Team's destiny now in USLIA voters' hands
The No. 10 Arizona men's club lacrosse team lost to No. 5 Santa Barbara in the Western Collegiate Lacrosse League quarterfinal Saturday 11-5.
Now the Laxcats' destiny is in the hands of the U.S. Lacrosse Intercollegiate Association voters who will decide May 2 which teams will be in the national tournament beginning May 10 in Blaine, Minn.
"Unfortunately, we're at the mercy of the voters right now," said junior defender Carson Parmelee.
Arizona is pulling for No. 9 Virginia Tech to defeat No. 11 Florida State in the South Eastern Lacrosse Conference, which is the overwhelming factor in Arizona's bubble watch.
The Laxcats chances of being selected are still unclear, given that the team failed to reach the final four of their conference. However, strength of schedule and quality wins against No. 8 San Diego and No. 3 BYU during the regular season should improve their chances.
Currently, three top-10 teams including Arizona, UCSB and No. 8 UCSD represent a respectable WCLL conference.
Still, Arizona remains questionable, recording losses from No. 2 Sonoma State, No. 4 Michigan and No. 5 UCSB Saturday after experiencing a 44-hour trip with 22 hours of bus time.
"When you have all that going against you, plus you're playing one of the best teams in the country, the odds are going to be against you," said Parmelee.
The meeting resembled the game of cat-and-mouse that the Laxcats faced April 9 when they took their first loss 10-6 in Santa Barbara.
The Laxcats began to catch sight of the Gauchos' heels Saturday as they managed to score three goals in the third period to close the score to an 8-4 deficit. The Gauchos came out hot, pulling away early in the first half with eight goals, compared to Arizona, who felt the reverse effect with one goal.
The Laxcats managed to sneak one in, but UCSB finished strong, with three goals in the fourth period.
The Laxcats will take the first three days of the week off and resume practice Thursday afternoon.