Maryland, Denver have different history, same hunger for NCAA lacrosse title

PHILADELPHIA — There's a reason certain phrases achieve the status of cliché. In reality, most such phrases contain more than an element of truth.

So when viewers of Monday's NCAA Division I men's lacrosse championship game at Lincoln Financial Field between fourth-seeded Denver and No. 6 Maryland (1 p.m. ET, ESPN2) are told they can "expect the unexpected," it holds true on several levels.

Here's what is known. Either one program that has been competing in the sport's top tier for decades will end a 40-year championship drought, or a fairly recent newcomer to the national stage will break through for its first title.

Representing the old guard is Maryland, the long-time power in one of the sport's hotbeds that won the title twice in the first five years of NCAA sponsorship. But the Terrapins have come up empty since 1975, falling in its past seven NCAA final berths.

Denver is the upstart, playing on Memorial Day for the first time. But this is the fourth Final Four for the Pioneers in five seasons, and their coach is no stranger to the Monday spotlight. Bill Tierney led Princeton to six NCAA titles before heading west to take on a new challenge.

Which scenario plays out comes down to, well, a lot of those unknowns. First and foremost, unlike most of the games since the quarterfinal round of this tournament, these two teams didn't meet in the regular season. In fact, the programs have only squared off on four occasions overall. The Terrapins took all four of those encounters, including two in the postseason, but the most recent was in 2008.

There is, however, a bit of shared history between the two current versions of these teams. Pioneers attackman Connor Cannizzaro was a member of last year's Maryland squad that also reached the Final Four. He transferred to Denver to play with his older brother, Sean, for a season. The move worked out quite well for him; he set a new school record for goals in a season, entering Monday's finale with 56 to go along with 33 assists.

"This whole year has been amazing," he told reporters Sunday. "I love it out in Denver, and I couldn't have asked for anything more."

Asked if he'd have mixed emotions playing his former team, he said, "I think it's going to be like any other game. ... I don't really have any emotions or anything to prove playing my old team. I just want to go out there and win."

Cannizzaro proved to be an excellent complement to the Pioneers' returning offensive leader, Wesley Berg. The senior captain and Tewaaraton Award finalist has 53 goals this season, including the winner in the semifinal overtime triumph against Notre Dame on Saturday.

"I think the most important thing that Connor did — and that went hand-in-hand with Wesley — is ... Connor had to accept a role in a system," Pioneers coach Bill Tierney said. "And of course Wes as a senior captain welcomed Connor in with open arms. Wes just wants to win."

The high-scoring Pioneers will be tested by Maryland's lock-down defense. The Terrapins can score as well, but they tend to run their attack more methodically, seeking quality shots with lengthy possessions.

This brings us to the next — and possibly most important — of the game's unknowns, the battle for possession at the face-off X. Denver's Trevor Baptiste has the best winning percentage in the country at 68.6%, including a 15-of-24 day against the Fighting Irish.

But Baptiste's opponent on the draws might be Maryland's most valuable player. Charlie Raffa is also among the best face-off men in the game. But he's battled nagging injuries throughout the season, missing enough action that he doesn't appear among the national leaders in win percentage. But he showed his worth to Maryland in Saturday;s semifinal win against Johns Hopkins, claiming 14-of-26 face-offs, securing seven ground balls and adding a goal — his first of the season.

"We start off by watching myself and the game previously just to pick up on any tendencies, any weaknesses that I had," said Raffa of his unit's approach to facing off. "Then we just try to see how their wings react to us, how they react to other teams that they've played and just figure out what's the best scenario for us and how we can make ourselves more successful than the previous game."

Raffa said of Baptiste, "We started watching film on him, and he's awesome. He doesn't really have many flaws."

Terrapins coach John Tillman said, "You've seen the impact of Charlie. "When he's at his best and he's playing, we just are a different animal. It's hard to describe, but we're just a totally different team. And when he's not there, we struggle a lot more."

Tierney agreed, "It's an intriguing matchup, You know how these face-offs go .

"They've got all sorts of things going on. Their moves, the counter to their moves, the wing play, the no wing play and all those things. So that's going to come into play. It's the battle within the battle. And it's going to be an exciting game, starting right with that."

SCENES FROM THE NCAA MEN'S LACROSSE SEMIS