American college lacrosse tournament
The
2008 NCAA Division I lacrosse tournament
was the 38th annual
tournament
hosted by the
National Collegiate Athletic Association
to determine the team champion of men's
college lacrosse
among its
Division I
programs.
[2]
The tournament was played from May 10?26, 2008.
Syracuse
beat
Johns Hopkins
in the championship game, 13?10.
[3]
The championship game was played at
Gillette Stadium
, the home of the NFL's
New England Patriots
, in
Foxborough, Massachusetts
, with a crowd of 48,970 fans.
The first round of the
single-elimination tournament
was played on May 10?11 at the home field of the top-seeded team. The quarterfinals were held on May 17?18 on two separate neutral fields: the
Navy?Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
in
Annapolis, Maryland
, and
Schoellkopf Field
in
Ithaca, New York
. The tournament culminated with the semifinals and finals held on
Memorial Day
weekend. The championship weekend, which included the
Division II
and
Division III
championships, was hosted by
Harvard University
and the
Eastern College Athletic Conference
.
[4]
[5]
Qualifying
[
edit
]
The Division I NCAA Men's Lacrosse Committee was responsible for selecting the teams that competed in the championship tournament. The qualifying teams, along with the seeding for each team in the tournament, were announced on Sunday, May 4, 2008. Seven conferences received automatic bids to the tournament for its top team. The remaining nine teams were selected as "at large" bids by the committee.
[6]
Five conferences held a conference tournament championship to award the conferences' bid.
Canisius
earned an automatic bid by winning the
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
(MAAC) championship which marked the first time that Canisius College has gained entry to the National Championship tournament.
[7]
Colgate
earned an automatic bid by winning its first-ever
Patriot League
championship.
[8]
Hofstra
earned an automatic bid by winning
Colonial Athletic Association
(CAA) championship,
[9]
Notre Dame
earned an automatic bid by winning
Great Western Lacrosse League
(GWLL) championship,
[10]
and
UMBC
earned an automatic bid by winning
America East Conference
championship.
[11]
Two conferences award their bids based on regular season conference records.
Loyola
earned an automatic bid by winning the
Eastern College Athletic Conference
(ECAC) championship with a 6?1 conference record.
[12]
The
Ivy League
's automatic bid was awarded to
Cornell
. Cornell and
Brown
had identical conference records, but due to a victory by Cornell in head-to-head competition earlier in the season the tiebreaker was given to Cornell.
[13]
The
Atlantic Coast Conference
(ACC) conference tournament champion was
Duke
.
[14]
However, the ACC does not receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament because a conference must have at least six members competing (for 2 years) in order to be awarded an automatic bid.
[15]
The following teams were awarded at-large bids by the NCAA Selection Committee:
Duke
(ACC),
Virginia
(ACC),
Syracuse
(Independent),
North Carolina
(ACC),
Johns Hopkins
(Independent),
Maryland
(ACC),
Denver
(GWLL),
Navy
(Patriot), and
Ohio State
(GWLL).
[6]
Bracket
[
edit
]
Game summaries
[
edit
]
First round
[
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]
The first round of the 2008 championship tournament saw upsets, an overtime game, and the
NCAA career points record
broken.
Unseeded
Ohio State
bested #8
Cornell
15?7. The opening goal of this game was scored by Ohio State goaltender Stefan Schroder, who ran the length of the field to put one past the Big Red netminder.
[17]
Navy
upset #4 seeded
North Carolina
in Chapel Hill with a final score of 8?7 on the strong play of the Midshipmen defense and the four goal effort of Tim Paul, who was honored with Nike Player of the Week honors.
[18]
Notre Dame
, who was hosting its first NCAA Tournament game, topped
Colgate
in a contest that was settled in overtime.
[19]
In a victory over
Loyola
,
Duke's
Matt Danowski
broke the NCAA career points record, eclipsing
Joe Vasta
's mark.
[20]
Syracuse
ended
Canisius's
first ever appearance in the tournament early with a 20?3 victory.
[21]
Johns Hopkins
was led by
Paul Rabil
's four goals in a 10?4 win over
Hofstra
.
[22]
Virginia's
Garrett Billings third goal of the game with 6:50 left in the game sealed the Cavaliers win over
UMBC
.
[23]
Maryland
beat
GWLL's
Denver
10?7.
