The 2025 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship is here. The Final Four is made up of power houses galore. Syracuse, Penn State, Cornell, and Maryland will compete for the hardware as they look to be crowned. None of these teams are new to this stage.
Syracuse has the most championships in NCAA lacrosse history. Their 10 wins rank first, but they haven’t raised a trophy since 2009. Cornell came close in 2022, finishing runner up to the Maryland Terps and would certainly love some revenge. Maryland has won two championships since 2017 and have added two other runner-up trophies in that span. The Nittany Lions are in their third-ever Final Four but they are missing a big mark on their resume which is a national championship appearance. This could be the year that changes.
Cornell vs Penn State
These two teams faced off back in March and it was an incredible finish for the Nittany Lions. They scored four unanswered goals in the final 2:30 of the game to force overtime where they won 13-12.
Cornell will be the team to beat in this tournament. They are the top-seed in the tournament and have the best player in the country in CJ Kirst. He leads the nation in both goals and points by a wide margin. While they have had more experience in the Final Four in recent years, they haven’t won a championship since 1977.
Penn State will have to figure out a way to slow down this high-powered offense and punch back when needed. My money is on Big Red to advance and get back into the national championship game for the 9th time in modern history.
Maryland vs Syracuse
This is a true powerhouse slugging match. It’s a program that has dominated in recent years in Maryland facing off against the most storied college lacrosse program in history.
These two teams played in February, and it was Maryland that left with a win. Maryland is 3-0 so far this postseason in rematch games, giving them a big upper hand in this second contest. This is the top offense vs the top defense facing off against each other and Maryland has allowed just 11 goals in the tournament. If Maryland can slow down Joey Spallina who is third in points in the country, then the Terps should have no trouble advancing.
Prediction:
I have Maryland facing off against Cornell in the natty. This should be an epic contest. Maryland is going to suffocate you on defense while Big Red is going to attack the net like none other.
I love scorers and pure point production in a battle like that which gives Cornell the advantage. It will be time for history in Massachusetts with Cornell raising the trophy for the first time in decades.