“Every game really counts,” and Sean Woods, head coach of the Men’s Lacrosse team, and he isn’t kidding.
The 2014 Men’s Lacrosse team, the 50th team in program history, will have to reach one of their goals, a NCAA tournament appearance, with an at large bid from “Pool B.”
Pool B is a group of over 40 teams who do not have automatic bids to the NCAA tournament from victories in their conference tournament. Instead, they must receive an at large bid from an NCAA committee.
When the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) lost their automatic bid for their conference champions to go to the NCAA tournament two seasons ago, it put more pressure on existing members, like CC, to boost their out-of-conference schedule to impress the committee.
With the team’s success last season, the Tigers were able to attain the number one seed from Pool B and the second NCAA tournament appearance for the Men’s Lacrosse program in half a century. They went on to play the number ten ranked team in the country, Washington College, falling just three goals short (10-7) in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
This year, the team is looking to build off the momentum they created last season playing great competition. Coach Woods explains the importance of “playing good teams with good schedules, (in fact) this is the strongest schedule we have had since I have been here.”
A strong schedule will help the team stay consistent throughout the season so they can be poised for post-season success against the best teams in the country. Coach Woods believes “we can compete at a national level, and even more so this year than last, depending on how hard the team works.”
Hard work will be key for these Tigers, as they battle through an out of conference schedule that includes traditionally tough programs such as Lynchburg College (VA), Babson College (MA), and Roanoke College (VA).
Home games are at a premium for the Tigers, and the battle at home against Babson on March, 19 is sure to be an entertaining one. Nonetheless, with a strong desire for large student support at every home game, Coach Woods isn’t shy about which game the fans should circle on their calendar.
“[During the Whitter game] on May 2, we are celebrating our founder Doc Stabler. We will have lot of alumni back and friends of the program in attendance, and not to mention, it’s the last game of our season.”
And the kicker? Friday night, under the lights, 7 p.m. For a year in which scheduling plays such a pivotal role to position these Tigers for post-season success, this game on May 2 is a Block 8 activity all Tiger fans should attend.