:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/24547837/walkout.0.jpg)
But no matter! Yesterday, the men's lacrosse team announced their schedule for the second season in program history, and the first season as official members of the Big East.
The preseason will consist of games at High Point and Michigan, and the regular season will get started on Saturday, February 8, 2014, as Marquette heads to Bethlehem, PA, to take on Lehigh. The Mountain Hawks are a perfect example of how this season shapes up, as Lehigh starts the season ranked #21 in the country according to Inside Lacrosse's Face Off Yearbook.
Head coach Joe Amplo has slated seven straight road games for his Golden Eagles to start the season, and Lehigh is not even the crown jewel of that start. It's not Coach Amplo's alma mater, Hofstra, who starts the season #24 in the coaches' poll. It's also not even #7 Ohio State, as Marquette travels to Columbus on February 22nd. The big time game on the schedule is a return match of the last year's season finale, as MU heads to Durham, North Carolina, on March 11, to play preseason #1 and defending national champion Duke.
Marquette will open both the home portion of the schedule and their first ever Big East season in the same game as they play host to Villanova. The Wildcats and their preseason #18 ranking will come to Milwaukee on Saturday, March 22. The start of the Big East schedule doesn't mean the end of preseason favorites, though. Marquette will travel to play #16 St. John's on April 6th before returning home for a non-conference tilt against #4 Notre Dame. The Irish will be the first opponent on a three game home stand, with Providence and Georgetown (#25 in the coaches' poll) also coming to town.
Marquette will wrap up both the regular season with one final game against a team in the preseason rankings. The Golden Eagles will face fellow Big East newcomer and preseason #5 Denver in the final conference match of the season out in the Mile High City on April 26th.
Marquette finished last season 5-8, and even though just four of the seven teams in the Big East will qualify for the conference tournament, Coach Amplo is optimistic about what his team can accomplish.
"We want to be a participant in the BIG EAST championship and playing our best that last weekend of the season," said Amplo. "The whole formula while putting this schedule together was how to be best prepared to compete in that month of April against the BIG EAST teams."
You can check out the full schedule here.
