1973 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship
| 1973 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | May–June 1973 | ||||
| Teams | 8 | ||||
| Finals site |
Franklin Field Philadelphia |
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| Champions | Maryland (1st title) | ||||
| Runner-up | Johns Hopkins | ||||
| MOP | Jack Thomas, Johns Hopkins | ||||
| Attendance | 5,965 finals | ||||
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The 1973 NCAA Division I tournament championship game was played at Franklin Field in Philadelphia in front of 5,965 fans. The undefeated Maryland Terrapins, led by coach Bud Beardmore and Hall of Fame midfielder Frank Urso defeated Johns Hopkins 10 to 9 in two overtimes, with Urso scoring the winning goal 1:18 into overtime.
The top eight teams in the season-ending lacrosse coaches poll were selected to play in the 1973 tournament.
Johns Hopkins defeated Virginia 12-9 and Maryland beat Washington and Lee 18-5 to reach the national championship game. The win represented Maryland's eighth overall men's lacrosse National Title, but first under the newly instituted NCAA lacrosse tournament format. Bud Beardmore was named USILA Coach of the Year.
Prior to the Hopkins overtime win, the Terrapins closest game was a five-goal victory against UMBC. Maryland had beaten Hopkins 17 to 4 in the regular season about a month prior to the finals. In the Terps' eleven regular season games, they averaged 17.6 points and held opponents to 5.5 points.
Johns Hopkins used a possession game to counter the Terrapins' top rated offense, which resulted in over fifteen minutes of limited-shooting possessions by the Blue Jays in the first half. Maryland countered with a patient and mistake-free defensive play to offset the stall tactic, though Frank Urso was able to get free to score three goals. Hopkins held the ball for the first 10:45 of the game, with the first shot of the game not being taken until over eight minutes had passed. Hopkins' tactics worked initially as the Blue Jays took a 5-2 lead at halftime.
Maryland overcame Johns Hopkins' possession game in the second half, scoring the winning goal in the second overtime for the 10-9 victory. Urso scored the game-winner, taking a solo run at goal and converting a 15-yard bounce shot. Since there was not sudden-death overtime until the third overtime period in this tournament, Maryland held for the final three minutes to win the contest.
The Terps had encountered little resistance on their way to the title, as they downed Brown 16-4 and Washington and Lee, 18-7. Johns Hopkins had disposed of Army 11-5, and the defending national champion Virginia, 12-9.
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