EUGENE, Ore. – Oregon men’s lacrosse has secured the No. 6 seed in the 2010 MCLA National Championship Tournament in Denver, Colo. at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. The tournament is set to take place May 11-15 and the Ducks have been slated to play the No. 11 seed Colorado Buffaloes on Tuesday, May 11 in the first round of play.
Oregon enters the tournament with a season record of 10-4, including a most recent win over the Simon Fraser Clansman in Bend, Ore. on May 2. With a 14-8 victory, the Ducks earned the 2010 Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse League title and an automatic bid to the national tournament. The Ducks were led to victory by 2010 PNCLL Defensive MVP Nick Johnston, who had 23 saves on the day and quarterbacked multiple fast break goals for the Ducks. Junior midfielder Kevin Clark (2 goals), senior midfielder Chad Loescher (2 assists), junior attackmen Justin Eckenroad (2 goals, 1 assist) and Max Schlesinger (2 goals, 1 assist) led the scoring attack for the Ducks.
The Colorado Buffaloes, Oregon’s first round opponent, enters the tournament with an at-large bid and a record of 6-8. The Buffaloes have had regular season victories over teams including the BYU Cougars, Simon Fraser Clansmen, Michigan State Spartans, and a win over the University of Michigan that snapped the Wolverines 49-game winning streak. The Buffaloes most recent game was a loss to BYU on April 30 in the first round of Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference playoffs.
If the Ducks advance over the Buffaloes, Oregon will go on to face the winner of the game between the No. 3 Arizona State Sun Devils and No. 14 Cal Poly Mustangs. Also in Oregon’s side of the bracket are the No. 2 Colorado State Rams, No. 7 Florida State Seminoles, No. 10 Simon Fraser Clansmen, and No. 15 Boston College Eagles.
The Ducks and Buffaloes will faceoff on Tuesday, May 11 at 7:00 p.m. MT on the field adjacent to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. For a complete bracket and game schedules, visit www.mcla.us. Be sure to visit www.oregonlacrosse.org and www.quacklax541.com for updates as the Ducks prepare for Denver.
