to make his Tewaaraton push with one goal and two assists early. Caton Johnson makes nine first half saves, and the Heels lead 5-3 midway through the second quarter. Then both offenses explode. Brendan Curry and Tucker Dordevic connect on lasers for Syracuse. Tanner Cook scores off a rebound, and William Perry blasts a rocket from the outside. The two teams play frenetic end-to-end lacrosse and combine for 10 goals in the final six minutes of the opening half. UNC trots into the locker room with a 10-8 lead.
Gray’s fourth goal and eighth point of the game give North Carolina a two-goal lead with 90 seconds left in regulation. Jakob Phaup wins the ensuing faceoff for Syracuse and finds Chase Scanlan on the wing. Scanlan, donning the storied No. 22 jersey, splits two defenders, absorbs a push from behind and still manages to score while crashing to the ground.
The Tar Heels still maintain a 16-15 edge with one minute left in regulation. UNC win the very next faceoff, and the Cuse jump into the 10-man ride. A perfectly timed Brett Kennedy stick check jars the ball loose in the restraining area. Peter Dearth vacuums and turbo boosts into transition. Before the defense can slide to Dearth, the All-American defensive midfielder fires a low torpedo to tie the score and force overtime.
In overtime, UNC gains possession first. Justin Anderson’s shot grazes the pipe, but the Heels’ Nicky Solomon retrieves the loose ball. Moments later, Gray finds Cook on the doorstep, but Orange goalie Drake Porter denies his fellow Canadian with a spectacular point-blank save. After a Syracuse timeout, the ball eventually finds Stephen Rehfuss behind the net. Rehfuss, among the national leaders in assists, hits Jamie Trimboli, who buries the game-winner and sends the Orange to Championship Weekend for the first time since 2013.
“You might be wondering how we top what we’ve seen so far,” says Carc. “The answer? Jeff Teat and Michael Sowers.”
“This place is going to run out of popcorn,” adds Quint.
In Ivy League showdown, No. 3 Cornell and No. 6 Princeton face off in a trilogy. It’s not just the third matchup of the season. It’s also the third tilt in a span of four weekends. Cornell won the previous two meetings, posting an 18-13 regular season win at Princeton before outlasting the Tigers 17-15 in an Ivy League semifinal.
Princeton starts fast behind goalie Erik Peters, who slams the door with five saves in the first quarter to keep Cornell’s precision offense at bay. With the Big Red defense zeroed in on Sowers, Princeton leans on a more than capable ensemble cast. Eight different players score in the first half. Princeton’s faceoff unit limits Cornell’s possessions and a late 4-0 blitz gives the Tigers a 9-5 halftime lead.
Teat finds John Piatelli for two quick strikes at the start of the third quarter. Angelo Petrakis leads a resurgence at the X, and Cornell begins the half with five straight possessions. Michael Long connects with Jonathan Donville on the equalizer, tying the score at 9 with more than eight minutes left in the third. Princeton finally gets back on the board off an inside roll from Sowers, but the Cornell flurry continues. Teat scores two more times, and Connor Fletcher proves why he’s one of the hardest players to guard.
Cornell rings up NINE goals in the third quarter and takes a 14-12 lead into the fourth.
The Big Red maintain their two goal margin until Sowers’ third goal brings Princeton within one at 18-17. With seven points on the afternoon, Sowers surpasses Lyle Thompson’s Division I single-season points record. Goals by Connor McCarthy and Phillip Robertson gave the Tigers a slim lead, but Cooper Telesco tied the scorfe at 19 with one minute left.
A Petrakis faceoff win gives Cornell the ball back in the final minutes, but Tigers defenseman George Baughan causes a turnover and gives Princeton one final chance to win it in regulation.
Princeton circles the ball behind the net, where the ball comfortably rests in Sowers’ cross. He surveys the field with ease, probing the defense while planning his method of attack. The entire stadium rises and holds its breath as Sowers intentionally lets the clock tick down. Twenty seconds. Nineteen seconds. Eighteen seconds ...
“These are the moments you dream about” says Carc as Sowers continues to bleed the clock.
They sure are.