Maryland wins the 2022 NCAA DI men's lacrosse national championship
Maryland wins the 2022 DI men's lacrosse national title
The 2022 Maryland Terrapins have solidified themselves as one of the best men's lacrosse teams in collegiate history. They are the first undefeated DI men's lacrosse champion since Virginia in 2006. The Terps' 9-7 win over Cornell puts them in elite company as only 13 teams in DI history have finished the season undefeated as the national champions.
Maryland dominated for three periods, outscoring the Big Red 9-3 and stifling Cornell on the defensive end thanks to 13 saves from goalie Logan McNaney in the first three periods.
Cornell had other plans in the final frame, though. The Ivy League program outscored the Terrapins 4-0 in the fourth to cut the lead to 9-7 thanks to goals from Michael Long, Hugh Kelleher, Spencer Wirtheim and CJ Kirst. Kirst led the Big Red with two goals.
But it wasn't enough for the Big Red to get over the hump, as a fatigued Maryland team was ran out the clock and sealed the championship.
Maryland was led by Anthony DeMaio, who had four goals on Monday afternoon, bu the real star of the show was goalie Logan McNaney who recorded 17 saves — 13 of which came in the first three periods.
After 3: Maryland 9, Cornell 3
Early in the third period, Maryland kept the scoring party going, as Logan Wisnauskas and Jonathan Donville both scored in the first four minutes of the half — two goals in the span of 42 seconds.
The Terps are also clicking on the defensive side of the ball, holding Cornell to just one goal in the period scored by Aiden Blake — his first goal since March 26. This is only the third goal given up by Maryland's McNaney, who currently has 13 saves on the day.
The Big Red will be looking for a miracle in the 4th period, while Maryland hopes to hold strong and emerge as an undefeated national champion.
Click or tap here to track live stats of the championship battle.
Halftime: Maryland 7, Cornell 2
After the first half of play, Maryland has extended its lead to five, now leading 7-2.
The Terps were bolstered by a goal from Owen Prybylski at the 13:00 mark, Anthony DeMaio at the 4:54 mark and Logan Wisnauskas at the 1:12 mark.
After Maryland's first goal of the second period, Cornell responded as CJ Kirst scored his second goal of the game with under 11:50 to play in the half. Other than the score from Kirst, Cornell has had a difficult time getting good looks at goal. Maryland's defense has been stifling as goalie Logan McNaney has nine saves so far on the outing.
Outside of CJ Kirst, Cornell is 0-14 shooting.
After 1: Maryland 4, Cornell 1
Maryland leads Cornell, 4-1, after one quarter in the national championship.
Cornell opened the game with the most pressure, keeping the play in Maryland's end. That finally resulted in CJ Kirst opening the scoring when he fired one through the legs of Maryland goalie Logan McNaney to make it 1-0 Big Red.
The Terrapins fired back though, getting a goal from Eric Malever to tie the game, 1-1. With 3:21 to play in the first, Maryland took its first lead of the game when Anthony DeMaio put one over the top of Cornell netminder Chayse Ierlan to make it 2-1. Less than a minute later, DeMaio potted another to make it 3-1.
With just over a minute to play in the first 15 minutes, DeMaio scored again for his third of the quarter, making it 4-1 Maryland.
Maryland and Cornell battle for national championship today
The season comes down to today, as Maryland and Cornell battle for the 2022 DI men's lacrosse national championship at 1 p.m. EST on ESPN.
The Terrapins enter as the No. 1 team in the country with a flawless record of 17-0. A win Monday would ensure the perfect season. To get here, the Terps steamrolled Vermont, 21-5, and Virginia, 18-9. Led by fifth-year Logan Wisnauskas with four goals, Maryland earned a 13-8 win over Princeton in the semifinals.
With a win Monday, Maryland would have its fourth title in program history. The previous three came in 1973, 1975 and 2017. The Terps were edged out by Virginia, 17-16, in last year's final. Getting back here has clearly been on the mind for Maryland all season.
As for Cornell, it enters as the No. 7 seed in the tournament after taking down Ohio State, 15-8, and then Delaware, 10-8, in the quarterfinals. In the semifinal game, the Big Red took down No. 5 Rutgers, 17-10.
If Cornell were to hoist a title on Monday, it would be the first time since 1977. The Big Red's previous two came in 1976 and 1971. The last time Cornell was in the final was in 2009 when it lost to Syracuse, 10-9, in overtime.
Want to see what each team is saying about each other? Click here for Maryland's preview and click here for Cornell's.
This page will have live updates throughout the contest.
