LIVE: Maryland Lacrosse's Championship Push — Scores, Highlights & How to Watch Today

The Terrapins are 60 minutes from another banner FOXBOROUGH, Mass.—For the second time in three seasons, Maryland men’s lacrosse will battle Cornell for the NCAA Division I crown when the face-off whistle blows at 1 p.m. ET on Memorial Day inside Gillette Stadium. Maryland reached Monday’s final by overpowering Syracuse 14-8, riding a 7-2 first-half burst that the Orange never erased. The victory pushed the program to 76-42 all-time in NCAA tournament play and secured a record 30th trip to Championship Weekend. Cornell, the tournament’s top seed, eliminated Duke 11-9 in the other semifinal and enters at 17-1, its lone loss coming in early March. The Big Red will look to avenge the 2022 title game, a 9-7 Maryland win that completed the first undefeated season in men’s lacrosse since 2006. Key matchups to watch • Face-off X: Cornell’s All-American freshman Luke Marshall (.619) meets Maryland workhorse Luke Wierman (.582). Dominating the first possession could tilt time-of-possession, a major storyline highlighted by analysts all week. • Netminders: Terps senior Logan McNaney (8.9 GAA) has championship-game experience, while Cornell counters with sophomore Chayse Ierlan, whose 13-save performance versus Duke kept the Big Red alive. • Transition speed: Maryland long-stick middie Ajax Zappitello jump-starts one of the nation’s fastest break games; Cornell counters with rope unit standout Hugh Kelleher. Whoever wins the middle of the field could dictate tempo. Legacy and stakes John Tillman’s squad is chasing the program’s fifth national title and third under his tenure. A win would give Maryland double-digit victories for a 22nd straight season—the longest active streak in Division I men’s lacrosse. Cornell, guided by Connor Busch in just his second season at the helm, seeks its first championship since 1977 and the first for any Ivy League program since Yale in 2018. How to watch and stream • TV: ESPN2 (U.S.) • Live stream: ESPN+ (subscription) or Sling TV free trial. • Radio: WMUC 88.1 FM (College Park) and WHCU 870 AM (Ithaca). Tickets remain available through Ticketmaster starting at $35; parking at Gillette Stadium opens at 9 a.m. and lacrosse-specific FanFest activities line Patriot Place beginning at 10 a.m. Statistical snapshot (through semifinals) Maryland: 14-4 record, 12.3 G/G, 8.9 GA, 34.7 GB, 54 percent face-offs Cornell: 17-1 record, 13.7 G/G, 9.2 GA, 37.1 GB, 58 percent face-offs What the coaches are saying • John Tillman, Maryland: “We don’t need hero ball; we need Terp ball. Share it, ride hard, win the next ground ball.” • Connor Busch, Cornell: “Embrace the moment. Play fast, play fearlessly, and we’ll write our own chapter.” Players to know • Daniel Kelly, A, Maryland – Two-goal, three-assist semifinal; leads Terps with 49 tallies. • Braden Cornell, A, Cornell – Tewaaraton finalist has 82 points and 14 multi-goal outings. • Will Schaller, D, Maryland – Shut out Syracuse star Joey Spallina for 45 minutes last round. • Gavin Adler, D, Cornell – Reigning Ivy Defender of the Year, 28 caused turnovers. Trending numbers Maryland commands a 6-0 all-time edge against Cornell in NCAA tournament meetings, the largest win streak between two programs that have met at least five times on Championship Weekend. Search interest for “Maryland lacrosse” spiked 310 percent nationwide after the Terps’ semifinal win, with highest volume in Maryland, New York, Virginia, and Massachusetts, indicating strong regional appetite for the title clash. Bottom line Memorial Day has become synonymous with Maryland lacrosse, but Cornell’s high-octane attack and dominance at the dot present a legitimate threat to College Park’s dynasty ambitions. Expect a physical, possession-oriented duel—one that could hinge on a single ground ball in the waning minutes. Whichever side hoists the trophy will also win the year-long race for lacrosse’s most coveted keyword: “national champions.”