BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Lehigh men’s lacrosse team will take part in a showcase event this October as the Mountain Hawks will face Ohio State in the fourth annual San Francisco Fall Lacrosse Classic Presented by Levi’s®. The tilt with the Buckeyes is set for Sunday, October 21 at 2 p.m. inside Kezar Stadium. The Fall Lacrosse Classic has drawn top programs Johns Hopkins, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Denver, Harvard and Brown, along with thousands of Northern California lacrosse fans over its first three years.
The event is put on by the Bay Area Youth Sports Foundation, which hosts the only NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse competition in California. All revenue will benefit a variety of innovative sports and education programs for undeserved children in the Bay Area.
“We are thrilled to be a part of the San Francisco Lacrosse Classic,” said Lehigh head coach Kevin Cassese. “The Lehigh Lacrosse program has been very active in the California lacrosse community for many years with several young alumni coming from the state, as well as some current team members and recent key recruits. With all the travel they’ve endured over the years, it’ll be great to give these young men and their families a ‘home game’ for once.”
Lehigh will feature three California natives on its roster: rising senior Noah Molnar (Newport Beach, Calif.), sophomore Tom Farrell (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) and incoming freshman Will McKee (San Francisco, Calif.).
Prior to the start of the competition, a free youth clinic will be held for first through eighth graders, featuring student-athletes from the participating teams. A free coaches clinic will be also be held for local youth and high school coaches with the coaching staffs from Lehigh and Ohio State. Both clinics will begin at 12 p.m. on game day.
“The sport is exploding all over the country, and especially in the state of California,” said Cassese. “We realize the impact this event has on the growth of the sport in the Northern California community. We hope we can contribute to that effort by putting on a great display of high level lacrosse along with a very talented Ohio State program.”
The Buckeyes went 8-7 last season, finishing 18th in the final national poll. Lehigh is coming off a record-breaking campaign, earning a school-record 14 wins and the program’s first-ever Patriot League Tournament Title and NCAA Tournament berth. Seeded seventh in the NCAA Tournament and ninth in the final regular season poll, Lehigh was ranked as high as #4 in the USILA Coaches Poll. The Mountain Hawks return nearly their entire roster next season, being ranked as high as #5 in some early 2013 projections.
Tickets are now available for purchase at http://www.sflacrosse.com/ including special early-bird discounted general admission tickets until July 15.
ABOUT BAY AREA YOUTH SPORTS FOUNDATION - The BAYS Foundation works to strengthen programs and organizations that provide opportunities and increase access for underserved youth to participate in organized sports programs in the greater San Francisco Bay Area. www.sfbays.org.
For additional information on the San Francisco Fall Lacrosse Classic visit www.sflacrosse.com.
Follow Lehigh men’s lacrosse on Facebook: www.facebook.com/lehighmenslacrosse and Twitter: www.twitter.com/lehighlacrosse.