Maryland cruises past Princeton in the semifinals; will face Cornell in the national title game
Despite a later game start than what was scheduled due to a weather delay, Maryland stayed true to its undefeated record and No. 1 ranking. The Terrapins trounced No. 5 Princeton 13-8 in the DI men's lacrosse national semifinals on Saturday night.
Maryland was led by Logan Wisnauskas, who had four goals, and Keegan Khan, who notched three. With the four goals by Wisnauskas, he now is the program record-holder for most career goals with 203.
🐢🐐
— Maryland Lacrosse (@TerpsMLax) May 29, 2022
The legend continues. Wisnauskas is now the program's all-time leader with 203 goals. #BeTheBest pic.twitter.com/7UFds9yoYd
The Terps also stood strong on the defensive side of the ball on the back of their red-hot goalie Logan McNaney, who recorded 19 saves on the night — a career high.
Cornell, a team that dominated Rutgers in the other semifinal, will be looking to pierce through Logan McNaney in goal on Monday when the Big Red face Maryland for the national title. Momentum will be key for Cornell, as its offense didn't pull any punches against Rutgers, pouring in 17 goals in a 17-10 victory.
Here is the schedule for Monday's championship:
Cornell handles Rutgers in the national semifinals, wins 17-10 despite long weather delay
In a game that started at 12 p.m. ET and didn't end until over five hours later, Cornell got off to a hot start against Rutgers and never looked back, beating the Scarlet Knights 17-10.
The Big Red were led by John Piatelli, who put eight shots on goal, scoring five of those attempts. Michale Long also contributed four goals with Hugh Kelleher and CJ Kirst notching three each.
TITLE GAME BOUND ‼️
— NCAA Lacrosse (@NCAALAX) May 28, 2022
(7) @CornellLacrosse puts on a dominant offensive performance to defeat (6) Rutgers, 17-10, and advance to the National Championship game for the first time since 2009. #NCAAMLAX pic.twitter.com/U8NMB72kK2
Cornell was up 8-3 at halftime when the game was delayed a couple of hours due to severe weather in the area. That did not slow down The Big Red, though, as they continued to maintain their lead into the second half against Rutgers.
Cornell will now play the winner of No. 1 Maryland and No. 5 Princeton in the national title game on Monday, May 30. This will be the program's first appearance in the national championship game since 2009.
Click or tap here to see final stats from Cornell vs. Rutgers.
Cornell vs. Rutgers expected to resume at approximately 4:45 p.m. ET
After a long weather delay at halftime, Cornell vs. Rutgers is expected to resume at 4:45 p.m. ET. Cornell currently leads 8-3 at the end of the first half. The winner will advance to the DI men's lacrosse national title game to face either No. 1 Maryland or No. 5 Princeton.
🚨 WEATHER UPDATE 🚨
— NCAA Lacrosse (@NCAALAX) May 28, 2022
Today's game between (7) @CornellLacrosse
and (6) @RUmlax is expected to resume at approximately 4:45 p.m. ET. #NCAAMLAX https://t.co/WidV2QYRgi
DI men's lacrosse championship history
Virginia claimed its second-straight title and seventh in program history in 2021. The Cavaliers are now third on the list of teams with the most titles. Syracuse leads the way with 10 and Johns Hopkins is second with 9.
| YEAR | CHAMPION | COACH | SCORE | RUNNER-UP | HOST OR SITE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Virginia (14-4) | Lars Tiffany | 17-16 | Maryland | East Hartford, Conn. |
| 2020 | Canceled due to Covid-19 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2019 | Virginia (17-3) | Lars Tiffany | 13-9 | Yale | Philadelphia, Pa. |
| 2018 | Yale (17-3) | Andy Shay | 13-11 | Duke | Foxborough, Mass. |
| 2017 | Maryland (16-3) | John Tillman | 9-6 | Ohio State | Foxborough, Mass. |
| 2016 | North Carolina (12-6) | Joe Breschi | 14-13 (ot) | Maryland | Philadelphia |
