Just back in the last couple hours from a weekend in Charlottesville, which was filled with all sorts of post-tragedy catharsis for both Virginia lacrosse teams.
Chances are, there were some players on the Cavaliers' men's team that enjoyed tonight's late game even more than their 18-4 rout of Mount St. Mary's.
That's because second-seeded Syracuse was bounced 9-8 by Army --- in the Carrier Dome, no less --- in double overtime. It's the first home tournament loss for the Orange since 1991, and just the second ever.
Anyway, while Virginia can be happy it won't have to contend with a second round with the Orange on Memorial Day, Maryland might be just as happy it won't deal with Syracuse in the semifinals.
The Terps won't have to deal with a seeded team on its own campus in the quarterfinals after Notre Dame upended Princeton today. And so instead of going through Princeton (on the road) and Syracuse (on Memorial Day weekend), the Terps' path is considerably less littered with bluebloods.
Notre Dame, owners of one final four appearance, await next week. A semifinal against seventh-seeded Cornell --- a nasty, well-coached out in a tournament setting --- or a plucky Army team wouldn't be easy. It also wouldn't be the two-time defending champs on the sport's biggest stage.
That's not to say it should be expected that Maryland will make it to the title game for the first time since 1998 (though it would probably be a disappointment if the Terrapins didn't eliminate Notre Dame for the second straight year). But the opportunity is there for Maryland to inch ever closer to winning its first national title since 1975.
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