2014 Endicott Men's Lacrosse Schedule
BEVERLY, Mass. – Coming off a 13-6 season and appearance in the CCC championship game in 2013, the Endicott men's lacrosse team has released their 2014 schedule which features five teams that qualified for the NCAA Division III Tournament and several that ranked among the nation's top-20 teams by the end of last year.
Endicott's 16-game regular season schedule consists of seven home games, eight road games, and one neutral contest which all culminate with the CCC Tournament on April 26th-May 3rd with an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament on the line.
The Blue and Green will host Stevens for their home opener on Sunday, February 23rd at Endicott Stadium to start their spring campaign. Stevens, ranked #15 in the country in the final USILA national poll last season, were ousted in the semifinal round of the Empire 8 Tournament but were able to advance past Montclair State 13-11 in their NCAA First Round. The Gulls and Ducks have met five times since 2009 with Stevens holding a 4-1 advantage with two of those wins coming by just one goal.
Endicott's second contest of the 2014 season will be on the road at NESCAC semifinalist Connecticut College, tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, March 4th. Connecticut College finished last season ranked #16 in the country but missed out on an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament despite a 12-4 record. The Gulls and Camels, with four career meetings between the two programs, haven't faced off since the 2007 season. Endicott's only win against Connecticut College came in 2007, a 16-9 win at Endicott Stadium.
The Gulls visit Eastern Connecticut State on Saturday, March 8th, a team they have beaten in each of the last two seasons, before opening up their CCC schedule on Wednesday, March 12th at home against UNE. After dropping a regular season meeting with the Nor'easters in mid-April, the Blue and Green exacted their revenge by handily taking their CCC Semifinal meeting with UNE 15-6 at the stadium. The Gulls are 20-2 all-time against UNE with an average margin of victory of 10 goals per win.
Endicott returns to their challenging non-conference schedule with showdowns with NESCAC member Amherst on Friday, March 14th at home and with Pilgrim League champion and NCAA qualifier Springfield on Wednesday, March 19th on the road.
After a road CCC game at Roger Williams on Saturday, March 22nd, Endicott and the USILA's 10th-ranked Middlebury will meet on neutral turf Tuesday, March 25th. The game will be played at Harvard's Soldiers Field, marking the third straight season the Gulls have taken on a powerhouse lacrosse program at Harvard. Endicott and Middlebury have not met since the 2005 season.
Following the Middlebury game, Endicott plays a string of CCC games with Nichols on Saturday, March 29th then two home games against Wentworth (Tuesday, April 1st) and Gordon (Saturday, April 5th).
On Tuesday, April 8th, Endicott will roll into Tufts for their annual meeting with the Jumbos. Tufts reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament, advancing past Norwich and Stevens before falling to the national runner up RIT 14-5. Tufts won their fourth straight NESCAC title in 2013 and finished with a 16-5 overall record. Endicott is 3-10 all-time against Tufts but has won two of their past three games when the Jumbos were ranked #1 (2011) and #4 (2013) in the country. None of Endicott's three wins, however, have come on the road.
Endicott's final two home games of the season will be a strong test heading into the CCC playoffs. The Gulls Western New England, winners of the CCC for two straight seasons, on Tuesday, April 15th at Endicott Stadium. The Golden Bears upset Endicott 9-5 in last spring's CCC Championship and went on to earn two victories in the NCAA Tournament to reach the quarterfinal round. These two teams have exchanged wins in each of their last six games dating back to the 2010 season with Western New England holding an 8-5 series advantage. The Gulls will also host regionally-ranked Bowdoin on Saturday, April 19th for Senior Day. Bowdoin suffered an early exit from the NESCAC Tournament but did manage to defeat Endicott 14-4 during the regular season, marking four straight wins over the Gulls.
Should Endicott capture their eighth conference championship in program history on May 3rd in the CCC title game, the Gulls will anticipate competing in the NCAA Division III Tournament which takes place starting on Wednesday, May 7th with First Round action and ending on Sunday, May 18th with the NCAA Division III Championship Game.
