STANDISH, ME – The 2011 Men's Lacrosse season schedule has been announced by Head Coach Mike Edgar.
The Monks will play a 16-game docket in their first season as a member of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference. St. Joe's will face off against seven GNAC teams and nine non-league opponents in its fourth season as an NCAA DIII team.
Saint Joseph's begins the 2011 campaign with a home contest, played at Deering Memorial Stadium in Portland, against non-conference opponent Salem State on March 5th at 1:00 PM. The Royal Blue returns to Deering two days later for a road game against in-state rival Southern Maine (4:00 PM).
After playing Thomas College at Deering (4:00 PM) on March 9th, the Monks depart to Maryland for a pair of games over spring break. Saint Joseph's will face Hood College (2:30 PM) on March 12th and Frostburg State (1:00 PM) on March 14th during the week-long trip. The team also has plans to see the sights in Washington D.C. among other activities before returning to the Shores of Sebago.
St. Joe's takes on Lyndon State (12:45 PM) on March 20th and Maine-Farmington (4:00 PM) on March 23rd, with both contests being played on the Deering turf. The Monks head to Bangor for a 1:00 PM game against Husson on March 30th and host Johnson State on March 30th (4:00 PM) at Deering Memorial.
The Monks proceed to close out the regular season with seven consecutive conference contests in 22 days.
Weather pending, the Monks' first-ever GNAC game could take place on the SJC campus, as St. Joe's is slated to take on Lasell College at 1:00 PM on April 2nd. Mount Ida College comes to town four days later for a 4:00 PM contest.
Saint Joseph's goes on to play three straight road games against GNAC opponents, beginning with a trip to Nashua for a 1:00 PM game against Rivier College on April 9th. The Monks return to Nashua three days later to face Daniel Webster College (3:30 PM) and made the trek to Leicester, Mass. on April 16th for a league game against Becker College (3:00 PM).
The Monks cap the regular-season docket with a pair of GNAC games at home, as the Royal Blue faces Emerson College (4:00 PM) on April 19th and Norwich University (1:00 PM) on April 23rd.
The six-team GNAC Tournament begins on April 26th with a quarterfinal round. The semifinals are to be played on April 28th and the championship occurs on April 30th. The higher seed hosts throughout the playoffs.
Coach Edgar guided the Monks to the program's finest season last spring, as the Royal Blue went 10-8 overall and 5-4 in North Atlantic Conference play in 2010.
