The 1989 NCAA Division I lacrosse tournament was the 19th annual tournament hosted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association to determine the team champion of men's college lacrosse among its Division I programs, held at the end of the 1989 NCAA Division I men's lacrosse season.
Syracuse defeated Johns Hopkins in the championship game, 13âÂÂ12. The final was a battle of #1 versus #2, with both teams coming into the finals with just one loss.
The championship game was played at Byrd Stadium at the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland, with 23,893 fans in attendance.
Twelve NCAA Division I college men's lacrosse teams met after having played their way through a regular season, and for some a conference tournament.
This was the second straight national title for Syracuse behind the Gait brothers, Paul and Gary, and John Zulberti. In addition to the Gaits, a number of stars played in this final, including Dave Pietramala, Quint Kessenich, Tom Marechek.
A wild, back and forth, athletic affair, the game was not decided until one final desperation shot by John Dressel with two seconds left. Matt Palumb made the stop and finished the game with 13 saves. Paul Gait had 4 goals and 2 assists for Syracuse. Johns Hopkins got the ball back for a final possession on a tremendous over the head check on Gary Gait by Dave Pietramala, followed by a mad scramble with Hopkins securing the ball with 12 seconds remaining.