The SMU Club Lacrosse team pulled off an upset win over the University of Texas Friday night before defeating the TCU Horned Frogs Saturday afternoon at Gerald J. Ford Stadium.With the wins, the Mustangs sit atop the Lone Star Alliance Division of the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association, and are the first MCLA team to reach 6-0 in 2009.What’s more, the Mustangs have finally broken into the elite of collegiate lacrosse programs. In its most recent poll released Monday afternoon, MCLA Magazine ranked SMU No. 20 among Division I schools – the first time SMU lacrosse has cracked the Top 25 in the school’s history.”It’s a big accomplishment for the program,” said assistant coach and defensive coordinator Chip Hiemenz. “These guys have so much to be proud of after the work they have put in.”Against the previously-unbeaten Longhorns (4-1), SMU used an array of offensive weapons to battle UT to a 9-9 tie at the end of regulation.With just over 90 seconds to play in overtime, senior middie Taylor Manning fed junior attackman Tolar Hamblen for the game-winning goal before an overflow crowd at the Episcopal School of Dallas campus.It marks just the second time the SMU Club Lacrosse team has ever defeated the Longhorns.”I’d say this is the closest the team has ever been,” said junior goalie David Perrin. “Right now it seems we are playing well all across the board.”The overtime clincher was one of four points for Hamblen, while senior middie Andrew Monaco scored a team-high three goals. In addition, freshman attackman Greg Henderson and junior middie Riker Vermilye each scored twice.”I thought we really executed the game plan well,” head coach Alex Poole said. “The midfield is the strength of Texas’ team, and our long poles played extremely well against their middies.”SMU was able to overcome four goals from freshman Longhorn middie Johnny McKnight, a Highland Park native, as well as a pair of assists from senior attackman Evans Swann.The Mustangs then came back to defeat cross-town rival TCU (3-3) Saturday at Ford Stadium.SMU jumped out to a 3-0 lead after one quarter and never looked back. Up 6-2 at halftime, the team kept its perfect record intact with an 8-6 victory over the Horned Frogs.”TCU is in our division and we have to win those if we want to be on top,” Perrin said. “Our goal was to come out of the weekend with two wins and that’s what we did. Now hopefully we can do it again.”While Hiemenz acknowledged the upset of Texas as “absolutely a big win,” he stressed the importance of what may be the team’s toughest test all year – this weekend’s home matchup against the No. 14 Lindenwood Lions (2-0).”We have a long way to go,” he said. “Lindenwood is an outstanding and very-well coached team. They bring some of the top talent from all around the country. We have to keep playing as a team.”The Mustangs will host the Ole Miss Rebels (2-1) Friday at 7 p.m. before battling Lindenwood Sunday at noon.
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Lacrosse jumps into top 25
February 24, 2009