We know the Ravens vs. Steelers, Bears vs. Packers, and Cowboys vs. Commanders. We know Auburn vs. Alabama, Penn State vs. Michigan, and of course, Army vs. Navy. However, college lacrosse has some of the greatest rivalries in all of sports.
From the storied rivalries between blue-blooded programs such as Hopkins, Syracuse, Princeton, and Maryland to the women’s lacrosse powerhouses such as Northwestern, Maryland, UNC, Boston College, and others, college lacrosse rivalries have accounted for some of the most intense athletic competition on air.
At NextRep, we consistently preach that the biggest fans are often the best players, so let’s fill you in on some film you should watch.
Duke vs. Notre Dame
I remember being 10 years old at M&T Bank watching the 2010 national championship – it was the number one rated Notre Dame Fighting Irish, led by all-american goalie, Scott Rodgers, vs. the underdog Duke Blue Devils. This game, dominated by defense and patience, went to OT. On the first faceoff of OT, CJ Costabile, an LSM for Duke who was taking faceoffs, won the draw and ran “right down Charles Street” to the rack in which he netted one on Rodgers and won Duke its first national championship.
In 2014, Duke and Notre Dame once again faced off in the national championship, but this time, Duke was the favorite. With household names like Jordan Wolf, Myles Jones, and Deemer Class, this Duke team was an all-time powerhouse. While the Irish kept it close, Jordan Wolf famously called game by running around a double team at hyperspeed to score on an empty net and end the game.
From 2015 to 2021, these two teams consistently battled in ACC play, each game generally being decided by only a goal or two. However, since 2021, Notre Dame has had Duke’s number with the exception of an overtime loss in the ACC tournament in 2021. That game was a display of the greatness of Michael Sowers, but it included future hall of famers such as Brennan O’Neil, Liam Entenmenn, and of course, Pat Kavanaugh. The most frustrating part of this game was the “shoe goal” – Pat Kavanaugh got the ball with a tie game and eight seconds left. He went down the alley and stung one to win the game, but the refs called the goal off because his shoe fell off. This led the game into OT where it was eventually iced by a Michael Sowers crease dunk.
Since then, Duke has not been able to beat Notre Dame a single time, especially not in the 2023 national championship. Brennan O’Neill has some INSANE highlights in high school while at St. Anthony’s, especially against Chaminade, whose goalie was Liam Entenmann. Unfortunately for Mr. O’Neill, Liam Entenmann had his number in college.
Hopkins vs. Syracuse
This is the lacrosse version of Lakers vs. Celtics – these two programs combine for over 20 national championships in the NCAA era and are in the overwhelming majority of NCAA final fours and championships, although they’ve both struggled to get there since about 2010.
This rivalry is underpinned by the greatest one-on-one matchup in all of lacrosse history: Gary Gait vs. Dave Petramala. Gary Gait is widely regarded as the greatest offensive player of all time (which we’ve expressed our opinion on in prior blogs), and Dave Petramala is widely regarded as the greatest defensive player of all time. These guys facing off was quite literally Ali vs. Foreman, and if you talk to any OGs who followed lacrosse in the 80s, they’ll talk your ear off about this matchup.
In current day lacrosse, these teams don’t see each other often as Syracuse is in the ACC and Hopkins is in the Big 10; however, Cuse has generally had a better squad since the arrival of Joey Spallina and the rest of that class (Michael Leo, Finn Thompson, etc.). Hopefully, we’ll get to see some more action from this matchup in the coming years.
Hopkins vs. Maryland
Similar to Hopkins vs. Syracuse, the Terps vs. Hop rivalry goes wayyyy, way back. As of 2025, these two teams have faced off 129 times. Kind of like Army vs. Navy, it generally doesn’t matter how good a team is that year – this game is always a toss up.
The most recent “absolute classic” between these programs was in 2018 when the Terps took down Hopkins at Homewood field in triple OT. These game had some legendary names in it such as Jared Bernhardt, Logan Wisnauskus, Tim Rotanz, and Kyle Snyder for the Terps with guys like Shack Stanwick, Cole Williams, and Joel Tinney for Hopkins.
While Hopkins has more wins vs. the Terps over the life of the rivalry, the Terps have largely dominated the matchup in recent years and has had broader success in its program.
Other Great Rivalries
- Army vs. Navy (duh)
- Notre Dame vs. Denver (mid 2010s especially)
- Northwestern vs. Maryland (Women’s Lacrosse)
- Cornell vs. Hobart (back in the day)
- Salisbury vs. Washington College (D3)
- Onondaga CC vs. Nassau CC (Juco)