Riding a four-game winning streak, the Arizona men's lacrosse team squares off against No. 2 Santa Barbara at home this weekend.
The Laxcats (4-1) have had two weeks to prepare for the Gauchos (6-0), who put their perfection on the line at 1 p.m. Sunday at Murphy Stadium.
Junior attackman Luke Wilson, who scored four points in Santa Barbara's 10-5 win over the Wildcats in April, returns for the match up with Santa Barbara, as does fellow front-liner and team captain Hank Caulkins.
Meanwhile, counterparts Greg Polheber and Adam Paris have kept the ball rolling for Arizona. The sophomore attackmen scored a combined five goals Feb. 22 against Texas Tech, with Polheber adding four assists in the Laxcats' 21-5 triumph.
Given the parity of the teams, Arizona doesn't expect a shootout.
"A defensive game is going to be key," said senior goalie Charlie Salemi, who registered 11 saves against the Aggies. "Both teams have great defenses as well as great offenses. (Our) defense is really going to have to control the game."
A win over the Gauchos would provide some welcome momentum for the Laxcats. The team embarks on a five-game road trip after the weekend, starting March 13 and 14 with visits to Michigan and Michigan State.
Arizona returns home April 3 against UC San Diego.
"I think (our players) realize that we're so close to being one of the top teams in our league, and if we beat Santa Barbara, we'll be one of them," said Arizona head coach Kenny Broschart. "We see the opportunity in front of us; we just have to take it."
Because of a rainout in Los Angeles last week, the Gauchos haven't played since Feb. 21. Despite their inactivity, the team retained its ranking in the United States Lacrosse Intercollegiate Associates' Feb. 25 poll.
"I think they'll be ready to play, whether they had practices or not," Broschart said. "They'll be more than ready to play us. We're the biggest game of their season when it comes to the conference."
"Our intensity must be in everything we do, whether it's going after ground balls as we did against Texas Tech or putting the ball in the back of the cage," Salemi said. "Hard work will pay off for us."