Liberty University Club Sports
University of Pittsburgh
Flames move up to No. 1 in MCLA Coaches Poll after going 3-0 on road over spring break
3/23/2023 2:23:21 PM | Men's Lacrosse
For the second season in a row, Liberty University’s men’s lacrosse team ascended to the No. 1 spot in this week’s MCLA Division I Coaches Poll, but unlike last year, it was a unanimous decision.
The Flames (7-1), who went 3-0 over their spring break road swing, sweeping previous No. 1 Georgia Tech at a neutral site in North Carolina and two other top-10 teams over the weekend at Utah Valley and BYU, received all 27 first-place votes. Liberty overtook No. 1 Virginia Tech, the only team to defeat them this spring, after the Hokies (9-2) lost at defending national champion South Carolina (2-7).
“When we started out 5-0 last year, I was really surprised and did not anticipate us moving up into the first-place position,” Liberty Head Coach Kyle McQuillan said. “It was pretty split the week we were at No. 1 last year, when quite a few teams got first-place votes. So, it was still very much debated, and we had (the top spot) for a little less than a week. We played Clemson and unfortunately had to give it up. Hopefully, we can hold onto it longer this time around.”
South Carolina had fallen out of the Top 25 after losing seven games in a row — including to SouthEastern Lacrosse Conference (SELC) powers Georgia Tech, Georgia, Florida, and Florida State, as well as Utah Valley and Chapman, all ranked in the top 10.
“That was probably one of the big surprises of the weekend and the season so far,” McQuillan said, noting that the Gamecocks moved up five spots to No. 24. “South Carolina is a sleeper. That’s their MO. They usually come on late in the year, when it’s important to be playing your best lacrosse, in April and May. Although, they have a lot of losses this season, they have played really good teams and they have all been close. To come out and upset the No. 1 team in the country definitely turned a lot of heads.”
Though Liberty and Virginia Tech, which slipped two spots to No. 3 behind Georgia Tech now at No. 2, represent the Atlantic Lacrosse Conference (ALC) well atop the rankings, the SELC is still the dominant conference in the MCLA with four teams in the top 10.
“For us and Virginia Tech, former teams from the SELC, to be ranked No. 1 and No. 3 (respectively) is great to see,” McQuillan said.
ALC power Clemson, which is typically in the top 10, has dropped out of the Top 25 after its 3-7 start that includes losses to five top-10 teams in Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Chapman, and Virginia Tech.
The Flames will face the Tigers on April 2, two days after playing at South Carolina, in the last two games of their seven-game road stretch that spans the entire month of March. First, they will travel to two ALC North Region rivals both receiving votes in the Top 25 poll — Pittsburgh, on Saturday at 6 p.m., and West Virginia, on Sunday at noon.
“That will prepare us for postseason play, playing games back to back as we will have to do for both the ALC Championships weekend and at (MCLA) nationals,” McQuillan said. “Both have proven to be teams that have a lot of talent and have taken big steps forward. Pittsburgh was ranked after starting 5-0 before going down to Georgia and Florida State and falling out of the Top 25.”
Both games will be streamed live, with updated links posted on Liberty Lacrosse’s Twitter feed or Facebook page.
McQuillan hopes the Flames don’t fall into the trap of overlooking their ALC North foes before facing South Carolina and Clemson down south next weekend.
“We have to understand that Liberty is going to get other teams’ best punch and we have to be very prepared for every team that we play,” he said. “Both (Pitt and WVU) are within the ALC and within the North Region, so these games count towards our playoff eligibility and seeding … going into the ALC tournament (set for April 29-30 at Lynchburg’s City Stadium). Hopefully, we will be able to wrap up a No. 1 seed after playing JMU (in the April 15 Midnight Mayhem regular-season finale).”
The Flames will return to the Liberty Lacrosse Fields for an April 7 showdown with No. 11 Concordia (Calif.), a team they defeated in the 2018 MCLA National Championships in Salt Lake City
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
