Seed

Denver vs. Syracuse: Three things to watch The series history between these two teams is not very long, but Syracuse has won all three meetings against Denver. But this will be the first time that these programs have met in the NCAA tournament. The fourth-seeded Pioneers (14-4) have scored 31 goals in the postseason, the second most among the four semifinalists. The defense has relied on the goalie rotation of sophomore Ryan LaPlante (10.14 goals-against average and .557 save percentage)

PHILADELPHIA - Living dangerously seems to appeal to the Syracuse men's lacrosse team. Junior attackman Derek Maltz scored after collecting a rebound with 19.2 seconds left in the fourth quarter to lead the top-seeded Orange to a 9-8 win against fourth-seeded Denver in the Division I semifinal Saturday evening. Syracuse, which needed a goal from redshirt freshman attackman Dylan Donahue with 13 seconds left to nip Yale, 7-6, in last Saturday's quarterfinal, advanced to the championship final in front of an announced crowd 28,444 at Lincoln Financial Field.

Between 1983 and 2004, Syracuse advanced to the NCAA tournament semifinals every year, a remarkable accomplishment that may never be matched again. What makes Duke's seven consecutive appearances in the Final Four nearly as impressive is that the Blue Devils have achieved that in a four-round tournament, which was expanded from 12 to 16 teams for the 2003 season. But seventh-seeded Duke (14-5), which will tangle with Cornell (14-3) in the first of two national semifinals this Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, is just 2-4 in the Final Four, advancing to the title game in 2007 (losing to Johns Hopkins)

When Bill Tierney helmed Princeton to all six of its national championships during his tenure there, the Tigers were renowned for a suffocating defensive scheme that at times strangled opponents into offensive futility. When John Desko replaced Syracuse Hall of Famer Roy Simmons Jr. prior to the 1999 season, the Orange maintained their run-and-gun roots and outsprinted opposing teams en route to five NCAA titles. Tierney left Princeton to take a similar position at Denver for the 2010 campaign, while Desko still heads Syracuse.

Brendan Fowler won more than 55 percent of his faceoffs and scooped up at least 34 ground balls in each of his first two seasons at Duke, but still was not making much of a dent in terms of playing time. Then again, considering that C.J. Costabile - who won 53 percent of his draws and collected 376 ground balls en route to being named Division I's top midfielder - was atop the depth chart, Fowler was not fretting about his opportunities. “C.J. just brought a different dynamic as a faceoff guy,” Fowler recalled Wednesday afternoon.

Of the four teams left in the NCAA tournament semifinals, it is top-seeded Syracuse - the architect of a Division I-best 10 national championships - that is bringing up the rear in the offense department. The Orange are averaging 11.7 goals this season, which ranks 13th in the country - a still healthy number that many other programs would love to boast. But unlike previous Syracuse incarnations that dared opponents to keep up with them as they galloped up and down the field like a pack of unbridled thoroughbreds, this year's current squad is viewed as a more patient outfit, a group that prides itself on locking down opponents on defense and exhibiting patience on offense.

When you play on Cornell but are not part of an offense headlined by two-time Tewaaraton Award finalist Rob Pannell and fellow senior attackman Steve Mock, it is easy to be overlooked. And that is just fine, according to senior defenseman Jason Noble. “With Rob Pannell and Steve Mock and [sophomore attackman] Matt Donovan, all the credit does go to them,” Noble said Monday. “They're the ones that help the defense. [Junior] Doug Tesoriero on the faceoffs really helps get the ball to our offense and limit the [opposing]

Elisa Lane is not much bigger than the pigtails she wears when she gardens at the Whitelock Community Farm in Reservoir Hill. But she has a big impact. She sells the fresh vegetables from the empty corner lot that she just kind of took over at below-market prices to residents of the neighborhood. When her farm stand isn't open, residents can buy from the corner market that she supplies. And she has enough to sell to restaurants like Woodberry Kitchen and at the Waverly Farmers Market to help subsidize her cut-rate prices for the garden's neighbors.

Salisbury transfer Eric Law picked up a rebound on the edge of the crease and scored with 13.4 seconds left to cap a historic comeback and give No. 4 seed Denver a 12-11 win over fifth-seeded North Carolina in the NCAA men's lacrosse tournament quarterfinals at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Sunday afternoon. The game, played before an announced 7,749, was the first men's lacrosse quarterfinal held at a venue not on the East Coast. Denver, the first team in men's quarterfinal history to win after trailing by five goals or more, will face No. 1 seed Syracuse in the semifinals Saturday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.