2006 First Four moves to San Diego's Torero Stadium
Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2005 7:22 am
From Loyola press release...
Loyola '06 Schedule Features First Four Invitational, JHU
BALTIMORE, MD – The Loyola College men's lacrosse team has released its 2006 season schedule and to no one's surprise, the Greyhounds will once again play the nation's top teams. Highlighting the new schedule will be a First Four match-up with 2005 NCAA Finalist Duke (in San Diego) and Loyola's traditional season finale with defending NCAA champion Johns Hopkins at Diane Geppi-Aikens Field.
"We continue to challenge ourselves with one of the most competitive schedules around," says Loyola Head Coach Bill Dirrigl. "Eight of our 12 games are against NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago."
For the third year in a row, the Greyhounds open the season with local-rival Towson. With the road team winning each of the last six games in this highly contested series, the Greyhounds hope to continue that trend at Johnny Unitas Stadium on Saturday, February 25, before its home opener with ECAC foe Penn State the following Saturday.
Playing its second season in the ECAC, the Greyhounds will face the same strong cast of characters including 2005 NCAA Quarterfinalists Georgetown and Massachusetts, as well as Penn State, St. John's, Rutgers, Hobart and newcomer Fairfield.
"The ECAC is a very good conference and will only get better with the addition of Fairfield," says Dirrigl. "We look forward to improving upon our 4-2 conference record last season and forming long-time rivalries with some excellent lacrosse programs."
The highlighted road trip of 2006 has to be Loyola's participation in the second-annual First Four Invitational. Last year's First Four Invitational was held in Los Angeles, Calif. and drew 7,182 fans for a one-day doubleheader featuring Syracuse, Georgetown, Notre Dame and North Carolina. This year's Four, which will be played in Torero Stadium in San Diego, includes Loyola, Duke, Navy and Bucknell.
The one-day doubleheader will be played on March 11 with Loyola facing Duke at 5 p.m. local time. Navy will take on Bucknell in the second game, starting at 7:30 p.m. PST. Both games will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Net.
"The First Four is a great opportunity to get some national exposure," says Dirrigl. "We anticipate a great atmosphere and a great crowd and look forward to the whole experience."
The Greyhounds will return from California and stay on the road for back-to-back-to-back games at St. John's, UMass and Syracuse, playing the Orange on Saturday, April 1 in the Carrier Dome.
Loyola will return to Geppi-Aikens Field on Saturday, April 8 and will host conference rivals Rutgers and Georgetown in consecutive Saturdays. Road games at Fairfield and Hobart close out April while a Senior Day bash with Johns Hopkins closes out the regular season on May 6.
Loyola's 2006 Men's Lacrosse Schedule
Feb. 25 at Towson TBA
Mar. 4 Penn State* 1 p.m.
Mar. 7 Wagner 3 p.m.
Mar. 11 vs. Duke# 8 p.m.
Mar. 18 at St. John's* 1 p.m.
Mar. 25 at UMass* 12 p.m.
April 1 at Syracuse 1 p.m.
April 8 Rutgers* 1 p.m.
April 15 Georgetown* 1 p.m.
April 22 at Fairfield* 1 p.m.
April 29 at Hobart* 1 p.m.
May 6 Johns Hopkins 1 p.m.
*ECAC Game
#First Four – San Diego, Calif.