CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It's long been considered one of the best rivalries in college lacrosse -- and it's coming to Charlotte.
When Johns Hopkins and Syracuse clash this season, it will be at American Legion Memorial Stadium as part of the annual Crown Lacrosse Classic.
The two teams, No. 2 Johns Hopkins and No. 9 Syracuse, have combined for 19 national titles (Cuse 10, JHU 9).
The game is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m.
It will mark the 62nd time the programs have met since 1921.
"It is one of the oldest rivalries in the sport," Crown Lacrosse co-owner Chris Schiller said. "You talk about all the rivalries in college football like Ohio State-Michigan. It's up there with that. Hopkins-Cuse is it. They're blue bloods of the sport. They've won the most titles."
So how did the game wind up in Charlotte?
Syracuse's stadium has undergone a series of renovations, and they were playing their home games in the rivalry at Johns Hopkins.
"The dome was closed again. Syracuse didn't want to go back for a third time," Schiller said. "So we kind of raised our hands and said, why don't you play one game down here? And we got very fortunate."
So did lacrosse fans in Charlotte. The rivalry game is just a headliner of a four-game event on Saturday.
It will start with the Top 25 teams in D2, Wingate and Tampa squaring off at 11 a.m.
Other games include High Point vs. Jacksonville (1:30 p.m.) and Johns Hopkins women against Stony Brook (4 p.m.).
Tickets range in price from $10-$20. One ticket gets you into all four games, with the freedom to leave and re-enter the stadium.
Lacrosse has grown immensely in the city of Charlotte recently, with Premier Lacrosse League holding annual events, and assigning its team, Chaos, to the city this summer.
The ACC Lacrosse Championships will be held at Memorial Stadium this May.