After the dust settles in Baltimore Saturday afternoon, the men's lacrosse world will have crowned a definitive front-runner.
In a clash of two national titans, the second-ranked Virginia Cavaliers will make the 150-mile journey north to take on No. 1 Johns Hopkins at Homewood Field for bragging rights and the top ranking in the nation.
The two undefeated teams face off at 1 p.m. in what has become a yearly battle for supremacy in the elite realm of Division I lacrosse. In 2003, the Cavaliers defeated Hopkins in front of almost 38,000 fans to win the NCAA championship and avenge a single-goal loss to Hopkins earlier in the season. One year later, Virginia scratched out a 9-8 overtime win against the Jays in Charlottesville.
"Anytime one versus two or Hopkins and Virginia play, it's always going to be an exciting game," senior Jack deVilliers said.
Heading into the showdown, both Hopkins and Virginia seem to be at full strength. The Blue Jays pulled out an astonishing one-goal overtime victory against defending national champion Syracuse March 18, erasing a six-goal deficit to overtake the Orange down the stretch. Hopkins also boasts a 29-game home winning streak -