NCAA men's lacrosse tournament quarterfinal predictions 2025: Will Notre Dame return to the Final Four?

Will Notre Dame make yet another run to the NCAA men's lacrosse Final Four? 

The Irish beat No. 4 Ohio State 15-6 in the first round Sunday – a reminder that the two-time defending national champions will still have a say in the race for a national championship. 

The quarterfinals begin Saturday at James M. Shuart Stadium in Hempstead, N.Y. In the first matchup, No. 1 Cornell takes on Richmond (14-3), which upset No. 6 North Carolina 13-10 in the first round. No. 3 Princeton (13-3) and No. 6 Syracuse (12-5) meet in the other quarterfinal at 2:30 p.m. 

Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp

On Sunday, Notre Dame (9-4) will face No. 6 Penn State (11-4) at 12 p.m. at Navy-Marine Crop Stadium in Annapolis, Md. No. 2 Maryland (12-4) faces Georgetown (11-5) in the other quarterfinal at 2:30 p.m.  

Here is a look at the second-round matchups in the 2025 NCAA men's lacrosse tournament. We finished 8-2 in the first round.  

MORE: Loyola legend Pat Spencer making impact in NBA

2025 NCAA Lacrosse tournament second round predictions 

Here is a look at our predictions for the first round of the NCAA men's lacrosse tournament. First-round games will be played on campuses of the seeded team in the tournament. (Last week: 8-2)

Saturday, May 17 

• No. 1 Cornell vs. Richmond (12 p.m., ESPNU) 

Cornell took a half to settle in against UAlbany, but the Big Red scored 10 second-half goals in a 15-6 blowout. Cornell attackman CJ Kirst – who averages an NCAA-best 4.6 goals per game – scored six goals in the first round. Cornell beat Richmond 12-11 on March 2 – and the Spiders have the ingredients to pull an upset here. Richmond was 23 of 23 on clears in the first matchup, but Cornell was 19 of 27 on face-offs behind Jack Cascadden, who was 16 of 23. Richmond's Aidan O'Neil had two goals and two assists in the first matchup, and Kirst was limited to three goals. Can you count on that again? Cornell gets back to the Final Four for the first time since 2022. 

Prediction: Cornell 15, Richmond 10

• No. 3 Princeton vs. No. 6 Syracuse (2:30 p.m., ESPNU) 

Syracuse is hot at the right time. The Orange average 11.7 goals per game through victories against Notre Dame, Duke and Harvard. Midfielder Luke Rhoa scored four goals in the 13-12 victory against Harvard, and John Mullen was 24 of 28 on face-off attempts. That's a formula that can lead to an upset against Princeton. The Tigers are comfortable in a high-scoring game, however, and they are coming off a 22-12 victory against Towson. Tucker Wade and Nate Kibiri had five goals apiece. Princeton goalie Ryan Croddick averages 14.3 saves per game. Will he come up with the big save late? This will be the highest-scoring game of the weekend. 

Prediction: Princeton 16, Syracuse 14

Sunday, May 18

• No. 6 Penn State vs. Notre Dame, (12 p.m, ESPNU) 

Can the Irish take out a second Big Ten team in as many weeks? Penn State goalie Jack Fracyon will be an X-factor. The Nittany Lions are 7-1 when he has at least seven saves. He had four saves in the first round against Colgate. Notre Dame has scored at least 10 goals in five straight games – and Chris Kavanagh had three goals and two assists in the first-round blowout against the Buckeyes. Notre Dame also won the ground-ball battle 40-20. Penn State freshman Reid Gillis won 75% of his save opportunities in the first round. Ground-balls and saves will be critical here, too, but the Irish are humming at the right time. 

Prediction: Notre Dame 12, Penn State 9

• No. 2 Maryland vs. Georgetown (2:30 p.m., ESPNU) 

These teams scrimmaged in January. Georgetown attackman Aidan Carroll had six goals in the 16-12 upset against Duke in the first round. Ross Prince also helped Georgetown control the face-off battle, and that will be the key against the Terrapins, who have a face-off committee of sorts. Maryland attackman Eric Spanos also had six goals in the first round, and goalie Logan McNaney was locked in against Air Force in the first round with 10 saves and just three goals allowed. The Terps also are close to home in Annapolis. Georgetown is averaging 17 goals per game since the Big East tournament. Can the Terps slow that down? 

Prediction: Maryland 13, Georgetown 11 

When is the Men's Lacrosse Final Four? 

The 2025 men's lacrosse championships are May 24-26 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. The championship game will be Monday, May 26, at noon. 

Who won the men's lacrosse national championship last year? 

Notre Dame won the last two national championships in men's lacrosse. The Irish beat Maryland 15-5 in last year's national championship game. Notre Dame beat Duke 13-9 in the 2023 men's lacrosse national championship game.