College lacrosse starts up in a little under a month, so what better way to get you ready than to run through all of the great games you are going to want to watch! Buckle up, because it is going to be one crazy season with all of these great games.
Friday, February 11th
Richmond vs UNC
What a great way to start your weekend with two great games of lacrosse. In both of these games, each team is coming into the season with something to prove.
We’ll start with Richmond at UNC. UNC had some key departures this past off-season; including stud defender Will Bowen, and some other key graduates. The Tar Heels enter the polls ranked at number 6, which they are not too pleased with, and they’ll be looking to prove everyone wrong. This revenge tour will start through UNLTD athlete Chris Gray leading a high powered offense. Richmond has been building consistently over the years and is looking to show who they have become. Dan Chemotti has been at Richmond from the jump and wants to turn this team into something special. It’s a statement game from both teams and should be a good one.
Johns Hopkins vs Towson
Onto Hopkins and Towson. This is a big Maryland rivalry game that always lives up to the hype. Everyone knows that the Jays haven’t been up to their typical standard, but the turnaround starts this year. HC Peter Miliman gets his first full year as the Hopkins head coach and has a shot at running a Blue Jays program that has a fresh look. They have UNLTD athletes Connor DeSimone and Joey Epstein returning this year, and will be the commanders of that offense. Towson is going to be looking for some revenge after losing their last meeting in 2019 17-5. Returning their top points scorer James Avanzato is massive for the Tigers, as he and redshirt Sophomore Andrew Milani look to continue a strong attack, while Ryan Swain is also returning to lead the midfield. This rivalry is primed for some elite lacrosse.
Saturday, February 12th
Loyola vs Maryland
Another big Maryland state rivalry is going down right after JHU vs Towson. This should be an exciting game as well. This is going to be Loyola’s first game of the season, and Maryland’s second game. It is going to be interesting to see the difference in the style of play between a team going into their second game, which is also primed for the national championship in the Terps, and how the Greyhounds come out in their debut and go up against the big dogs.
Sunday, February 13th
Johns Hopkins vs Georgetown
This is an exciting matchup to say the least. This is going to be a heavyweight matchup early on in the season, and it is going to be the type of game that can come back and haunt one or the other when it comes down to selection Sunday. Georgetown is the 3 time conference champion, and they don’t show any signs of slowing down. Hopkins are getting only one day of rest before heading over to the Hoya’s place to go head to head in their matchup. It will be an interesting game to watch unfold, and we definitely think this is one for the books.
Saturday, February 19th
Georgetown vs Penn
We quickly get another heavyweight, top-10 matchup that is going to be exciting to watch. For Penn, we will get to see what their star midfielder Sam Handley can do against that physical Georgetown defense. Georgetown has the potential to be a team that no one wants to play, and early in the season have the opportunity to separate themselves above 2 other elite programs.
Denver vs Duke
Denver and Duke have been playing this game for a long time now, and it never fails to disappoint. It’ll be another top 20 matchup, and will be each team’s, “first real test.” Two top 20, star-studded teams looking to take down the other: What more can you ask for?
Sunday, February 20th
Maryland vs Syracuse
February 20th is going to be a massive day for Syracuse lacrosse, and not just because they are playing the Terps: The Orange will be inducting one of the greatest coaches of all time, Roy Simmons, into the Ring of Honor, while also retiring Gary Gait’s and Katie Rowan’s jerseys. That is a very important day to Syracuse lacrosse fans, which brings a lot of pressure to the team. How are they going to handle it with the new coaching staff? Will they fold to the Terps, or bring the fight back to them and get the W?
Saturday, February 26th
Syracuse vs Virginia
Our first look into what the ACC competition is going to look like. We get to watch UNLTD athlete Matt Moore and the back to back champs go after the Orange on their home field. This is going to be a game that goes right up to the last second. The ACC games last year lived up to all the hype, and fans are expecting the same this year.
Penn vs Duke
Penn knows who they are, the Quakers are going to bring it anytime, and anywhere for a full 60 minutes and see how long the other team can last. Duke needs to be firing on all cylinders with their offense to try and separate themselves from this gritty Penn team.
Hopkins vs UNC
Another matchup highlighting our UNLTD athletes. This time, it’s Chris Gray going up against Connor DeSimone and Joey Epstein. Hopkins is making sure that they are ready for anything and everything this year. They are looking to get back to their roots and take down any opponent in their way. This one will be a little tougher with Chris Gray standing in the way of their march. Be sure to tune into this one.
Notre Dame vs Georgetown
Here what we have is simple: a great team going up against a great team. Both of these teams are stacked from top to bottom and are going to fight until the very end. Notre Dame is looking to continue where they left off last year with Pat Kavanagh and Entenmann coming back. Georgetown is looking to make a statement this year with the schedule that they are playing. This game is going to be high paced, and physical, exactly what you want to see in a game of lacrosse.
