BALTIMORE – The Loyola University Maryland men’s lacrosse team will participate in the Champion® Challenge, a US Lacrosse event, and face the United States National Team in an exhibition game on Sunday, January 27, at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
The game will pit the defending NCAA (Loyola) and Federation of International Lacrosse (U.S.A.) champions in a game that will be featured on ESPNU and ESPN3.com.
“We are very excited about the opportunity to go down to Florida to play against the best of what the United States has to offer,” said Loyola Head Coach Charley Toomey. “We will use this game as a stepping stone for some tough early season matchups.”
Loyola won its first-ever NCAA Division I National Championship in May, defeating the University of Maryland, 9-3, in the title game on Memorial Day in Foxborough, Mass. The U.S. National Team claimed the most recent FIL World Championship in 2010 and will bring approximately 45 players to the Challenge in January for evaluation prior to tryouts for the2014 U.S. Men’s National Team.
The Champion® Challenge will also feature a Men’s National Team game against the University of Notre Dame, which Loyola edged, 7-5, in the NCAA Semifinal. The U.S. Women’s National Team will face Northwestern University, the defending NCAA Champion, and Syracuse University, as well, during the weekend of competition.
Further details about the event, including a game time, will be released at a later date.