Cortland Sports Information Department
The SUNY Cortland men's lacrosse team has earned an automatic berth into the 2019 NCAA Division III playoffs and will travel to Union College in Schenectady for a second-round game on Wednesday, May 8. Game time is to be announced.
The 36-team tournament will begin with four first-round games on Tuesday, followed by 16 second-round games the next day. The winner of the Cortland/Union game will face either RIT, John Carroll or Hope in the third round Saturday, May 11, at a site to be determined. The quarterfinals are set for Wednesday, May 15, and the semifinals are on Sunday, May 19, at campus sites. The Division III national championship game is Sunday, May 26, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
Cortland (14-4), under 13th-year head coach Steve Beville, is making its 19th straight NCAA tournament appearance and 35th overall, including 28 on the Division III level.
Cortland earned its playoff berth by defeating Geneseo, 13-9, in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) championship game on Saturday for its 26th league title.
Union (13-3), coached by former Cortland standout player and Hall of Famer Paul Wehrum '72, earned an at-large berth into the national tournament. The Dutchmen lost to RIT, 14-6, in the Liberty League championship game Saturday. Union is making its first NCAA Division III tournament appearance and first since 2015. The Dutchmen won twice to advance to the quarterfinals in both 2012 and 2014 and went 1-1 in both 2011 and 2015. Cortland defeated Union, 9-4, in the 2012 national quarterfinals in Cortland. The teams last met during the 2016 regular season, with Cortland winning 10-7 at home. Union's last win versus the Red Dragons was a 14-13 decision in Schenectady in the 2015 season opener.
Last season, Cortland lost at eventual national champion Wesleyan, 16-12, in a second-round game. The Red Dragons have reached the national quarterfinals 15 times in the last 17 years.
Cortland has played in the national championship game five times since 2006, with four straight showings from 2006-09 as well as an appearance in 2012. Cortland won the 2006 national crown versus Salisbury and the 2009 title against Gettysburg. The Red Dragons lost to Salisbury in the national finals in 2007, 2008 and 2012.
NCAA Interactive Bracket