News|Schedule / Results|Roster|Officers &Coaches|

UTC Gears Up for Title Defense

Jan. 21, 2014

Ranked #23 in the NCLL D-II Preseason Top-25 Poll, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's lacrosse team enters the 2014 season looking for a third straight Deep South Conference championship and trip to the NCLL National Tournament.

Coming off of a 3-2 record during fall ball, the Mocs begin the season with six straight away games, before returing to Chattanooga for the final six games of the regular season.

The season begins with a trip to NCAA D-III opponent Huntingdon. The Hawks are coming off of a 7-8 campaign in 2013, which featured a 16-6 win over DSC rival, Mississippi State.

UTC then visits Waleska, GA to take on Georgia State in a neutral site matchup before facing off against MCLA D-II Reinhardt. The Mocs dropped games against both teams last year, losing 14-19 to GSU and 1-14 to Reinhardt.

MCLA D-II Tennessee Wesleyan hosts the Mocs following a hard fought 7-6 UTC win during the fall. The Bulldogs are coming off their 5th SELC Tournament appearance in six years.

UTC opens up Deep South Conference play with a trip to Starkville, MS to play Mississippi State. The last four meetings between the teams have been decided by a single goal, with UTC winning the last three; including a come from behind 9-8 OT victory in the 2013 DSC Championship Game.

The last away game of the season sees the Mocs visit the University of Alabama for the first time since 2011.

The month long homestand starts off with visits from DSC rival Memphis and Morehouse. The Mocs split both games with Memphis in 2013, falling 12-14 in the regular season before avenging that loss in the DSC Tournament Semi-Finals with a 9-7 win. This will be UTC's first game against Morehouse, one of only four HBCU (Historically Black College and University) lacrosse programs in the country.

UTC plays host to Cincinnati, the 2012 NCLL D-II National Champions and runners-up in 2011 and 2013. The Bearcats have since moved up a division, and are ranked #16 in the NCLL D-1 Top-20 Preseason Poll.

The following week sees the Mocs play Western Kentucky for the first time since 2008, and the Point Skyhawks, who UTC defeated 12-2 in Memphis last season.

The regular season concludes with in-state rival Middle Tennessee. Having played since 2008, the Blue Raiders hold a 4-3 series lead over the Mocs, with MTSU winning last season's game, 12-11 in overtime.

This season's Deep South Conference Tournament will be held in Chattanooga for the first time ever, with the winner receiving an automatic bid to the NCLL National Tournament in Piscataway, NJ.