PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- If Princeton is going to defend its NCAA lacrosse title, it will have to avenge a pair of losses.

Princeton (9-4), which won its sixth NCAA championship last year, takes on top seed Johns Hopkins (12-1) in the first semifinal game at Rutgers University on Saturday morning.

The Tigers opened the season with an 8-5 loss to Johns Hopkins and also were defeated by Syracuse (13-2) and Virginia (11-3), which meet in the second semifinal.

Princeton, the fourth seed, has won seven straight games. In the quarterfinals last week, Ryan Boyle scored with four seconds remaining en route to a 14-13 victory over Georgetown.

Boyle leads the Tigers with 30 assists, while Sean Hartofilis and B.J. Prager each have a team-high 28 goals. Hartofilis has scored nine goals in two career Final Four games.

Johns Hopkins also had a tight game in the quarterfinals as Adam Donegar tallied with 2:41 left in overtime for a 13-12 victory over Massachusetts.

The Blue Jays had an 8-2 lead when Bobby Benson scored 20 seconds before halftime but allowed eight unanswered goals in the second half. Benson leads Johns Hopkins with 27 goals and 40 points.

The Blue Jays have seven NCAA championships, but none since 1987. They have competed in every NCAA Tournament (31) since 1972, having only missed the inaugural event in 1971.

Johns Hopkins lost in the semifinals the last two times it was the top seed but has knocked out the defending champion six times.

Virginia has the least storied program among the semifinalists but is the only team to defeat Johns Hopkins this season. The Cavaliers are making their 26th NCAA Tournament appearance, but have only one title (1999), when they also entered as the No. 3 seed.

Virginia edged Cornell, 11-10, in the quarterfinals last week. Freshman John Christmas scored the game-winning goal with 3:59 remaining and Conor Gill set an NCAA Tournament record with nine assists.

Second-seeded Syracuse is making its 20th straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament and has reached the semifinals each time. The Orangemen take a five-game winning streak into Saturday's game. Last week, Syracuse defeated another Atlantic Coast Conference opponent, posting a 10-9 victory over Duke.

The Orangemen have won the last three meetings with the Cavaliers, including a 15-13 victory on March 2, and hold a 9-6 lead in the all-time series. Syracuse is seeking its eighth NCAA championship and first since 2000.