After finishing the season among the top eight club teams in the nation the past two years and building a roster with more than 40 athletes, it is safe to assume that the men’s lacrosse team is not an average club team.
The team is ranked No. 1 in the Pacific Northwest League pre-season polls, thanks in part to the return of first-team All-League members Julian Coffman, Kyle Tolzman and second-team members Matt Connors and Nate Cordova.
This year the team is looking to improve on its 11-4 record from the previous season, where it was the Pacific Northwest League champion and finished sixth in the nation. Michigan beat Oregon in the quarterfinals of the national tournament.
On the team’s quest to gain more national exposure it faces stiff competition from its schedule. Major opponents this year include the usual league rivals Washington, Oregon State and Simon Fraser. On the national level, however, the team will play perennial Top-25 teams that include Texas, Missouri, Minnesota Duluth, BYU, Chico State and national runner-up Sonoma State.
The Chico State game is one of the games the team is most eager to play. Last year was the first time the men’s team defeated Chico (11-10) and in turn, exacted revenge on the team that has proven to be most disrespectful in the past. In previous years after a victory, the Chico team would place their stickers on the turf field
lightposts in order to humiliate its opponents after a defeat, proving that there can be heated rivalries in a club lacrosse game.
The Sonoma State and BYU games are the team’s best chances to prove they should be mentioned among elite lacrosse teams. After the Seawolves crushed the team 16-6 last year it hopes to redeem itself by playing at a higher level.
“It’s a big game because we have something to prove,” Club Coordinator and senior goaltender Nate Cordova said.
Cordova also believes that the team simply did not show up ready to play last year and hopes the team will play at a more consistent level when facing challengers.
BYU may prove to be the team’s greatest challenge as it was the number one seed heading into the National Tournament last season. The men’s team will travel to BYU to play in a nationally televised game, something that is extremely rare among club sports.
Cordova explains that the team travels frequently because it is trying to be as competitive as possible. The Pacific Northwest League has proved too easy a schedule and the team needs to play against the best teams in order to be recognized nationally and have a better chance of advancing through the national tournament. The frequent traveling explains why the team’s dues are among the highest of the club sports.
Because of the program’s popularity, the team is able to recruit some of the best players from the region. Cordova believes that the lacrosse team is the best in the Northwest because the school has such an attractive program and is capable of competing at a Division II to Division III level.
“It’s close to home and most of these players don’t get noticed from East Coast schools,” Cordova said.
The lacrosse team will host the Oregon Fall Classic Tournament which will include Oregon State, UC Davis and Linfield on Oct. 29.