By Ian Beauchesne ’20
Staff Writer
The men’s lacrosse team has long been a powerhouse at the Division 2 level. Despite the long run of success, there is one thing that has yet to be captured: a national championship.
Could this in fact be the year that the hardware makes its way back to campus?
Things certainly have never looked better, for the first time in program history they find themselves atop the USILA/Nike Coaches’ Poll in the #1 ranking. This is following the latest win by the Warriors on April 23 at then #1 Limestone, down in Gambrills, Maryland, coming away with an 18-13 decision.
“The win against Limestone was a great team win and is starting to show our hard work paying off”, said graduate captain Tom McLaughlin, “We have faced up and downs this season and this proves to the team that we are a top contender this year to make a run at the national championship.”
As the Warriors get set to head down the home stretch, the team is set to take the road for their final regular season game Saturday at #14 and NE10 rival, Saint Anselm College. The Warriors enter the final weekend with an 11-2 record overall, and 8-2 in conference play. Offense certainly hasn’t been a big issue as the Blue and Gold have found the back of the net 212 times in their 13 games, which is an average of 16.31 goals a game.
Following the conclusion of conference regular season play, it is on to what matters most: postseason. NE10 Playoff action kicks off on May 2 with the opening round, followed by semi-final play on May 5 before the title game on May 7.
This year’s NCAA championships for Divisions 1, 2 and 3 will be crowned at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass. Championship weekend is set for May 27-29.
“Going into the playoffs we have to stay focused on our opponent that week. We have a lot of confidence moving forward. It’s all about working to get better everyday to help ourselves make a run to where we want to be Memorial Day weekend,” said McLaughlin.
