Newport Beach, Calif. – The second edition of the Pacific Coast Shootout will be a matchup of former Atlantic Coast Conference men’s lacrosse rivals Maryland and North Carolina on Saturday, March 21 at 7:00 PM (PT) at Eddie West Field at Santa Ana Stadium.
The Terrapins, 13-4 and NCAA semifinalists in 2014, will be playing their first season in the Big Ten Conference in 2015, after being charter members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Tar Heels, charter and current members of the ACC, finished their 2014 campaign with a 10-5 record after suffering a 9-5 loss to Denver in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The inaugural Pacific Coast Shootout featured the Denver Pioneers and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on March 8, 2014. The Pioneers won that contest 10-7, before a crowd of 5,870 fans at LeBard Stadium. The hero in that game was Denver attackman and Santa Ana, Calif. native Erik Adamson, who scored six goals in his homecoming.
“After the success of the inaugural Pacific Coast Shootout, we are excited to announce that Maryland and North Carolina will continue their heated rivalry and move it three-thousand miles from home to Southern California,” said the event’s Executive Director, G.W. Mix. “This is one of the best college lacrosse match-ups of the year, and it will be played right here.”
Maryland will be making its first regular season appearance in Southern California and its first under current head coach John Tillman, who is in his fifth year at the helm in College Park.
“We are honored to play in the Pacific Coast Shootout against a very talented North Carolina team. There are many benefits to being part of such a great event. We look forward to supporting the growth of lacrosse in Southern California, while providing the opportunity for Terps lacrosse fans and alums to see the team live,” said Tillman. “Our program has had some great players come from the west coast and there is a strong Maryland lacrosse presence there. I want to thank the event organizers for providing such a special opportunity for our student-athletes and University.”
North Carolina, led by seventh-year head coach Joe Breschi, returns to the Southland for the first time since a 9-7 loss to Notre Dame at The Home Depot Center in Carson during the 2005 season.
“The University of North Carolina, the athletic department and our lacrosse program are thrilled to be a part of the Pacific Coast Shootout. I’d like to thank the organizers for all their hard work in making this game a reality for both UNC and Maryland,” Breschi said. “To pull a tremendous matchup of this caliber out West in the regular season is special, and we are truly thankful for the opportunity. The game of lacrosse and recruiting has spread dramatically across the country over the last decade and this is a clear indication of its tremendous growth. I hope the fans from Southern California enjoy the experience!”
Tickets for the Pacific Coast Shootout are already on sale at pclaxshootout.com and range from $20-$35.
In 2009, Adam O’Neill, Harry Alford and Thomas Alford launched Lacrosse Playground as the preeminent site for lacrosse gearheads. For years Lacrosse Playground provided lacrosse fans with tutorials and tips on how to string a lacrosse head, up-close looks at the gear the top players used and sneak peeks at equipment and uniforms before they were released. More than 10 years and millions of visits later, Lacrosse Playground has relaunched with a focus on storytelling. Our mission is to provide comprehensive coverage of the latest lacrosse news, share insights into the sports betting and fantasy lacrosse world and showcase the lifestyles and personalities of the sport of lacrosse through articles, videos and podcasts.
Predicting the PLL Protected Player Rosters (Pro Lacrosse Talk Podcast #129)
byPro Lacrosse Talk
On this episode of the Pro Lacrosse Talk Podcast, Hutton Jackson and Adam Moore are joined by Lacrosse Playground contributor Brian Andrews. They discuss the Atlas cutting Scott Rodgers, Jeremy Thompson, Kyle Hartzell and Callum Robinson, the trade that sent Rob Pannell to the Redwoods and Chris Hogan, Dalton Crossan and Garrett Thul joining the PLL. They also discuss the retirement of Matt Danowski and Brett Schmidt, provide their predictions for the protected rosters particularly with Dillon Ward, Connor Fields, Paul Rabil, Joe Walters and Kyle Harrison, and theorize what it would take for Coach Sean Quirk to trade the top pick in the PLL Entry Draft and presumably the chance to draft Lyle Thompson.
—
Pro Lacrosse Talk is the flagship lacrosse podcast of the Lacrosse Playground network covering all three professional lacrosse leagues (NLL, PLL, Athletes Unlimited). Each week throughout the season we’ll recap the games, provide analysis on the teams and feature exclusive postgame and off-the-field interviews with professional lacrosse players, coaches and executives. If you’re a fan of lacrosse podcasts like the Unbuckled Chinstrap, The Inside Feed, Lacrosse Classified or The Crease Dive, then give us a listen.