The men’s lacrosse team will carry on their playoff tradition, starting with a game against the University of Houston (UH) this Saturday, April 27. The team has gone to playoffs in the Lone Star Alliance branch of the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association in years past.

If the team wins their game against UH, they will face off against No. 1-seed Sam Houston State University (SHSU) this Sunday, April 28, in Friendswood, Texas.

“It’s pretty awesome. It just looks good for program nationwide, always having St. Edward’s [University] in the runnings of the playoffs and in the talk of going to nationals,” Club President and junior Michael Small said.

Of the 11 games the Hilltoppers played this season, the team won four. The Hilltoppers beat teams from Stephen F. Austin, UH, Trinity and Mary Hardin Baylor, going 4-1 in the division and 4-7 overall.

“We beat [the University of] Houston in the regular season, so we’re expecting them to be very hungry to win,” junior Captain Josh Phillips said. The Hilltoppers won the match against UH 15-12 in a close game.

Should the Hilltoppers beat UH this weekend, they will face one of their toughest matches against No. 1-seed SHSU. The Hilltoppers played against SHSU in regular season and lost 23-3. Sam Houston went 5-0 in the division.

“They’ve gone to nationals every year,” senior Captain Reed Traphagen said of SHSU. “A coach got in there about six years ago and just rebuilt the program.”

Regardless of the outcomes in the playoffs, both club leaders and the Director of Campus Recreation, Andy Lemons, agree that the benefits of being a part of a club sport outweigh any possible loss on the pitch.

“When they make playoffs, that’s icing on the cake for me because I know how excited they are. It’s about the development of the officers for me, and I expect that the tools or advice that I’m able to give to the officers that filters down to the players,” Lemons said.

Club sports’ successes—specifically men’s lacrosse’s—have also opened a new door into marketing St. Edward’s to potential students.

“We’ve had conversations with marketing and admissions about the impact that our club sport teams can have on recruiting,” Lemons said.

Lacrosse players and coaches often attend high school lacrosse games and speak to high schoolers about potentially coming to St. Edward’s, using their experiences with club sports on campus as a hook for new players.

“There’s absolutely now an impact that you can see,” Lemons said. “There’s a community of people that incoming freshmen or incoming students want to be a part of.”