The NCAA announced the pairings on Sunday night.
Syracuse comes into the tournament, having defeated Colgate 11-9 in its season finale on the road last Saturday. The Orange have had a well-documented penchant for playing a lot of close games this season, winning most of them. Syracuse posted an 8-2 record in games decided by one goal this season. The team won all three overtime contests it played.
The winner of the Syracuse-Yale game will advance to Newark, Delaware on Sunday, May 21 for an NCAA quarterfinal matchup versus the winner of the first-round game between No. 7 seed Penn State and Towson. The lacrosse Final Four will take place at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts May 27-29.
Syracuse has faced Yale two previous times in the NCAA Tournament, winning both games. Syracuse most recently defeated Yale 7-6 in the 2013 NCAA quarterfinals in College Park, Maryland.
Sunday’s first round game will be televised on ESPNU. Adult tickets cost $10 and youth tickets sell for $5.
Syracuse was the number 8 seed in last year’s NCAA Tournament. The Orange defeated Albany 11-9 in the first round at the Carrier Dome, before losing to top seed Maryland 13-7 in the quarterfinals in Providence, Rhode Island.
The last time Syracuse earned the No. 2 seed was 2015 when it defeated Marist 20-8 in the first round, before bowing out in the quarterfinals against Johns Hopkins. In 2014 as the No. 2 seed, Syracuse was shocked by Bryant in the first round at the Dome.
Contact Rombel at arombel@cnybj.com
Image credit: Syracuse Lacrosse Twitter page