BURLINGTON, Vt. – The University of Vermont men’s lacrosse team announced its 2013 schedule today. The Catamounts will face three teams that ended last season ranked in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll, two of which reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Vermont opens the season on February 16 when it hosts Colgate at Virtue Field. The Raiders finished its 2012 campaign ranked eighth in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Poll with a 14-4 record and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Catamounts will play four of their next five games away from Virtue Field. They start out the stretch with road games against Providence (Feb. 23) and Dartmouth (Feb. 26) before heading home to host Bryant on March 2. The Bulldogs finished the 2012 season with a 14-4 record, and were ranked at the end of the year.
Following the Bryant game, UVM will face off against head coach Ryan Curtis’ alma mater, Virginia. The Cavaliers reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season and finished with the No. 5 national ranking. The Catamounts will then head to Calvert Hall School in Baltimore for a neutral site game with Quinnipiac on March 9. Vermont owns a 4-1 record all-time against Quinnipiac, with the last matchup resulting in a Catamount victory back in 2007.
UVM will host Wagner on March 16 and Holy Cross on March 19 before wrapping up non-conference play on March 23 with a road contest at Sacred Heart. Last season’s matchup between the two ended in a 12-11 victory for the Cats at Virtue Field.
Vermont begins America East Conference play March 30 with a home contest against defending America East champion Stony Brook. The Catamounts play their final road contest of the regular season on April 20 at Binghamton before rounding out the season at home on April 27 when they face Hartford. Last season UVM earned an 11-5 win against the Bearcats.
The America East Men’s Lacrosse Championships will begin with the semifinals on May 1 and culminates with the championship game set for May 4. In September, it was announced that Stony Brook’s Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium will play host to the 2013 and 2014 America East Championships. This will mark the first time in conference history that the championship will be held at a predetermined site.
Vermont will be looking to improve on last season after rounding out the year with a 2-12 record while finishing 1-4 in conference play. UVM added 19 newcomers this season including three transfers. The Catamounts will return 53% of their scoring from last season.