[24]
Quarterfinals
[
edit
]
Navy?Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, location of most highly attended lacrosse quarterfinal in NCAA history
The quarterfinals were held at two separate locations the weekend of May 17 and May 18. On Saturday, 17,017 people attended the quarterfinals at
Navy?Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
. This set an attendance record for the most people to attend the quarterfinal round of the lacrosse championships.
[25]
Fans in attendance saw Johns Hopkins defeat Navy 10?4. Navy was held without a goal for both the second and third quarters.
[26]
The other game played in
Annapolis
was Maryland versus Virginia, which went into overtime.
Ben Rubeor
scored the game-winning goal in the extra period to send the Cavaliers to the semifinals.
[27]
On Sunday, at Cornell's
Schoellkopf Field
, Syracuse defeated Notre Dame 11?9 on the play of midfielder Dan Hardy who recorded four points, including three goals and the game winning score.
[28]
Also, Duke routed Ohio State 21?10 on the offensive efforts of
Zack Greer
who recorded a career-high eleven points on six goals and five assists.
[29]
Final Four
[
edit
]
Gillette Stadium, the location of semifinals and finals of the 2008 Championships
On Saturday, May 24, 48,224 fans were spectators for the 2008 Division I Final Four doubleheader held at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
[30]
The first game featured Syracuse versus Virginia, and the second was a rematch of
last year's championship game
between Johns Hopkins and Duke.
Syracuse vs. Virginia
[
edit
]
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
| OT
|
Total
|
SU
|
2
|
1
|
3
|
5
| 1
|
12
|
UVA
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
2
| 0
|
11
|
In the first game of the Final Four doubleheader, Syracuse defeated Virginia 12?11 in a double overtime thriller.
[31]
Virginia commanded the first half of the contest due in part to extra-man opportunities resulting from penalties by Syracuse. In the second quarter, the Cavaliers went on a run of five unanswered goals and entered half-time with a 6?3 lead, and the game's momentum. The game remained in Virginia's favor through the third quarter, prior to the
Orange
fourth quarter comeback.
[31]
Syracuse's
Mike Leveille
scored five goals, including a goal with 3:00 remaining in the game to send the game into overtime, and the eventual game-winner in the second overtime period to propel the Orange into the Championship game. Syracuse's come-from-behind victory included scoring six of the final eight goals of the contest.
[31]
Syracuse's Junior midfielder Matt Abbott, known more for his groundball and clearing game, tallied three goals in the second half for his first career hat trick to spark to second half rally. Extra possessions earned by face-off specialist Danny Brennan, including both opportunities in the overtime periods and 70% total for the game, helped the Orange stage the comeback. While, Syracuse goalkeeper John Galloway settled down in the second half and made a number game saving stops as regulation time expired.
[31]
Virginia scoring was led by Danny Glading with three goals and one assist, while Garret Billings scored two goals.
Ben Rubeor
, a
Tewaaraton Trophy
finalist, was held to one point on an assist.
[31]
Johns Hopkins vs. Duke
[
edit
]
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
Total
|
JHU
|
1
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
10
|
Duke
|
2
|
0
|
3
|
4
|
9
|
Johns Hopkins defeated Duke 10?9 in the second game of the Final Four doubleheader. The heavily favored Duke team, who had beaten the Blue Jays earlier in the season 17?6, were handed only their second loss of the season.
[32]
Hopkins controlled the deliberate tempo of the game, and held a 4?2 lead going into halftime. After scoring first after halftime, Hopkins saw Duke pull even with three goals in 45 seconds during the third quarter, including back-to-back goals just 7 seconds apart.
[32]
In fourth quarter, the speed of the game accelerated as Duke began to push offensively. Johns Hopkins goaltender Michael Gvozden was up to the task. He recorded 7 of his 17 saves in the fourth quarter, including one as time expired to seal the victory.
[32]
Hopkins was led by Senior
Kevin Huntley
who netted four goals in the contest.
[32]
Championship: Syracuse vs. Johns Hopkins
[
edit
]
The Syracuse University Orange were honored at the
White House
by
President of the United States
George W. Bush
in June 2008 for their winning the 2008 national championship.
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
Total
|
SU
|
2
|
4
|
4
|
3
|
13
|
JHU
|
4
|
1
|
3
|
2
|
10
|
On Memorial Day, Monday May 26, Syracuse defeated Johns Hopkins in the national championship game 13?10 in front of 48,970 fans at Gillette Stadium. This game set the attendance record for the NCAA lacrosse championship game and for any NCAA outdoor championship.
