Recap: Emphatic Debut for Baylor

by Jac Coyne | MCLA.us

When a team moves from Division I to Division II, typically there is an expectation of heightened success. That was certainly the case with Baylor’s move from LSA-I to LSA-II this spring, as the Bears were tabbed fourth in the preseason coaches poll.

After one game, Baylor appears to be fulfilling its promise as the Bears beat Abilene Christian, 19-8, on Saturday afternoon in Waco.

Senior Ethan Gwaltney and junior Trey Cambere scored six goals and dished out three assists apiece in the triumph. Granted, this was a non-league LSA contest for the Bears and Abilene is coming off a winless season, but the win still caught the attention of the school newspaper.

Baylor travels to Dallas Baptist this coming weekend before diving into the conference schedule.

The boys had a blast coaching up the local youth players at this morning's free clinic. #Growthegame
A photo posted by @calpolylacrosse on Jan 28, 2017 at 3:22pm PST

Wake Forest Faces Tough Path
The Demon Deacons pushed all their chips into the middle of the table on the first weekend of the season and now they might be standing on the rail for the postseason.

Opening with a pair of conference road games to start the campaign, Wake lost both by a goal, ending any reasonable chance to make the SELC tournament.

The Deacons lost to Davidson, 9-8, on Saturday before bowing in overtime, 16-15, to UNC-Charlotte on Sunday. A win against divisional favorite Appalachian State on Feb. 25 would keep some faint tie-breaker scenarios alive, but things are looking grim in Winston-Salem.

Louisiana Tech Grabs First Win
La. Tech joined the MCLA this spring in LSA Division II and it didn’t take the Bulldogs long to record their first victory in the association. Tech scored seven goals in the first quarter and fought off a late charge from Dallas Baptist to post an 11-8 triumph.

The ‘Dogs will look to keep the good vibes going with a pair of league games this coming weekend against TAMU-Galveston and Rice.

Notes
Speaking of Rice, the Owls gave defending LSA championship La.-Lafayette all it could handle before losing, 13-10. David Nelson had five goals in the setback…UCLA rallied to subdue Cal State Long Beach, 10-9, in overtime on Sunday…Washington breezed in its opener, throttling D-II Portland, 20-3.