Badgers going for gold
Brock opens men’s field lacrosse playoffs against No. 7 seed Laurier after compiling 12-0 record
After going undefeated through the regular season, the Brock University men’s lacrosse team wants to make history repeat itself.
The Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association playoffs open Sunday when the team hosts the Laurier Golden Hawks on Brock’s Alumni Field.
The 1 p.m. game against Laurier, which finished sixth in the seventeam western division with a 2-10 record, marks the Waterloo’s second match against the Badgers this year. Brock downed the Hawks 17-6 in a league game Oct. 14 in St. Catharines. Brock heads into post-season with a 12-0 regular season record, an achievement the men’s lacrosse program hasn’t pulled off since 2009, when the Badgers last won a Baggataway Cup national championship. The university has one of the most decorated lacrosse programs in the country with 18 CUFLA titles in its 31-year history.
In addition to going undefeated, this year’s Badgers squad set both a team and CUFLA single-season record with 232 goals scored.
“We’re happy with the season we’ve had to date,” first-year head coach Tim Luey said. “Finishing 12-0 is no small feat, but going into the season our team goal was not just to go undefeated or finish first place.
“We have a group of veteran players who are excited to get back into the playoffs and compete for our real goal of a national championship.”
The Badgers had five players in the yop 25 of CUFLA scoring led by Brandon Slade who registered a career-high 86 points (28 goals, 58 assists) in 12 games. He became just the second player in school history to record 300 points in a career. Tyrus Rehanek finished 12th in league with 46 points, Kurtis Woodland had 39 points, Connor Ham had 34 points and rookie Connor Brown added 33.
Brock also has one of the top defensive units in the league led by two-time national defensive player of the year, Parker Baile, along with Joshua Harris, Adam Kirchmayer, Adam Mackinnon and rookie standout Latrell Harris, who also plays in the National Lacrosse League.