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The 2025 DI men's lacrosse tournament semifinals are set after a chaotic quarterfinals. Here is everything you need to know to prepare for the action in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Saturday.

First, here's the schedule:

• No. 1 Cornell vs. No. 5 Penn State, 12 p.m. ET | ESPN2 | Live stats
• No. 2 Maryland vs. No. 6 Syracuse, 2:30 p.m. | ESPN2 | Live stats

Paths to Gillette Stadium

No. 1 Cornell entered the tournament as the team to beat, led by Tewaaraton Award frontrunner CJ Kirst. The Big Red cruised past Albany 15-6 in the first round, displaying the dominance fans have grown accustomed to. Kirst tallied six goals in the win, inching closer to the DI single-season goal record. 

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE: 2025 ɬ�﷬��������ַ DI men's lacrosse championship bracket, schedule and results

The top seed did have its struggles in the quarterfinals against a red-hot Richmond squad, sneaking past the Spiders, 13-12, to earn a semifinals spot. Cornell rallied back, scoring four goals in the fourth quarter and preventing Richmond from getting a shot off in the closing seconds. Kirst had two goals and a career-high 10 ground balls in the win, now sitting just six goals shy of the single-season record. 

No. 2 Maryland also cruised to the quarterfinals, beating Air Force 13-5 to match up with a hungry Georgetown team that had just upset No. 7 seed Duke in the first round. But as they have done all year, the Terrapins' second-ranked defense smothered the Hoyas' offense for a 9-6 win, leading Maryland to its second consecutive championship weekend. 

No. 5 Penn State has played in tight matchups all tournament, winning each of its games by just two goals. Colgate's fourth-ranked scoring offense gave the Nittany Lions fits, but the defense made some huge stops in the fourth to squeeze out a 13-11 win in the first round.

But it was the quarterfinals where Penn State proved it belonged, knocking off the back-to-back national champions 14-12 with an incredible fourth quarter rally. It looked like Notre Dame was destined for its third consecutive semifinal appearance, carrying a three-goal lead into the fourth. But everything came together for the Nittany Lions in the final 15 minutes. The defense held the Irish scoreless as Kyle Lehman and Matt Traynor each poured in two goals in the first eight minutes of the fourth to take the lead away for good. 

No. 6 Syracuse had the toughest path to Foxborough, edging out Harvard 13-12 in overtime in the first round before topping No. 3 Princeton 19-18 in a shootout. The Orange trailed 11-6 with 10 minutes to play before scoring six unanswered to take a 12-11 lead with three minutes remaining. The Crimson forced OT, finding the back of the net with six seconds left, but All-American Joey Spallina found Owen Hiltz inside the first minute of sudden-death OT for the win. 

Spallina and Hiltz stepped up again in the quarters for the Orange, tallying 13 combined points as Syracuse was held off Princeton's six-goal fourth quarter to advance to championship weekend. 

Matchup preview

No. 1 Cornell vs. No. 5 Penn State

Cornell gets its rematch. The Nittany Lions are the only blemish on the Big Red's 16-1 record, defeating Cornell 13-12 in overtime on March 8. Penn State kept Kirst to just three points, his lowest point total of the season. 

HISTORY: DI men's lacrosse career goal leaders

Penn State, boasting the nation's eighth-ranked defense, had a game plan to stop Kirst, and while other teams have tried, the Nittany Lions actually executed it. PSU is causing over 10 turnovers per game, led by senior long pole Kevin Parnham, who is eighth in the nation with 1.93 caused turnovers per game. He and Alex Ross form one of the fiercest defenseman duos in the country, and they will be on a mission to slow down Kirst and company again. 

But on the flip side, Cornell wants revenge, and its top-ranked offense is averaging over 17 goals a game over its last four contests. Even if Penn State can contain Kirst, the top seed still has four other players with 20 or more goals, including Ryan Goldstein, who is fourth in the nation in points per game (5.18) alongside Kirst's 6.35. 

This attack duo versus Penn State's defensive duo will certainly be the matchup to watch on Saturday. 

No. 2 Maryland vs. No. 6 Syracuse

Two of the most prestigious programs in lacrosse face off for a spot in the title game. Maryland got the best of the Orange in their regular season matchup, holding Syracuse's sixth-ranked scoring offense to half its season average in the 11-7 win. Duke was the only other team to hold the Orange to just seven goals all season.

Similar to the other semifinal matchup, this will be a top offense versus a top defense. Maryland has allowed just 11 goals all tournament, while Syracuse has scored 32. Spallina leads the Cuse attack with 89 points on the season (3rd in the nation), and he and Owen Hiltz (72 points) have been on fire through the first two tournament games. The Terps play sound team defense led by Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Will Schaller. Schaller continued Maryland's five-year streak of earning the Big Ten's DPOY, and he has been a nightmare for opponents all year. 

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Syracuse does have a key advantage in the midfield circle with John Mullen, who leads the nation in face off wins (274). He is winning 64% on the year, and he was pivotal in the fourth quarter comeback against Harvard, earning possession for the Orange during their 6-0 run.

If Mullen is on Saturday, the Cuse will have an advantage in possession. But I don't believe seven goals will be enough to take down the Terps, so Spallina and Hiltz will just need to find a way to penetrate the Maryland defense in a settled offense.

Head-to-head stats