May 3, 2009

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - For the seventh-straight year the University of Maryland men's lacrosse team will compete in the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship tournament. The Terps, which received an at-large bid, will play at No. 7-seed Notre Dame in the first round at Moose Krause Stadium, Sunday afternoon at noon. The game will be televised live on ESPNU.

This marks the first time that Maryland has been unseeded since 1997 and just the fourth time overall since the tournament began in 1972. In addition to 1997, the Terps were previously unseeded in 1993 and 1994. In those first two unseeded-years Maryland lost its first round game to the No. 8-seeded team, which were Army and Duke, respectively. The Terrapins were much more successful in 1997, advancing to the NCAA championship game. Maryland defeated No. 7-seed Georgetown in the first round before knocking off No. 2 Virginia in the quarters. In the 1997 Final Four Maryland upset No. 3 Syracuse, but couldn't topple No. 1-seed Princeton in the finals.

The Terrapins are 3-0 all-time against the Fighting Irish and have faced them in the NCAA Tournament in 1995, which was the first time Notre Dame advanced to the quarterfinals. Maryland was the No. 4 seed that year and after receiving a bye in the first round, dispatched the Irish 14-11 in College Park. The Terps also defeated Notre Dame in the 2003 and 2004 regular seasons.

The Terps, 9-6 on the season, were awarded one of nine at-large bids to the tournament and are coming off of a 10-6 win at Yale on Saturday. Notre Dame is undefeated at 15-0 and is the automatic qualifier from the Great Western Lacrosse League after defeating Ohio State, 16-7, in the GWLL tournament on Sunday afternoon. The Irish are 5-13 all-time in NCAA tournament play. Maryland is making its 32nd appearance in the NCAA Tournament, which is tied for second all-time.

The winner of the Notre Dame/Maryland game will meet the winner of the Syracuse/Sienna first round game in the quarterfinals on Saturday, May 16, at James M. Shuart Stadium in Hempstead, N.Y.

Tournament Breakdown:
No. 1 Virginia (ACC) vs. Villanova (CAA AQ) - May 10, 2:30 p.m.
No. 8 Johns Hopkins (Independent) vs. Brown (Ivy) - May 9, Noon

No. 5 Cornell (Ivy AQ) vs. Hofstra (CAA) - May 9, 5 p.m.
No. 4 Princeton (Ivy) vs. UMass (ECAC AQ) - May 10, 5 p.m.

No. 6 North Carolina (ACC) vs. UMBC (America East AQ) - May 9, 2:30 p.m.
No. 3 Duke (ACC) vs. Navy (Patriot AQ) - May 9, 7:30 p.m.

No. 7 Notre Dame (GWLL AQ) vs. Maryland (ACC) - May 10, Noon
No. 2 Syracuse (Independent) vs. Sienna (MAAC AQ) - May 10, 7:30 p.m.

Tournament Teams By Conference:
ACC (4): Duke, North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia
Ivy (3): Cornell (AQ), Brown, Princeton
CAA (2): Villanova (AQ), Hofstra
Independent (2): Johns Hopkins, Syracuse
America East (1): UMBC (AQ)
ECAC (1): UMass (AQ)
Great Western Lacrosse League (1): Notre Dame (AQ)
MAAC (1): Sienna (AQ)
Patriot League (1): Navy (AQ)