PHOTO CREDIT: IAN NEADLE
The Quarterfinals are upon us this weekend and it’s time to look into the matchups.
Saturdays games at Hofstra University
Bryant challenges Maryland
Maryland narrowly escaped Cornell and Bryant took a bite out of Syracuse last week and both teams bring strong goaltending and great faceoff play into this game. The edge in this contest goes to Maryland based on their strong defense and stronger Midfield play over Bryant. I expect this contest to be won by Maryland’s midfield. In a close contest early, the Terps depth will help them pull away in the second half. My prediction is Maryland by five.
Notre Dame versus Albany
There is a huge bandwagon coming down I-87 from my state capital in the Albany Great Danes. I’m one of them. I love to watch the Thompsons and have tremendous amount of respect for Scott Marr and what he has accomplished at Albany.
I like Notre Dame and their athleticism, but athleticism is going to have a tough time stopping the trio of the Thompsons. If Albany has an opportunity to win this game, the first 15 minutes is vital for the Great Danes. What Defense is going to show up for Albany, the one that lost to Canisius or the one that stopped Loyola? My matchup to watch is Albany Defenseman Doug Eich versus the Irish’s Matt Kavanagh. In the end the Purple will prevail by one over the Irish.
Sunday’s games at Delaware
Duke versus Johns Hopkins
This is the premier matchup of the weekend. Duke has really emerged as a balanced offense with the strong play of Myles Jones and Deemer Class to add to Jordan Wolf and Josh Dionne on attack. John Hopkins played a great second half versus Virginia and Wells Stanwick is playing the best lacrosse of his career. For a Duke victory, they will need to limit Johns Hopkins attack, while Hopkins will need strong goaltending from Eric Schneider. In the end, Duke just has too much firepower and I expect a convincing win from the Blue Devils.
Drexel versus Denver
Drexel played a great 20 minutes of lacrosse last week to defeat UPENN. Unfortunately, you will need 60 minutes to beat Denver on Sunday. The Pioneers have another chance to advance to their third final four in as many years. They will not pass up this opportunity, Denver by three in a hard fought battle with a tough Drexel team.
