College lacrosse: 2019 NCAA tournament recap, top moments, Tewaaraton tracker

Relive the 2019 men’s and women’s college lacrosse NCAA tournaments, including championship game highlights, top moments and the Tewaaraton tracker.

NCAA Div. I Men’s Championship Weekend recap

Yale, after beating Georgetown 19-16 in the first round and getting a narrow 19-18 overtime escape against Ivy League rival Penn, advanced to championship weekend in Philadelphia to face top-ranked Penn State. The Bulldogs got off to a 10-2 start thanks to face-off specialist and Tewaaraton finalist TD Ierlan’s 10-of-13 face-off wins in the first quarter. The Nittany Lions battled back, but were never able to overcome the early deficit and Yale won 21-17.

Virginia had an even more dramatic road to the championship. After blowing out Robert Morris 19-10 in the first round, the Cavaliers put together a dramatic six-goal comeback late in the fourth quarter to defeat Maryland 13-12 in overtime. The win was overshadowed by a controversial game-tying goal, but the Cavaliers didn’t let that affect their play when they took on Duke in the semifinals. Virginia once again trailed late in the fourth quarter, but two late goals in the final minute sent the game into overtime. Ian Laviano, who had tied the game before the end of regulation, would eventually score in double overtime to send the Cavaliers to the championship game and deny Duke a chance to avenge their 2018 championship loss to Yale.

In the championship, Yale scored first, but the Cavaliers quickly tied and eventually took a 6-2 lead into the half. The Bulldogs would keep it close throughout but were never able to regain the lead. Led by Matt Moore’s four goals and assist, Virginia capped off their incredible tournament run with a 13-9 win, giving them their sixth title in school history.

https://twitter.com/UVAMensLax/status/1133451031155621889

NCAA Div. I Women’s Championship Weekend recap

In their first two tournament games, Boston College defeated Colorado 21-9 and Princeton 17-12 before meeting North Carolina in the semifinals. The Tar Heels jumped to an early 6-0 lead but the Eagles battled back and pulled within two goals going into the second half. The Eagles then took the lead and the teams went back and forth until North Carolina’s Jamie Ortega tied the game with just over a minute left to send it into overtime. Boston College would prevail thanks to Sam Apuzzo’s game-winning goal in double overtime that sent the Eagles back to the championship.

Maryland had a slightly easier time making it to the championship. The Terps defeated Stony Brook and then Denver both by a score of 17-8 to reach the semifinals. In the semifinals, they took on Northwestern and got off to an 11-7 lead in the first half before dismantling the Wildcats in a 25-13 victory. The win sent the Terps to the championship to face a Boston College team that eliminated them in the semifinals in 2018, but also lost to the Terps in the championship in 2017.

The championship game featured a back and forth contest with Maryland taking an 8-4 lead into the second half. After trading a few goals, the Terps took a 12-8 lead with seven minutes remaining. The Eagles fought back and pulled within two goals with just under four minutes left. However, the Terps shut the door on the comeback attempt when Maryland goalie Megan Taylor denied Boston College’s Kenzie Kent on the doorstep with 30 seconds left. The save gave the Terps the win and their 14th NCAA title in program history.

NCAA Div. II and Div. III Tournament winners

• Div. II Men’s: Merrimack defeated Limestone 16-8 for their second straight NCAA title
• Div. II Women’s: Adelphi beat West Chester 11-5 to earn their ninth title in program history
• Div. III Men’s: Cabrini topped Amherst 16-12 to win their first-ever NCAA championship
• Div. III Women’s: Middlebury defeated Salisbury 14-9 to win second NCAA title in four years

Top moments from the NCAA tournament

Loyola’s Pat Spencer records three goals and six assists including a behind-the-back goal against Syracuse.

Maryland’s Brindi Griffin unleashes a scoop shot versus Denver.

Penn’s Simon Mathias snipes top corner as he falls over to tie the game with four seconds left.

James Madison’s Maddie McDaniel catches on the run and goes behind-the-back for the goal.

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Penn State’s Grant Ament shows his tenacity on the ground ball and incredible vision with his feed to Jack Kelly versus Yale.

https://twitter.com/LacrosseCave/status/1132401054195290112

Tar Heel Scottie Rose Grownie goes behind-the-back to score against Florida.

https://twitter.com/NCAALAX/status/1128686202876583941

Notre Dame’s Ryder Garnsey displays his dive skills against Johns Hopkins and Duke.

