2010 JU Lacrosse Schedule Packs a Punch, But What Kind of Punch?

ThE 2009 NCAA Lacrosse season is over and Syracuse was crowned the national champion. Watching the game on Memorial Day only got me more hyped for the inaugural season for JU lacrosse at the Division 1 level. The schedule was just released last week and it definitely will offer a challenge to Matt Kerwick and his young bunch next season:

2/6/2010	NORTH CAROLINA
2/13/2010	BELLARMINE
2/27/2010	at VMI		Lexington, Va.
3/2/2010	MOUNT ST. MARY'S
3/6/2010	PROVIDENCE
3/10/2010	YALE
3/13/2010	SACRED HEART
3/20/2010	MANHATTAN
3/27/2010	at Robert Morris		Moon Township, Pa.
4/3/2010	at Duke		Durham, N.C.
4/10/2010	RUTGERS
4/17/2010	at Presbyterian		Clinton, S.C.
4/24/2010	at Hofstra		Hempstead, N.Y.

The schedule offers a nice mix of powerful teams in NCAA lacrosse along with some teams in the lower-tier of Division 1 that will allow for some competitive games for JU.

According to laxpower.com rankings, JU will play two teams in the top seven in the country. The first of those teams will come in the first game for the Dolphins when they take on North Carolina. I do not believe that their schedule will be as difficult as some people will say however.

The combined record of all 13 teams Jacksonville plays next year is 91-108, which averages out to about a 7-8 record. Five of the 13 teams have a winning record, with two of the teams (Manhattan & Robert Morris) in the bottom half of the country in the rankings. Any team that has already been playing d-1 college lacrosse would find this schedule fairly easy.

I'm not here to say that this will be an easy schedule or even a decent schedule, because for a team with mostly freshman, a few transfers and some kids that could make it from the club team, their heads will be spinning from the competition. Most of the teams on the schedule are not used to playing teams that they know they will be better than. It sucks to say it, but the Dolphins will struggle this year as they get adjusted to life as a division 1 team. All the tools are in place for this team to succeed eventually, but everyone takes their bumps and bruises in their first season so it will be nothing to be ashamed of.

It is something that I am excited to be apart of next year, one way or another!