May 23, 2009

Duke Falls To Syracuse in NCAA Semifinals
The Duke University men’s lacrosse team suffered a 17-7 loss to Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament Semifinal this afternoon at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. The second-seeded Orange outscored the third-seeded Blue Devils 9-3 in the second half to advance to the NCAA Championship on Monday, May 25.

Duke (15-4) advanced to the NCAA Semifinals for the third consecutive season and fourth time in the past five seasons and is 2-3 all-time in semifinal contests. The 15 wins for Duke mark the third most wins in Duke single season history.

Junior Max Quinzani led all Duke scorers with three goals and an assist for four points, while sophomore Zach Howell had three tallies. Quinzani’s hat trick is the ninth time the Duxbury, Mass., native has registered at least two goals in an NCAA Tournament game. Senior Ned Crotty added two assists in the game, falling just one shy of tying the Duke single season mark. 

Cavaliers Fall to Cornell 15-6 in National Semifinals
Cornell used excellent shooting and tremendous defense to defeat Virginia 15-6 in the semifinals of the NCAA Championship this afternoon at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

The top-seeded Cavaliers see their season end with a 15-3 record, while Cornell improves to 13-3. The Big Red meets Syracuse for the national championship Monday at 1 p.m. Syracuse defeated Duke in the other semifinal today 17-7 to advance to the title game for the 16th time.

The Big Red shot 40.5 percent (15-of-37) and forced Virginia to commit 18 turnovers, while never allowing the Cavaliers to string together back-to-back goals.