Maryland’s Megan Taylor denies Kenzie Kent and Boston College’s comeback attempt to secure the NCAA title.

Virginia’s Ian Laviano ties game against Duke and then scores the game-winner in double overtime to send the Cavaliers to the championship.

Tewaaraton Tracker

The Tewaaraton award will be awarded to the top men’s and women’s college lacrosse player in Washington D.C. on May 30. The Tewaaraton Award committee specifies that finalists are “selected based on individual performance and a player’s contribution to the success of their team,” and recipients are “chosen based on the current year’s regular season and playoff performance.” With five men and five women finalists announced, it’s time to take at the legitimate contenders for the award.

Men’s Finalists

• Pat Spencer (Attack, Loyola) – The naturally talented athlete was was a human highlight reel in his senior season and often carried the Greyhounds to victory with multi-goal, multi-assist games. He finished the year with 49 goals and 65 assists, bringing his career assist total to 231. The total made him the NCAA all-time leader in career assists and he also finished second in total career points with 380. Yet, the award is solely based on single-season totals and despite having a stellar season each of these past three years, he may fail to claim the award for a third and final time.
• Grant Ament (Attack, Penn State) – Ament was pivotal in Penn State’s regular season and tournament run. In just 17 games, Ament recorded 96 assists, breaking the NCAA record and earning him the title of all-time NCAA single-season assist leader. His 126 points ranked first overall and he was the only player to average more than 7 points per game.
• TD Ierlan (Face-off, Yale) – Ierlan was a perfect 26 for 26 at the face-off X during his record-breaking performance in Yale’s game against Harvard and was monumental in the Bulldogs’ 2019 NCAA tournament run. He finished the season with a face-off percentage of .758 and was so dominant in Yale’s game against Penn State that many viewers were calling for the elimination of the face-off. Talk about a game-changer.

Bottom line: The debate ultimately lies in the school of thought of the committee. While all three frontrunners are clear team MVPs, Ierlan likely meant the most to Yale’s postseason run. Yet, Ierlan plays a specialized position that still doesn’t make as large of an impact as an offensive player. Spencer and Ament were both influential in their teams’ offensive success. Ament was racking up assists like no player has done before in a single season. Yet, Pat Spencer is arguably the most complete player showcasing his athleticism as a passer, dodger and shooter, despite his team having the least amount of success of the three this tournament. No matter who wins, all three are deserving.

Other finalists: Michael Sowers (Attack, Princeton); Jared Bernhardt (Attack, Maryland)

Women’s Finalists

• Sam Apuzzo (Attack, Boston College) – The recipient of the award last year is a finalist once again. The Boston College senior led her team to the NCAA championship for the third year in a row only to fall short once again. Apuzzo’s 94 goals ranked first-overall and her 124 points were second only behind teammate Kenzie Kent’s 127 points. She is the favorite to win once again.
• Selena Lasota (Attack, Northwestern) – Lasota’s 85 goals this season were tied for third-overall and her athleticism helped carry the Wildcats to the final four. Her pivotal role on Northwestern could be a deciding factor on whether she wins the Tewaaraton or not.
• Megan Taylor (Goalie, Maryland) – Taylor played an important role in the Terps tournament run and came up with a clutch save to deny Boston College the win in the championship game. Her 217 saves were second in the nation and she finished second in save percentage with .551.

Bottom Line: It seems to be Apuzzo’s award to lose once again, but the presence of other Boston College senior standouts like Dempsey Arsenault and Kenzie Kent could diminish her impact. If the committee is looking for a player who meant more to her team, then Lasota, who helped carry the Wildcats, or Taylor, who’s goaltending was monumental in Maryland’s win, may have a chance to win the award.

Other finalists: Dempsey Arsenault (Midfield, Boston College); Jen Giles (Midfield, Maryland)

Overtime

After the championship win, Virginia head coach Lars Tiffany discussed his father, who had passed away in January before the start of the season. His father was a veteran who served in the U.S. Marines. Tiffany discussed what an honor it was to play the game of lacrosse on Memorial Day, a day created to honor those who died protecting the freedoms that citizens of the United States enjoy.

Yale head coach Andy Shay also discussed his gratitude of the service members who have given their lives and how honored he felt no matter if his team won or lost. Now that’s putting things in perspective.