By
Jeff Lund
Arizona Daily Wildcat
The No. 15 Laxcats will try to keep their perfect record intact tomorrow against the Tucson Lacrosse Club and Sunday against Loyola Marymount.
After an 18-goal outburst against Division II Chapman last weekend, the Laxcats (1-0) know this weekend will test their strength and endurance.
"The game on Saturday should be interesting," head coach Mickey-Miles Felton said. "They have a lot of former (UA) players on the team."
Felton said that getting his team focused for the game might be difficult because tomorrow's opponent - a Tucson club team - doesn't compete on the collegiate level.
"I want to see how we deal with back-to-back games," Felton said. "It will be a physical game Saturday. Hopefully we will be able to turn on the jets Sunday and have the same type of game against LMU as we had against Chapman."
Greg Parkington said he is looking forward to both games this weekend.
"The new guys aren't used to it," Parkington said about the back-to-back games. "For the older guys, its no big deal. We just wind down after the game, then get back up for the next day."
Parkington does not think there will be a problem preparing for the Tucson club team tomorrow
"We are pretty geared up to run them (Tucson) into the ground," Parkington said.
Assistant coach Adam Hopkins said he was skeptical at first about the scheduling, but knows readying the team by playing games in succession will be helpful in the playoffs and nationals, in which the games are played back-to-back.
"We have the depth," Hopkins said. "We want to put pressure on offensively and defensively, and just harass every player out there."
Last year, the Laxcats defeated LMU 22-5 in the regular season and beat up on them again, 22-5, in the play-offs.
This season, LMU has flexed its offensive muscles by outscoring their opponents 33-9 (18-2,15-7) in their two victories and lost a close game 9-8 to a UCLA team that coach Felton describes as "good."
"It's one thing to play a weaker team," Felton said. "It's another thing to score points. That is what LMU did."
Felton said his team is ready to play this weekend, and is excited to have one of the leading scorers in Bryan Moore back from tonsillitis.
"We are just going to play hard and not worry," Felton said. "Just go out there and be aggressive."
The Laxcats take on the Tucson Lacrosse Club tomorrow at 1 p.m. at the Laxcat Coliseum, then LMU on Sunday at 1 p.m.
