Cornell vs. Maryland: NCAA men's lacrosse championship TV channel, schedule and prediction

No. 1 Cornell meets No. 2 Maryland in a power-house matchup that will decide the 2025 NCAA men's lacrosse national championship game. 

Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Monday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

Cornell (17-1) scored five unanswered goals in the third quarter and held on to beat No. 5 Penn State 11-9 in the national semifinal. Senior attackman CJ Kirst leads the nation with 76 goals. He was held scoreless against the Nittany Lions, but the Big Red got five points from attackman Michael Long. Cornell can win its first national championship since 1977 under coach Connor Buczek. 

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Maryland (14-3) is back in the national championship game for the fourth time in five seasons. The Terrapins beat No. 6 Syracuse 14-8 in the national semifinal with another strong performance from goalie Logan McNaney. This is the Terrapins' 18th NCAA championship game appearance – and their ninth appearance under long-time coach John Tillman. 

The Terrapins have won four national titles. The Big Red have won three national titles. 

A closer look at the men's lacrosse national championship game:

What channel is Cornell vs. Maryland on?

The national championship game, like the national semifinals, will be held Monday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. The game will be televised on ESPN at 1 p.m. ET.  

For those looking to stream it, the final can also be found on Fubo. 

Cornell vs. Maryland tournament history 

The Big Red and Terrapins have played in three previous memorable national championship games. 

Maryland and Cornell met in the first national championship game in 1971. The Big Red won 12-6. Al Rimmer scored the last six goals to carry the Big Red to the victory.

In 1976, the Terrapins and Big Red met in the first national championship game between two unbeaten teams, and the game was recorded on ABC's "Wide World of Sports." Mike French scored seven goals for Cornell in a 16-13 overtime victory.

Maryland beat Cornell 9-7 in the 2022 national championship game to complete a perfect 18-0 season. Logan Wisnauskas had two goals and two assists, and McNaney made 17 saves. 

Cornell players to watch 

Kirst was held scoreless against Penn State, but he has eight goals and two assists in the tournament. He's the most-prolific scorer in the nation and will be a key presence in this game. Long had three goals and two assists in the semifinal, and he's scored 31 goals this season. Senior attackman Ryan Goldstein averages 5.2 points per game. That is an elite attack unit. 

Jack Cascadden has a .619 face-off percentage, and defender Brendan Staub is the Big Red's top defender. Goalie Wyatt Knust has a 49.1% save percentage in the tournament. 

Maryland players to watch 

McNaney continues to play at an elite level at goalie. He was the 2022 Most Outstanding Player in the tournament and had 14 saves in the victory against Syracuse on Saturday. 

For the second straight season, Maryland has a balanced attack with six players with at least 30 points. Eric Spanos, Braden Erska and Daniel Kelly all have 30-plus goals. Matthew Keegan, Zach Whittier and Bryce Ford are the other contributors to that precision offense.  Will Schaller leads the defenders with 26 ground balls. 

Shea Keethler and Jonah Carrier combined for 14 face-off wins on Saturday. They will be key players against Cascadden. 

Cornell vs. Maryland prediction

The Big Red average a NCAA-best 15.9 goals per game and 27 shots on goals per game. Kirst was 0 of 7 in the semifinal, but Maryland cannot count on the star attackman being off again. Long and Goldstein are finishers, and Willem Firth scored 32 goals. Midfielder Hugh Kelleher has two five-point games in the tournament. It's a loaded offense – and Cornell is 10-2 this season when they score 10 goals or more. 

The Terps counter with a methodical offense that will try to control time of possession with a deliberate offense that relies on that balance. Maryland has the third fewest turnovers per game, and Tillman will ride the hot hand on the offense. Spanos has been the hot hand. He has 11 goals in three tournament games, and that included four goals against Syracuse. Will Maryland take advantage of their opportunities and control the tempo?