[30]
This marks the 10th victory in a national championship game for the Syracuse program.
[33]
[34]
This is
John Desko's
, Syracuse's Head coach, fourth championship in his ten-year career at Syracuse.
[3]
The Orange were led by midfielder Dan Hardy with a team-high three goals, fifth-year Senior face-off specialist Danny Brennan who scored his first career goal, and attackman
Mike Leveille
, the tournament's Most Outstanding Player honoree and 2008
Tewaaraton Trophy
winner, who recorded three points on one goal and two assists.
[35]
Syracuse
goalkeeper
John Galloway became the first freshman goaltender in NCAA history to record 16 wins in one season,
[31]
and just the fourth to win an NCAA title.
[3]
Johns Hopkins'
Paul Rabil
played an outstanding game leading his team with career-high six goals and one assist in the losing effort.
[36]
In addition, Blue Jay netminder Michael Gvozden made 20 saves, the most saves in a Championship game since Maryland's
Brian Dougherty
in 1995.
[37]
Record by conference
[
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]
Tournament notes
[
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]
- 97,194 fans attended the tournament surpassing the previous year's tournament record of 100,447.
See also
[
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]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"LaxPower Mobile"
. Archived from
the original
on 2014-07-14
. Retrieved
2014-07-13
.
- ^
"DIVISION I MEN'S LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIPS RECORDS BOOK"
(PDF)
.
NCAA.org
. NCAA
. Retrieved
5 July
2023
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Syracuse takes 13-10 win over Johns Hopkins for 10th NCAA title"
. InsideLacrosse.com. May 26, 2008. Archived from
the original
on May 28, 2008
. Retrieved
2008-05-27
.
- ^
"2008 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship"
. NCAA.com
. Retrieved
2008-05-05
.
[
dead link
]
- ^
"2008 NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championships - Official Website"
. KraftSportsGroup.com. Archived from
the original
on May 12, 2008
. Retrieved
2008-05-23
.
- ^
a
b
"D-I Men's Lacrosse Selections Announced"
. NCAA.com. May 4, 2008
. Retrieved
2008-05-05
.
[
dead link
]
- ^
"Canisius routs VMI, earns MAAC championship and NCAA bid"
. InsideLacrosse.com. May 4, 2008. Archived from
the original
on May 17, 2008
. Retrieved
2008-05-05
.
- ^
"Colgate Wins First-Ever Patriot League men's lacrosse tournament Title"
. Patriotleague.com. April 27, 2008. Archived from
the original
on July 12, 2012
. Retrieved
2008-05-21
.
- ^
"Dooley nets OT winner as Hofstra steals CAA title from Drexel"
. InsideLacrosse.com. May 3, 2008. Archived from
the original
on December 14, 2007
. Retrieved
May 5,
2008
.
- ^
"Notre Dame plays outstanding defense in 9?2 GWLL finals win over Ohio State"
. InsideLacrosse.com. May 4, 2008. Archived from
the original
on December 14, 2007
. Retrieved
May 5,
2008
.
- ^
"UMBC mounts massive comeback to grab America East title over Albany"
. InsideLacrosse.com. May 3, 2008. Archived from
the original
on December 14, 2007
. Retrieved
May 5,
2008
.
- ^
"Loyola to Play Duke in First Round of NCAA Tournament"
. ECACSports.com. May 4, 2008
. Retrieved
2008-05-21
.
- ^
"Cornell Earns Ivy Automatic NCAA Bid"
. IvyLeagueSports.com. May 3, 2008
. Retrieved
2008-05-21
.
[
dead link
]
- ^
"Duke Claims 2008 ACC Men's Lacrosse Title with 11-9 Win Over Host Virginia"
. TheACC.com. April 27, 2008. Archived from
the original
on 2008-05-13
. Retrieved
2008-05-21
.
- ^
Driscoll, John (April 25, 2008).
"Terps look to continue surprising season in ACC tournament"
.
ESPN.com
. Retrieved
2008-05-21
.
- ^
"2008 NCAA lacrosse tournament Bracket"
(PDF)
. InsideLacrosse.com
. Retrieved
2008-05-05
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
"Ohio State stuns eighth-seeded Cornell on road, 15-7"
. InsideLacrosse.com. May 10, 2008
. Retrieved
2008-05-19
.
