MCLA Tournament 2015: Complete Preview, Predictions and Players to Watch
ORANGE, Calif. — Although the NCAA Division I Lacrosse Tournament will steal the spotlight next week, another event may be just as exciting.
The Mens Collegiate Lacrosse Association’s national tournament starts on Monday at Chapman Stadium. This year’s bracket boasts an exciting field of teams and should provide a great week of lacrosse.
All games can be watched live at MCLA.us.
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| Monday, May 11 | |
| 4:30 p.m. | No. 1 Grand Canyon vs. No. 16 Purdue |
| 4:30 p.m. | No. 2 Arizona State vs. No. 15 UConn |
| 4:45 p.m. | No. 3 Colorado vs. No. 14 Texas State |
| 4:45 p.m. | No. 4 Chapman vs. No. 13 Michigan State |
| 7:30 p.m. | No. 5 BYU vs. No. 12 Stanford |
| 7:30 p.m. | No. 6 Westminster vs. No. 11 Georgia Tech |
| 7:15 p.m. | No. 7 Virginia Tech vs. No. 11 San Diego State |
| 7:15 p.m. | No. 8 Oregon State vs. No. 9 Cal Poly |
Games to Watch
Virginia Tech vs. San Diego State (First Round)
If there's any perfect matchup of dark-horse contenders in this tournament, it's the Virginia Tech-SDSU game.
VT is one of two undefeated MCLA D-I teams this season and may be the nation's most underrated squad. Although they played a fairly soft schedule, the Hokies have quality wins over Georgia Tech and Liberty on their resume.
San Diego State is another overlooked team that could make a deep run. The Aztecs won 14 of their first 15 games, including big ones over BYU and Arizona, before consecutively falling to Arizona State and Grand Canyon.
Virginia Tech and San Diego State match up well against one another and will undoubtedly provide a thrilling first-round contest.
Chapman vs. BYU (Quarterfinal)
Both the Panthers and the Cougars have favorable first-round matchups, so a quarterfinal meeting is likely. And luckily for lacrosse fans, it may be one of the most entertaining games of the tournament.
BYU is an underrated but dangerous squad that took down Grand Canyon, Westminster and Michigan State this season. Chapman is just as hot, winning seven of their last eight.
The game will feature two of the nation's best attackmen—Chapman's Steve Koressel and BYU's Jack Fabrizio—and could be a high-scoring affair. Although both teams are coming off of conference tournament losses, they could be poised for an entertaining second-round meeting.
Arizona State vs. Westminster (Semifinal)
We may be getting a little too far ahead of ourselves here, but a Final Four matchup between Arizona State and Westminster is any fan's dream.
The Sun Devils are undoubtedly one of the league's top teams, as two losses to Grand Canyon are the only things holding them back from a top ranking. On the other hand, Westminster has quietly been the king of the Rockies, with wins over Colorado, Colorado State and BYU on its resume.
Both teams could compete for the championship this year, and the winner will likely earn a matchup against top-seeded Grand Canyon in the title game.
Players to Watch
Mike Fabrizio (BYU)
Fabrizio is the 2015 Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference's Offensive Player of the Year and a three-time RMLC All-Conference Attack. He has scored 91 points this season and is one of the craftiest offensive players in the tournament.
Steve Koressel (Chapman)
Koressel is coming off of his worst statistical game of the season, scoring only two points in a conference tournament loss to Arizona State. Whether or not he can play well will be crucial for Chapman's success throughout the MCLA tourney.
Jace Gan (Colorado)
Gan has quietly cemented himself among the nation's most accurate shooters this season but has tallied only nine assists throughout Colorado's 18 games. He will be the biggest X-factor for the Buffs if they want to make their third straight trip to the national championship.
Carson Barton (Grand Canyon)
The Southwestern Conference's Offensive Player of the Year needs to have a big tournament if the Lopes want to make a national championship run. Barton has averaged over six points per game this season and may be the nation's best player.
Kyle Postler (Westminster)
Westminster may be this year's Cinderella team, and Postler is the perfect player to take on that role. He scored seven points in Westminster's upset win over BYU and has tallied six hat tricks on the season.
Chris Roufanis (Arizona State)
The biggest X-factor in this tournament may be ASU goalie Chris Roufanis, who has been unpredictable all season. His save percentage has topped 80 percent in multiple games but has also dipped below 40 on several occasions.
Bracket Predictions
Who do you have winning the 2015 MCLA Tournament? Sound off in the comments below.
Samuel Benson is a Featured Columnist for college lacrosse. Contact him at bensonsamb@gmail.com.
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