Liberty University Club Sports Athletics
The Flames let a first-half lead slip away against Virginia Tech in an Oct. 21 scrimmage at the Liberty Lacrosse Fields. (Photo by Kendall Tidwell)
Men’s lacrosse ranked No. 2 in MCLA Division I Preseason Poll
1/25/2024 6:35:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
Liberty will have an opportunity to challenge top-ranked Virginia Tech in an early-season showdown on Feb. 28 in Blacksburg after opening its 2024 regular season Feb. 10 at ALC rival Temple.
Liberty University's men's lacrosse team, which advanced to the semifinals of the MCLA Division I National Championships for the first time last spring, is ranked higher than ever before in this week's MCLA Division Preseason Coaches Poll, debuting at No. 2 behind only Atlantic Lacrosse Conference (ALC) rival Virginia Tech.
The Flames were eliminated in the Final Four by Concordia (Calif.) University, which went on to defeat Virginia Tech in the championship game. The Golden Eagles have moved up to the NCAA Division I ranks this season, leaving the Hokies and Liberty as the top two returning teams.
Southwestern Lacrosse champion Chapman (Calif.) University, the team Virginia Tech defeated in its semifinal, ranks third while Georgia Tech and Georgia, both representatives of the SouthEastern Lacrosse Conference that Liberty and Virginia Tech formerly were a part of, round out the top five.
"Virginia Tech and Liberty have held the No. 1 spot on occasion over the last couple years, going back and forth," Liberty Head Coach McQuillan said. "It is fun to have such good competition and a high-level rivalry with a good in-state opponent."
The possibility of a No. 1-2 showdown is very real as the Flames and Hokies will battle for early-season supremacy in both the ALC and the MCLA in just over a month.
"We will play Virginia Tech on Feb. 28 at Blacksburg on my birthday, the day that I turn 40, so we would love to get a win," McQuillan said. "We used to play Virginia Tech in the last game of the regular season, but now, realistically, there is a chance we will play them three times a year," in the regular season, ALC Tournament, and MCLA National Championships, so the two teams have decided to spread those meetings out.
Liberty will start its 2024 campaign a week from Saturday with an exhibition game at Southern Virginia University in Buena Vista, Va., before starting MCLA and ALC play on Feb. 10 at Temple University in Philadelphia. The Flames will have their first home dates the next two Saturdays against Northeastern on Feb. 17 and South Carolina on Feb. 24 before traveling to Virginia Tech the following Wednesday.
The Flames were eliminated in the Final Four by Concordia (Calif.) University, which went on to defeat Virginia Tech in the championship game. The Golden Eagles have moved up to the NCAA Division I ranks this season, leaving the Hokies and Liberty as the top two returning teams.
Southwestern Lacrosse champion Chapman (Calif.) University, the team Virginia Tech defeated in its semifinal, ranks third while Georgia Tech and Georgia, both representatives of the SouthEastern Lacrosse Conference that Liberty and Virginia Tech formerly were a part of, round out the top five.
"Virginia Tech and Liberty have held the No. 1 spot on occasion over the last couple years, going back and forth," Liberty Head Coach McQuillan said. "It is fun to have such good competition and a high-level rivalry with a good in-state opponent."
The possibility of a No. 1-2 showdown is very real as the Flames and Hokies will battle for early-season supremacy in both the ALC and the MCLA in just over a month.
"We will play Virginia Tech on Feb. 28 at Blacksburg on my birthday, the day that I turn 40, so we would love to get a win," McQuillan said. "We used to play Virginia Tech in the last game of the regular season, but now, realistically, there is a chance we will play them three times a year," in the regular season, ALC Tournament, and MCLA National Championships, so the two teams have decided to spread those meetings out.
Liberty will start its 2024 campaign a week from Saturday with an exhibition game at Southern Virginia University in Buena Vista, Va., before starting MCLA and ALC play on Feb. 10 at Temple University in Philadelphia. The Flames will have their first home dates the next two Saturdays against Northeastern on Feb. 17 and South Carolina on Feb. 24 before traveling to Virginia Tech the following Wednesday.
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