LACROSSE: How can you stand the excitement?

By Bob Dachille CPKSports Staff Writer

The NCAA Men's lacrosse final four is set and it's setting up to be one crazy weekend.

The two teams that aren't strangers to the final four are Princeton and Syracuse, and it's no surprise that they are seeds one and two. Then the fun begins. The number four Notre Dame Fightin' Irish have come out of nowhere to be in the final four for the first time. They're also the first midwestern team to make the final four, a sure sign the sport of lacrosse is branching out. The final team in the four is the Towson Tigers. They are the most surprising team of the bunch, led by senior goalie John Horrigan, one of the best in the country.

The quarterfinals began on Saturday with two games at Hofstra University. In game one, Princeton took on the Loyola Greyhounds. The 'hounds gave the Tigers a mighty challenge, but the Tigers would escape with an 8-7 victory and a trip to the final four. Game Two saw Syracuse move on to capture their 19th straight final four appearance.

Sunday's game was at the University of Maryland at College Park. In game one, the Maryland Terrapins took on the underdog Towson Tigers. This proved to be the most exciting quarterfinal match up with Towson squeaking out a 12-11 win as Towson scored the game winner with just 12 seconds left. Game two was less exciting as Notre Dame beat Johns Hopkins 13-9, completing the final four.

The final four is set to be as unpredictable as the first couple of rounds were. The expected final is Syracuse-Princeton; then again Hopkins was a final four lock. Whatever the outcome, lacrosse becomes mainstream this weekend on a certain cable network Saturday and Monday.

Bob's Picks: Final: Syracuse-Princeton Winner: Syracuse

Article courtesy of CPKSports.com