Wednesday March 2nd
Army vs Syracuse
The Army, Syracuse game is always a good one no matter what. Army is a team who will refuse to give up until the referees signal the end of the game. That’s just what they are made to do, not give up. Army won the game last year 11-18. This new look Orange team is going to be hungry for that win this year, but they are going to have to take it from the Black Knights.
Saturday, March 5th
Denver vs UNC
Another game that has delivered every time these teams meet. Last year, UNC put a bit of a beating down on Denver winning 24-13. Ironically, that is the Pioneers worst loss since 2009 where Denver lost to UNC 20-7. Denver is going to be looking for revenge this time around. But, Chris Gray will be ready to take the Pio’s on and win that game.
Hopkins vs UVA
Blue Jays, Cavaliers, and one of the most iconic college lacrosse stadiums there is. What more could you need? The battle for the Doyle Smith Cup returns this year after a Covid break. Virginia has possession of the trophy after beating Hopkins 16-11 in 2019, but Hopkins does have a 61-32 series lead on the Cavs. We think both teams will be battle tested coming into this game and we will get everything we are looking for in a Wednesday matchup.
Navy vs Lehigh
Patriot League matchup, and two teams looking to prove themselves to the rest of the NCAA. Lehigh is ranked 11th in the preseason polls, and Navy is on the outside looking in right now. Navy, like Army is going to fight until that very last second. Lehigh has what everyone is calling the best faceoff man in the country, and a veteran offense. How is Navy going to get after Lehigh and minimize those two factors? Guess we will have to see on March 5th.
Sunday, March 13th
Syracuse vs Hopkins
This game is HUGE. You get Cuse heading down to Hopkins, Coach Pietramala going back to the house he built with his new team. I think we get a fired up, Syracuse Orange team that will be flying around as they go against a motivated Johns Hopkins team looking to protect their home and send Syracuse back on their long trip in a bad mood. It will be fun to see UNLTD athletes Brendan Curry, Connor DeSimone, and Joey Epstein all playing against each other.
Saturday, March 19th
Lehigh vs Army
The Patriot League is not going to be a cake walk for anyone. Every team needs to earn their position, and the same goes for this game. Can Brendan Nichtern eliminate Lehigh’s offense by hanging onto the ball, and minimalizing the amount of time Sisselberger is at the X for the Mountain Hawks?
Saturday March 26th
Duke vs Syracuse
Blue Devils vs the Orange, what a classic matchup and school rivalry. Whether it be lacrosse, basketball, or any other program, this is a rivalry for the ages. It is going to be exciting watching UNLTD athlete Joe Robertson and the Blue Devils take on UNLTD athlete Brendan Curry and the Orange. There is a lot of tradition and history in both clubs, and it is going to be a fun and exciting game that we expect to live up to all of the hype.
Saturday, April 2nd
Georgetown vs Denver
Hoyas vs Pioneers is going to be a preview of the Big East championship this year. Both teams are going to be scrapping the other. Jack Hannah and Denver are going to do everything they can to slow down the Hoyas. But, that midfield line and updated roster from the transfer portal may be too much to handle. The Hoyas will be a dominant team starting with their defense providing a foundation for their great offense.
Saturday, April 16th
Syracuse vs UNC
Last year, this game did not go as planned. Syracuse lost 21-9 at the Carrier Dome. We are expecting to see a fired up Syracuse team looking for revenge going into this game. It is another UNLTD athlete matchup with Brendan Curry and the Orange heading down to Chapel Hill to take on Chris Gray and the Tar Heels.
Saturday April 23rd
Navy vs Army
I mean, do we even have to begin here? It’s the Army-Navy game and everyone should get excited for this. The two branches fighting, hating each other with everything on the line for 60 minutes, and then the game ends and they will be taking another field but as one team this time. Whichever way you lean towards in fandom, make sure you get this game on your TV to feel like you’re there as one team wins it.
Maryland vs Hopkins
The greatest rivalry in college lacrosse, hands down. This is the biggest game in all of the NCAA, every year. It doesn’t matter who has the better team on paper. None of that matters. What matters is who shows up and who doesn’t. Hopkins is 42-28 all-time vs Maryland, and that is not a bad record to have against a program that many call the Alabama of lacrosse. This is going to be an electric back and forth game and we can’t wait to get to April 23rd.
Make sure you put these games into your calendar, because you won't want to tell your friends you misseed any of these games because you didn't know they were on. Good luck to all the teams this year and let's see who makes it to Memorial Day!
