Liberty University Club Sports Athletics
Men’s lacrosse rises to No. 1 in MCLA Division I Coaches Poll for first time
3/9/2022 5:56:11 PM | Men's Lacrosse
For the first time in program history at any level, Liberty University’s men’s lacrosse team is ranked No. 1 in this week’s MCLA Division I Coaches Poll, shooting up four spots after improving to 5-0 with Monday’s 13-11 come-from-behind win over No. 8 Florida at the Liberty Lacrosse Fields.
“I was a little bit surprised by that,” Flames Head Coach Kyle McQuillan admitted. “I thought we might move up a little bit and perhaps move into the top four, but to see us in the No. 1 spot is definitely encouraging and kind of validation of what we have communicated to the team, that we have the potential to be the best team in the country.”
He said the ranking shines a spotlight on Liberty as it prepares to host Clemson — which dropped from No. 2 to 4 in the poll after losing at No. 10 Arizona State — on Friday night, in a rematch of last spring’s inaugural ALC Championship game.
“We know what it comes with, the pressure that it brings, and the target on our back gets bigger,” McQuillan said. “It is easier to coach a team of underdogs than being on top, easier to motivate and to get the guys up. But this team specifically, the group we have and the things we’ve been working on and off the field, is better prepared than any team we’ve had to be in that position, and I’m excited to see how they respond. We’ve got the rest of the season to continue to try to prove that we belong there.”
He said the Flames have been tested by fire a few times in their first five games and have passed each test with flying colors.
“When the pressure’s on and they have been backed into a corner, that’s one of the strengths of this team that hasn’t always been a strength in the past,” McQuillan said. “We have spent a lot of time and energy in developing guys as players in the physical aspects of lacrosse, and this year we have put more time into developing mental toughness and how you respond in moments of adversity. In the early parts of the season, we have been encouraged to see how that’s played itself out, both on and off the field.”
The 9-8 season-opening victory over reigning MCLA Division I national champion South Carolina and Monday’s win over the previously unbeaten Gators are two prime examples.
“Going down 4-0 to Florida and being outplayed in every facet of the game and then being able to go on a nine-goal run and completely turn the tables was an indication that these guys can get off the ropes and start landing a few punches of their own,” McQuillan said.
He expects the Flames to receive their best test to date from the Tigers on Friday.
“Clemson’s 8-1 overall and it obviously has a lot of reason to want to come into Lynchburg and win, especially with this being a rematch of the ALC championship game,” McQuillan said. “They were pretty close to being the No. 1 team in the country if they had gotten past Arizona State, so they are going to be motivated to (turn the tables on the Flames.)”
Liberty will also host a first-time meeting with Indiana on Sunday at 1 p.m. and travel to Philadelphia over Spring Break to face new ALC North Region rival Temple on March 18. It will conclude the regular season with back-to-back games against No. 2 BYU — the defending MCLA National Invitational Tournament champion — for its “Midnight Mayhem” game on April 8, and No. 9 Virginia Tech, a third ALC team ranked in the top 10, on April 15 in Blacksburg, Va.
“We’ve got a very difficult schedule ahead of us the rest of the way, and we’re confident we’re going to be able to perform in those moments like we have so far this season,” McQuillan said. “Games like these (against USC, Florida, and Clemson) are going to be a battle and you have to have the mindset that it’s going to come down to the end.”
Friday night's contest will be streamed live by the Liberty Flames Sports Network (LFSN) and carried on ESPN+.
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