[
dead link
]
- ^
"Nike Player of the Week:Tim Paul (Navy)"
. InsideLacrosse.com. May 13, 2008
. Retrieved
2008-05-19
.
[
dead link
]
- ^
"Notre Dame tops Colgate in overtime to advance to second round"
. InsideLacrosse.com. May 11, 2008. Archived from
the original
on May 18, 2008
. Retrieved
2008-05-19
.
- ^
"Danowski Sets NCAA Career Scoring Mark As No. 1 Duke Defeats Loyola, 12-7"
. InsideLacrosse.com. May 10, 2008. Archived from
the original
on May 14, 2008
. Retrieved
2008-05-19
.
- ^
"Syracuse routs Canisius to earn quarterfinals bid"
. InsideLacrosse.com. May 11, 2008. Archived from
the original
on May 17, 2008
. Retrieved
2008-05-19
.
- ^
"Rabil leads Hopkins to first-round win over Hofstra"
. InsideLacrosse.com. May 12, 2008
. Retrieved
2008-05-19
.
[
dead link
]
- ^
"Virginia rallies for first-round win over UMBC"
. InsideLacrosse.com. May 12, 2008
. Retrieved
2008-05-19
.
[
dead link
]
- ^
"No. 7 Terps Advance To Quarters With 10-7 Win Over Denver"
. InsideLacrosse.com. May 10, 2008. Archived from
the original
on May 14, 2008
. Retrieved
2008-05-19
.
- ^
"Johns Hopkins Beats Navy In NCAA Quarters 10-4"
.
Associates Press
. WJZ.com. May 17, 2008. Archived from
the original
on July 4, 2008
. Retrieved
June 2,
2008
.
- ^
"Johns Hopkins rallies for final four berth; tops Navy 10?4 in Annapolis"
. InsideLacrosse.com. May 17, 2008. Archived from
the original
on May 21, 2008
. Retrieved
2008-05-19
.
- ^
"Rubeor's nets OT winner as Virginia tops Maryland to advance to NCAA semifinals"
. InsideLacrosse.com. May 17, 2008. Archived from
the original
on May 21, 2008
. Retrieved
2008-05-19
.
- ^
"Syracuse rallies to top Notre Dame; advances to 25th semifinal"
. InsideLacrosse.com. May 18, 2008
. Retrieved
2008-05-19
.
[
dead link
]
- ^
"Duke routs Ohio State to advance to men's lacrosse championship weekend"
. InsideLacrosse.com. May 18, 2008
. Retrieved
2008-05-19
.
[
dead link
]
- ^
a
b
"Attendance Figures for the NCAA Men's Championships"
. LaxPower.com. May 26, 2008.
Archived
from the original on 29 May 2008
. Retrieved
2008-05-28
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
"Syracuse tops Virginia in overtime to advance to NCAA finals"
. InsideLacrosse.com. May 24, 2008. Archived from
the original
on May 27, 2008
. Retrieved
2008-05-27
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
"Johns Hopkins stuns top-seeded Duke to advance to NCAA final"
. InsideLacrosse.com. May 25, 2008. Archived from
the original
on May 27, 2008
. Retrieved
2008-05-27
.
- ^
Powers, John (May 27, 2008).
"Mission accomplished for Syracuse lacrosse"
. BostonGlobe.com.
Archived
from the original on May 29, 2008
. Retrieved
2008-05-27
.
- ^
The ten national championships for Syracuse includes the
1990 Championship
that was later vacated by the NCAA due to Infractions
- ^
"National Champions Again! Syracuse Claims 10th NCAA Title"
. SUAthletics.com. Archived from
the original
on 2008-05-29
. Retrieved
2008-05-27
.
- ^
Clark, Jim; Thompson, Rich (May 27, 2008).
"Rabil-rousing attack falls shy"
. BostonHerald.com. Archived from
the original
on May 22, 2011
. Retrieved
2008-05-27
.
- ^
Lee, Edward (May 27, 2008).
"Questions fatigue Gvozden, not shots"
. BaltimoreSun.com. Archived from
the original
on May 23, 2011
. Retrieved
2008-05-27
.
External links
[
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]
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Tournaments
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Records & statistics
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