UAlbany men’s lacrosse will have a rematch with the number one team in the country in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Sunday. 

The Great Danes will battle Cornell for just the second time in one month.

UAlbany lost to the Big Red 18-11 in that April 1 meeting. But since then, the Great Danes have won seven in a row, including another America East championship, and took down area rival Siena Wednesday night in the NCAA tournament opening round. 

This will be the second year in a row that UAlbany will be playing the top seed in the tournament.  

“A lot of them played against Notre Dame last year," UAlbany men’s lacrosse coach Scott Marr said, "A lot of them have played against Virginia a couple times a couple years in a row. So I think we just kind of leaned on that experience. But going in this one, obviously, we have to come off the bus better. We can't be down seven one in the first quarter. We have to find some ways to slow down their offense.”

“Cornell's a great team and obviously a lot of respect for them," UAlbany men’s lacrosse graduate midfielder Conner Fingar said. "But, I just got to believe in each other and just ggt to play hard. That's all it comes down to is outworking them and do our best. But obviously a great team and you just got to believe in each other and just go out there and play.”

UAlbany is looking for its first win over Cornell since 2018.

The Great Danes and Big Red are set for 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Schoellkopf Field in Ithaca.