Liberty University Club Sports Athletics
Spring schedule finalized as Flames prepare for fall season
10/10/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
Eight of the 12 opponents on Liberty University's men's lacrosse team's 2017 spring schedule were ranked in last season's final MCLA Division I top-25 poll, which featured the Flames at No. 16.
"It's definitely a schedule that's going to test the guys," Liberty Head Coach Kyle McQuillan said. "We're pretty happy and excited with how it all laid out and the level of competition for the guys, both at home and on the road. (The difficulty) picks up later in the season when we need to be playing our best lacrosse."
The season, which starts Feb. 18 at home against East Carolina, will be highlighted by a spring break trip to Colorado on March 25-26, when the Flames will challenge two teams that finished last year ranked in the top 10.
"We'll play two perennial powerhouses, (No. 5) Colorado and (No. 9) Colorado State, which have had a lot of success and consistently make the (MCLA) national tournament," McQuillan said.
Those two contests will be the tip of the iceberg on a schedule that runs deep with talented opposition.
"The Colorado trip will be one of our biggest tests, and we're happy to keep rivalries alive with teams such as Florida State and Michigan State (Feb. 27 in East Lansing, Mich.) early in the season," McQuillan said. "We haven't won a game against a ranked (Division I) opponent on the road, so that's something we want to change."
The Flames will play three of their final four games at home, starting with the No. 19 Seminoles on March 31, No. 17 Connecticut on April 2, and No. 21 Davenport in its annual "Midnight Mayhem" matchup on April 7.
"This will be the first season we've brought in a ranked opponent for our midnight game," McQuillan said, noting the Flames have split home and away matchups with Davenport the past two seasons. "The fact that it's a ranked opponent and a SouthEastern Lacrosse Conference (SELC) team should make for a much more entertaining game."
Liberty will conclude its regular season by traveling to Blacksburg, Va., for a showdown with Northwest Region rival Virginia Tech on April 15. That matchup has determined the regional title in each of the Flames' three seasons competing as an MCLA Division I program. Last year, Liberty clinched the top seed out of the region for the SELC Tournament and extended its undefeated streak at the Liberty Lacrosse Field to 23 games with a 15-7 win over the Hokies, avenging a 15-7 road loss the year before.
The Flames will host Virginia Tech in a fall scrimmage on Friday, Nov. 4, a week after entertaining Elon, High Point, and SELC Northwest foe George Washington in their annual Fall Tournament on Oct. 29.
Liberty will conclude its fall season with a Recruiting Weekend on Nov. 10-12, coinciding with the fall semester's second College For A Weekend (CFAW). That event will be highlighted by a Blue vs. White scrimmage and a prospect showcase.
McQuillan wants his returning players and newcomers to put their best foot forward this fall as they look forward to making a smooth transition to their spring schedule.
"We have a young team this year with 14 freshmen, so getting them all on the same page and prepared for competition is our biggest priority," he said. "We're still trying to put the pieces together and determine what type of team we've got. We still have a lot to implement, but it's been a productive fall so far. It'll be exciting to see that play itself out over the next couple weeks."
First up for the Flames, over Homecoming Weekend, Liberty will host the annual alumni game on Oct. 22 at 11 a.m., with participating players encouraged to fill out the registration form available on the team's website.
"That event has grown in popularity over the last couple years," McQuillan said. "Graduating as many players as we did last year, the alumni team definitely is getting to be a much larger and more talented group. It's a great opportunity to get alumni back on campus and to foster relationships between the current players in the program and the guys who worked so hard to build it."
After that contest, current players and alumni will tailgate together at 1 p.m. prior to the 3 p.m. Flames Football kickoff against Monmouth.
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
