Johns Hopkins, Duke Lead Wave of NCAA Lacrosse First-Round Upsets.

The opening weekend of the NCAA men’s lacrosse tournament delivered a mix of dominant performances and bracket-busting surprises, as several unseeded teams knocked off national contenders to reach the quarterfinals. Defending national champion Cornell became the tournament’s biggest casualty after unseeded Johns Hopkins rallied for a dramatic 9-8 overtime victory in Ithaca. Trailing by three goals at halftime, the Blue Jays clamped down defensively and held Cornell to just two second-half goals before Jimmy Ayers buried the game-winner off a pass from Matt Collison in overtime. Duke also continued its late-season surge with a comeback win at fourth-seeded Richmond. The Blue Devils, who barely secured an at-large bid, erased a three-goal deficit in the fourth quarter and closed the game on a 5-0 run to stun the Spiders 14-12. Faceoff specialist Cal Gerard dominated possession throughout the afternoon, while Liam Kershis led the offense with five points.

Syracuse survived one of the tournament’s wildest games Sunday night, edging Yale 16-15 behind clutch late saves from goalkeeper Jimmy McCool. The Orange appeared in control after building a four-goal lead in the fourth quarter, but Yale mounted a furious comeback before McCool shut the door in the final minute. Finn Thomson paced Syracuse with three goals and two assists. While several seeded teams stumbled, the tournament’s top three seeds advanced comfortably. No. 1 Princeton broke open a tight contest with an explosive third quarter in a 17-8 victory over Marist. Defending finalist Notre Dame overwhelmed Jacksonville 18-5 behind another dominant defensive effort and 16 saves from goalie Thomas Ricciardelli. North Carolina produced the weekend’s most lopsided result, cruising past Albany 24-6.

Georgetown added another road upset Sunday evening, defeating fifth-seeded Virginia 14-10 in Charlottesville. Goalie Anderson Moore anchored the Hoyas with 15 saves as Georgetown controlled much of the second half. Virginia’s exit denied the ACC a perfect opening round, though the conference still placed four teams into the quarterfinals.

Cornell’s early elimination marked a disappointing end for the reigning champions. The Big Red appeared in control after carrying a 6-3 lead into halftime, but their offense stalled for a long stretch of the second half as Johns Hopkins steadily clawed back. Goalkeeper Matthew Tully kept Cornell alive with 17 saves, including two in overtime, before Ayers finally ended the game from point-blank range. Richmond also saw a historic season come to a close. The Spiders hosted an NCAA tournament game for the first time and drew a record crowd of 6,805 fans, but could not hold off Duke’s late rally. Aiden O’Neil’s transition goal late in the third quarter briefly energized the home crowd before the Blue Devils seized momentum for good. The weekend was especially difficult for teams outside the sport’s power conferences. Jacksonville and Marist each earned play-in wins to reach the main bracket, but both were overwhelmed against elite competition. Albany and Army also exited early, continuing a challenging postseason for mid-major programs trying to break through against the national powers.