| 2015 | Denver (17-2) | Bill Tierney | 10-5 | Maryland | Philadelphia |
| 2014 | Duke (17-3) | John Danowski | 11-9 | Notre Dame | Baltimore |
| 2013 | Duke (16-5) | John Danowski | 16-10 | Syracuse | Philadelphia |
| 2012 | Loyola (Md.) (18-1) | Charley Toomey | 9-3 | Maryland | Foxborough, Mass. |
| 2011 | Virginia (13-5) | Dom Starsia | 9-7 | Maryland | Baltimore |
| 2010 | Duke (16-4) | John Danowski | 6-5 (ot) | Notre Dame | Baltimore |
| 2009 | Syracuse (16-2) | John Desko | 10-9 (ot) | Cornell | Boston |
| 2008 | Syracuse (16-2) | John Desko | 13-10 | Johns Hopkins | Boston |
| 2007 | Johns Hopkins (13-4) | Dave Pietramala | 12-11 | Duke | Baltimore |
| 2006 | Virginia (17-0) | Dom Starsia | 15-7 | Massachusetts | Philadelphia |
| 2005 | Johns Hopkins (16-0) | Dave Pietramala | 9-8 | Duke | Philadelphia |
| 2004 | Syracuse (15-2) | John Desko | 14-13 | Navy | Baltimore |
| 2003 | Virginia (15-2) | Dom Starsia | 9-7 | Johns Hopkins | Baltimore |
| 2002 | Syracuse (15-2) | John Desko | 13-12 | Princeton | Rutgers |
| 2001 | Princeton (14-1) | Bill Tierney | 10-9 (ot) | Syracuse | Rutgers |
| 2000 | Syracuse (15-1) | John Desko | 13-7 | Princeton | Maryland |
| 1999 | Virginia (13-3) | Dom Starsia | 12-10 | Syracuse | Maryland |
| 1998 | Princeton (14-1) | Bill Tierney | 15-5 | Maryland | Rutgers |
| 1997 | Princeton (16-0) | Bill Tierney | 19-7 | Maryland | Maryland |
| 1996 | Princeton (14-1) | Bill Tierney | 13-12 (ot) | Virginia | Maryland |
| 1995 | Syracuse (13-2) | Roy Simmons Jr. | 13-9 | Maryland | Maryland |
| 1994 | Princeton (14-1) | Bill Tierney | 9-8 (ot) | Virginia | Maryland |
| 1993 | Syracuse (12-2) | Roy Simmons Jr. | 13-12 | North Carolina | Maryland |
| 1992 | Princeton (13-2) | Bill Tierney | 10-9 (2ot) | Syracuse | Penn |
| 1991 | North Carolina (16-0) | Dave Klarmann | 18-13 | Towson | Syracuse |
| 1990 | Syracuse* (13-0) | Roy Simmons Jr. | 21-9 | Loyola Maryland | Rutgers |
| 1989 | Syracuse (14-1) | Roy Simmons Jr. | 13-12 | Johns Hopkins | Maryland |
| 1988 | Syracuse (15-0) | Roy Simmons Jr. | 13-8 | Cornell | Syracuse |
| 1987 | Johns Hopkins (10-3) | Don Zimmerman | 11-10 | Cornell | Rutgers |
| 1986 | North Carolina (11-3) | Willie Scroggs | 10-9 (ot) | Virginia | Delaware |
| 1985 | Johns Hopkins (13-1) | Don Zimmerman | 11-4 | Syracuse | Brown |
| 1984 | Johns Hopkins (14-0) | Don Zimmerman | 13-10 | Syracuse | Delaware |
| 1983 | Syracuse (14-1) | Roy Simmons Jr. | 17-16 | Johns Hopkins | Rutgers |
| 1982 | North Carolina (14-0) | Willie Scroggs | 7-5 | Johns Hopkins | Virginia |
| 1981 | North Carolina (12-0) | Willie Scroggs | 14-13 | Johns Hopkins | Princeton |
| 1980 | Johns Hopkins (14-1) | Henry Ciccarone | 9-8 (2ot) | Virginia | Cornell |
| 1979 | Johns Hopkins (13-0) | Henry Ciccarone | 15-9 | Maryland | Maryland |
| 1978 | Johns Hopkins (13-1) | Henry Ciccarone | 13-8 | Cornell | Rutgers |
| 1977 | Cornell (13-0) | Richie Moran | 16-8 | Johns Hopkins | Virginia |
| 1976 | Cornell (16-0) | Richie Moran | 16-13 (ot) | Maryland | Brown |
| 1975 | Maryland (11-3) | Bud Beardmore | 20-13 | Navy | Johns Hopkins |
| 1974 | Johns Hopkins (12-2) | Bob Scott | 17-12 | Maryland | Rutgers |
| 1973 | Maryland (14-1) | Bud Beardmore | 10-9 (2ot) | Johns Hopkins | Penn |
| 1972 | Virginia (11-4) | Glenn Thiel | 13-12 | Johns Hopkins | Maryland |
| 1971 | Cornell (13-1) | Richie Moran | 12-6 | Maryland | Hofstra |
*After the 1990 championship, the NCAA Committee on Infractions determined that Paul Gait had played in the 1990 championship while ineligible. Under NCAA rules, Syracuse and Paul Gait's records for that championship were vacated. The NCAA does not recognize Syracuse and coach Roy Simmons Jr.'s 3-0 record, and Paul Gait's 7 goals, 7 assists and his participation in that championship.