Sunday, May 8, 2011

Men's Lacrosse Earns No. 7 Seed for Nationals in Denver, To Play Boston College First

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (5/8/11) – The Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association announced on Sunday evening that the University of Colorado men’s lacrosse team will be the seventh seed for the 2011 National Championships at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on May 17-21.

Colorado, who earned one of the six at-large bids to nationals, will play Boston College, the number 10 seed, in the first round on Tuesday May 17 at 7 p.m. at the outer fields of the stadium. If the Buffaloes defeat the Eagles, CU will play either No. 2 Colorado State or No. 15 Minnesota-Duluth on Wednesday May 18.

The Michigan Wolverines are once again the number one seed and will be going for their fourth straight national championship before they move to NCAA division-I next season.

The Buffs currently have an 11-5 overall record and are coming off of a 9-8 heartbreak loss on Friday to CSU in the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference Semifinals. In the game with the Rams, CU jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first five minutes, but CSU slowly clawed their way back into the contest and scored the final four goals to advance to the conference championship game. Colorado State went on to defeat Brigham Young University in the championship game for their second straight conference title.

Overall, the RMLC got three teams into the division-I tournament with CSU and BYU joining the Buffs. The conference also got three teams in for the division-II tournament, with Westminster College, Northern Colorado and last year’s D-II runner up, Utah Valley, all gaining bids.

CU holds a 2-0 all-time record against Boston College and defeated them this season on Apr. 22 in Boston. In that game, CU won 9-8 in double overtime with sophomore Jack Cranston scoring the game winning goal. The loss for the Eagles at the time ended a seven game win streak.

BC is currently 11-4 this year and is coming off of a 5-3 defeat to the Buffalo Bulls in the Pioneer Collegiate Lacrosse League championship game on Sunday.

The MCLA National Semifinals will take place on Friday May 20 while the championship game will be on Saturday May 21. Both games will be played inside the Dick’s Sporting Goods Park stadium, which is home to the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer. This is the third straight year that the MCLA has hosted the national championship tournament at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

About the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association
The Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA), the national organization of men’s collegiate club teams, was formed in 2006 to provide more direct attention to collegiate club lacrosse and a quality college lacrosse experience where varsity lacrosse does not yet exist. The MCLA consists of over 200 teams from across the United States, separated into two divisions and 10 conferences.