The Colorado men’s lacrosse club begins its long-awaited regular season this weekend.
As of March 1, the MCLA Division I ranking lists CU at No. 7.
Despite the hype, CU faltered in the pre-season, losing to Division III Colorado College, 7-9.
They can expect to see other teams in their rearview mirror throughout the season.
The Buffs will warm up with the season opener Friday versus New Hampshire. After that, they must regroup quickly for a highly anticipated matchup of powers against No. 3 ranked Simon Fraser.
Friday will also be the season opener for New Hampshire, who will go on to face Colorado State on Sunday.
On the other hand, Simon Fraser already handily defeated Western Washington on Feb. 6, winning 18-3. They will face Colorado State in Fort Collins on Friday, before visiting Boulder on Sunday.
Pete Stevenson begins his first year at the helm for the Buffs, replacing long-time head coach John Galvin.
Stevenson acknowledged the daunting task facing him of filling Galvin’s shoes.
“It’s tough to come in after somebody who was so successful,” Stevenson said. “He was an amazing coach, but I’m just glad I get to put in my program and do things my way.”
His way will be the law for a seasoned group of lacrosse players. There are 15 seniors on the squad, and Stevenson has yet to determine who among the will emerge as the leaders.
“I expect a lot out of them,” he said. “I still don’t have captains, some stand out but as a group they do a very good job.”
Finally, Stevenson was not timid about the goals he and the entire team have set for themselves prior to the season’s start.
“I’m very optimistic about this season,” Stevenson said. “I feel we can win the conference championship, and make a strong push for the national championship.”
Last May, the Buffs finished with a 15-7 record and made it all the way to the semi-final round of the MCLA National Championship.
When asked if he could be satisfied with similar results to last year’s Stevenson simply said, “Anything other than a championship’s not going to be good enough. We are going to have to be a better team.”
The Buffs kick off their first game versus New Hampshire on Friday at 7 p.m. and Simon Fraser on Sunday at 7 p.m. Both games will take place at Kittredge Field on the University of Colorado campus.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Gino Figlio at Gino.figlio@colorado.edu.
