Flames eager for Saturday’s ALC championship rematch with Hokies at City Stadium

Liberty University's No. 6-ranked men's lacrosse team has plenty of incentive, as well as a near home-field advantage, for Saturday's 3 p.m. Atlantic Lacrosse Conference semifinal showdown with No. 3 Virginia Tech (12-2) at Lynchburg's City Stadium.

It will be a rematch of last year's championship final in which the Hokies rallied from three goals down in the fourth quarter to win, 14-13, in double overtime.

"We are coming in with more to prove, and we are not only looking forward to Saturday, but we're well prepared for it," Flames Head Coach Kyle McQuillan said. "Virginia Tech has been the team the last two years that has won the ALC tournament and stood in our way of accomplishing one of our major goals. We haven't won an ALC Championship since 2021, so we definitely want to course-correct that."

More recently, on Feb 28, McQuillan's 40th birthday, Liberty battled 40 mph wind gusts and rallied from a 9-5 fourth-quarter deficit before falling to the then-top-ranked Hokies, 10-9, in Blacksburg, Va.

"It will probably be a bit of a different game, with a different feel," McQuillan said. "That game was played such a long time ago and it was pretty cold and windy. Both of us have grown and become better versions of ourselves. I would expect Saturday's game to be a little quicker, faster-paced, and, from a fan's perspective, more exciting."

The Flames (10-4) and Hokies (12-2), who previously competed year-in and year-out for SouthEastern Conference Northwest Region supremacy, are normally favored to meet in the ALC final, with Liberty winning the inaugural conference tournament crown in 2021 and Virginia Tech claiming the past two titles. But the Hokies lost their regular-season finale to No. 10 Tennessee (10-1), which will face West Virginia in Saturday's second semifinal game at 5:30 p.m., jumbling the tournament seedings. Virginia Tech defeated Clemson in last weekend's ALC quarterfinal matchup in Blacksburg, 17-9.

"This year's semifinals on Saturday have the potential to be every bit as exciting as the championship games were last year on Sunday," McQuillan said. "Obviously, credit goes out to Tennessee for getting a win in the last regular-season game and throwing a wrench in the tournament. This will be the fourth year in a row with a new team in the mix, with West Virginia qualifying for postseason play for the first time in 20 years (after Pittsburgh and Temple made their tournament debuts the past two seasons). Teams are growing and pushing each other, developing their programs, and earning postseason berths. It continues to get harder and harder to win the ALC championship."

While the Flames, Hokies, and Volunteers should all be locks to receive bids to the May 6-11 MCLA National Championships in Round Rock, Texas, an ALC Tournament championship would likely clinch a top-four seed for either Virginia Tech or Liberty.

"Coming off the JMU game (a 16-7 away win on April 14), which was probably one of our most complete games of the year, that was definitely a great (way) to launch us into postseason play," McQuillan said. "We built a lot of confidence and experienced success on both sides of the ball."

With his wife, Lauren, again serving as tournament director, McQuillan is looking forward to an even more hard-fought competition on the field as well as fan-friendly festivities and amenities around it.

"Weather's looking like it's going to be great, and there will be some really interesting matchups and competitive teams, but the event is a lot more than just lacrosse games that will be played," he said, noting that the Division II tournament pits Coastal Carolina against Wake Forest at 10 a.m. Saturday and Appalachian State against UNC Charlotte at 12:30 p.m. "There will be a lot of great food trucks, opportunities for kids to come out and play, and some fun things for the family to do.

"It has continued to grow, and sponsors and the local community have continued to step up," he added. "Attendance and support at games has grown for the past two or three years, and we are on track to eclipse numbers from last year and our livestream increasing as well. This will be the best tournament so far."

City Stadium is under contract to host the event for the next two years.

"Geographically, playing in Lynchburg makes a ton of sense," McQuillan said, referring to the city's central location.

Tickets can be purchased in advance online at discounted prices from the gate and a $15 livestream package is also available, with Moon Productions again providing the video and audio coverage.

By Ted Allen/Staff Writer

Flames eager for Saturday’s ALC championship rematch with Hokies at City Stadium

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