Weekender: Last Opportunity

(Photo by Lance Wendt)

by Jac Coyne | MCLA.us

LA CROSSE, Wis. – In the coming days, I’m going to be rolling out the press releases for the members of the MCLA Hall of Fame Class of 2025. It’s a group of excellent players and coaches (who once played), and they will be inducted on Friday night before the title games of the 2025 MCLA National Championships presented by New Balance in Round Rock, Texas.

If you had the opportunity to talk with any of them, do you know what they would all say?

That playing college lacrosse was one of the best experiences of their lives.

They would likely follow that up by saying that they probably didn’t appreciate it enough at the time.

That’s no knock on them. Everyone feels that way about one experience or another from that moment in their lives. The nature of being an 18-to-22-year-old is you don’t think in that manner. You are in your primes. Mortgages, marriage and mortality are for the old heads (as my eldest son calls me).

You do, however, have one last weekend – and perhaps another week if things break your way on Sunday night – of playing lacrosse with guys you’ll remember for the rest of your lives. Whether you’re a freshman, senior or grad student, it’s going to end eventually.

And it will be quicker than you think.

I’m not suggesting you wallow in the knowledge that your lacrosse career may be winding down. I’m promoting the opposite. Enjoy every last second of the remnants of the season. Have a big smile on your face during the practice-ending sprints. Get in a couple of extra shots before the lights are turned off. Get to the game field a little earlier and hang with your teammates before warm-ups.

Be present in the moment, because you can never get it back.

Games I’m Following

No. 12 Colorado vs. No. 2 Brigham Young, 10 a.m. – Friday (BYU -6.5 | 22)
Can lightning strike twice? I would be a lot more bullish on the Buffs had they managed to score more than five goals against Colorado State – the same Rams outfit that the Cougars nearly hung a 30-burger on the week before. Throw in the fact that BYU will be searching for catastrophic levels of revenge and this is not shaping up great for Colorado. The Buffs know that they can beat BYU, which is great, but they are going to be under siege from the opening whistle.

No. 19 Colorado State vs. No. 5 Utah Valley, 1 p.m. – Friday (UVU -3.5 | 19)
The first meeting was a 22-13 Wolverine victory, but the Rams have a little jump in their step after shutting down Colorado. CSU will be leaning on Charlie Bibaud and its defense to turn this into a grinder while UVU will be looking for a track meet. If Blake Yates proves too much for the Rams, it could set up a fifth meeting between UVU and BYU in the last calendar year. A sixth could be incoming.

No. 16 College of Idaho vs. No. 11 Montana, 1 p.m. – Friday (UM -2.5 | 20)
The regular season meeting was a 9-4 grinder – an odd outcome for both teams considering the offensive talent. The Yotes are on a cold streak, losing their last three after a 9-0 start. In those three losses, College of Idaho is averaging under five goals. The Grizzlies took care of Denver in their regular-season finale, but are just .500 since the end of March. There should be more goals than the first outing, but not too many more.

No. 19 Denver vs. No. 10 Utah State, 4 p.m. – Friday (USU -3 | 27)
The Pioneers win over the Aggies in late February stands as big accomplishment for the team, but they are just 3-2 since that victory. Goalie Matt Malone and his 20 saves played a big role in Denver’s win and he’ll have to be equally as good if the Pios want to advance to championship game and keep their slim nationals hopes alive. Utah State has some big wins, including Montana State, that has them as the top seed out of the Northwest, but they are coming off a thumping at the hands of Northwest Nazarene. This should be a good one.

No. 9 Montana State vs. No. 8 Air Force, 7 p.m. – Friday (AFA -1.5 | 25)
Now we’re talking. A little national semifinal rematch from last spring along with a one-goal contest earlier this year. The Falcons have played two games so far in April – both divisional blowouts to Metro and Mines – so who knows how sharp they are going to be. The defending champs have rattled off six wins since back-to-back losses to St. Thomas and Utah State. The Bobcat defense appears to have coalesced since the first meeting when Air Force hung 16 on MSU, so we might not get the same shootout.

No. 18 UNC-Wilmington vs. No. 14 Wake Forest, 10 a.m. – Saturday (WF -1 | 22.5)
This is a rematch of a Feb. 1 tilt that Wake won, 13-11, at a neutral site, but Wilmington appears to be a bit more polished of late. Wake only played two dates in April – including the curious decision to play a doubleheader against Kennesaw and Charlotte in the span of three hours – so rust could be a factor. Overtime wouldn’t shock me.

Sonoma State vs. No. 18 UC Santa Barbara, 4:30 p.m. – Saturday (SB -4.5 | 19)
The Gauchos have seemingly played to their opponent’s level all season. Five of their six losses are by two goals or fewer while three of their wins are by the same margin. They handled the Seawolves on Feb. 15, 11-5, but a lot has transpired for both teams from then. UCSB has to make sure they are not looking ahead to a Cal Poly rematch on Sunday or Noma could jump up and clip them.

Boise State vs. Oregon, 6 p.m. – Saturday (BSU -1.5 | 35)
Hopefully the facilities guys at Hermiston (Ore.) High School know how to string a solid net because both ends are going to be put to the test. The Broncos and Ducks combined for 32 goals in the first meeting March 1 and i think they might combo up for more in this one. As is always the case in projected shootouts, the goalies will be the ones to make the difference. Bond Barnette, who grew up just outside of Portland, has improved in the Boise cage since his first round with the Ducks. Sam Perez has been on a three-game heater of late, averaging nearly 15 saves per contest. Buckle up.

Slides & Rides

- If you’re a bracketologist, you can advance North Dakota State to Saturday’s semifinal against Grand Valley State after Central Michigan opted out, triggering a no contest…if you’d like to follow all of the conference brackets, you can find them HERE.

- The nationals brackets will be released on Sunday evening after the committee does their thing. Division II will be announced first, followed by Division I. Get all of your information, including the two brackets, HERE.

- One last chance for the PEARL Goalie of the Week and Warrior Player of the Week awards, so get those nominations in to info@mcla.us by noon on Monday. Might as well throw in Player of the Month nomination for April, as well.