HOFSTRA ANNOUNCES 2009 MEN’S LACROSSE SCHEDULE

Hempstead, NY --
A 13-game schedule, that includes seven homes games as well as a key league game that is part of the Big City Classic tripleheader at Giants Stadium, highlights the 2009 Hofstra University Men's Lacrosse schedule announced Tuesday. In addition Hofstra will serve as the host for the 2009 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship Northern Quarterfinals on Saturday, May 16.

The Pride, who captured their 17th conference championship last May in thrilling overtime fashion to advance to their 14th NCAA Division I Championship Tournament, begin their 61st season of lacrosse on Saturday, February 21 at James M. Shuart Stadium at 1 p.m. against long-time-rival, the Minutemen of Massachusetts. It is the first of seven home games that will bring perennial national contenders, Princeton on March 14, and North Carolina on April 18, to Shuart Stadium. CAA championship contenders Drexel (April 8) and Villanova (April 25) as well as local-rival Stony Brook (April 21) will also make visits to Shuart Stadium.

Hofstra will make its first road appearance of the 2009 season on Saturday, February 28 when the Pride travels to Providence, Rhode Island to face Brown. The Bears, 11-3 last season, are one of the nine 2009 Hofstra opponents that posted winning records a year ago. Included in this road group are national finalist Johns Hopkins at Homewood Field on March 7, Army at Michie Stadium at West Point on March 24, as well as conference foes Sacred Heart (March 21) and Towson (April 11)."Coming off a thrilling 2008 season, we are excited about the challenges that our 2009 schedule will bring us," Hofstra's third-year coach Seth Tierney said. "Our plan is to build the program year-by-year and face the best competition that is available. As defending CAA champions we know that the target is on our back. But our team is anxiously awaiting the start of the season to defend that title and return to the NCAA Tournament in 2009."

The Pride was also expected to square off against perennial CAA contender Delaware on the road in 2009 but instead will face the Blue Hens as part of Inside Lacrosse's Big City Classic tripleheader at the 80,000-seat Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Saturday, April 4. Virginia and North Carolina will face-off in the first game, at noon. That game features teams who have won a combined eight NCAA titles. The second game will be Syracuse vs. Princeton at 2:30 p.m. Those teams have won a combined 16 titles. The third game features Hofstra and Delaware, at 5 p.m. Hofstra advanced to the NCAA Tournament last year. Delaware advanced to the final four in 2007. All six programs have entered into a two-year commitment for the Big City Classic.

"We are extremely excited to participate in the inaugural Big City Classic at Giants Stadium," Tierney stated. "We would like to thank Inside Lacrosse and the Meadowlands for all the work that went into putting this event together. With the six teams that are participating, it will surely be a great day of college lacrosse."

The 2009 regular season will conclude with the CAA Men's Lacrosse Championship Tournament with semifinals scheduled for Wednesday, April 29 at the higher seeds, and the title game slated for Saturday, May 2 at the higher advancing team's home stadium.