Albany will meet fourth-seed Princeton in the first round of the NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Tournament on Saturday, May 10 at 1:00 p.m. as announced on Sunday evening by the championship committee. The Great Danes earned an automatic berth as the America East Conference champion, while Princeton, ranked sixth in the latest USILA national poll, received an at-large bid into the 16-team field. The opening round game will be played at Princeton's Class of '52 Stadium.

The Tigers, who are making their 14th consecutive NCAA appearance, reached last year's championship before losing to Syracuse, 13-12. Head coach Bill Tierney, who has led the program to six national titles, including the 2001 crown, has guided this year's squad to a 10-3 record and a share of the Ivy League title.

Albany defeated top-seed Hartford, 7-5, in last Saturday's America East Conference tournament championship. The Great Danes, who are riding a six-game winning streak, tied the school's single-season record for victories with a 10-5 record. Head coach Scott Marr, a former Maryland assistant and player at Johns Hopkins, is in his third season.

"I know Princeton will be a heavy favorite and we will be a decided underdog," said Marr, who is taking the program to the school's first-ever Division I NCAA tournament appearance in any sport. "We've played Johns Hopkins and Massachusetts and good competition like that has got to help us. Our attitude has been a big reason for our program getting better; it's come full circle since I arrived here."

The Albany-Princeton winner will meet the Syracuse-Dartmouth in the NCAA quarterfinal round on May 17-18. Along with Princeton, the NCAA championship's top seeds are Johns Hopkins (#1), Virginia (#2) and Maryland (#3).

*********************

FIRST ROUND (times will be determined Monday afternoon):
Saturday, May 10
Army (8-7) at #1 Johns Hopkins (11-1)
Penn State (7-6) at Towson (8-5)
Albany (10-5) at #4 Princeton (10-3)
Mount St. Mary's (10-7) at #2 Virginia (11-2)
Sunday, May 11
Georgetown (10-3) at Rutgers (10-4)
Ohio State (9-4) at #3 Maryland (10-3)
Dartmouth (11-2) at Syracuse (8-5)
Hofstra (11-5) at Massachusetts (12-2)
QUARTERFINALS:
Saturday, May 17, at Syracuse
Syracuse/Dartmouth winner vs. Albany/Princeton winner
Maryland/Ohio State winner vs. Massachusetts/Hofstra winner
Sunday, May 18, at Towson
Johns Hopkins/Army winner vs. Towson/Penn State winner
Rutgers/Georgetown winner vs. Mount St. Mary's/Virginia winner
SEMIFINALS:
Saturday, May 24, at Ravens Stadium (Baltimore)
11:30 a.m.: First game; second game: 45 minutes after conclusion of first
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME:
Monday, May 26, at Ravens Stadium (Baltimore), 11 a.m.

Related Article: Men's Lacrosse Wins America East Title & Earns NCAA Berth