Coastal Carolina University’s men’s club lacrosse team had a historic season en route to earning the program’s first-ever bid to the national championship tournament in Texas.
With multiple wins over ranked opponents, including a thrilling last second victory over the No. 1 seed at the time– Dayton University, the Chanticleers have a stacked resume going into the postseason.
Aspirations to win the Atlantic Lacrosse Conference (ALC) are high. Impact players on both sides of the ball have led the Chants to their success this season. Senior goalie Kyle Patton has won Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA) Division II Goalie of the Week.
This far, he only let up a maximum of 12 goals in a single game this season. “Skipper,” as the team affectionately calls Patton, has quickly begun to gain recognition as one of the best goalies in the conference.
“Going to Texas for the first time in our program’s history would be huge for us. We’ve always had the talent, it’s just a matter of us putting it together and being disciplined to get there,” Patton said. “We’re super excited, I think we can handle anybody in the DII landscape, we’re looking forward to it and I hope we can bring home a national championship.”
First, however, the team will compete in the ALC playoff tournament with hopes to secure their bid and determine their seed.
The ALC championship tournament begins April 20 against the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW), where the Chants will look to continue their winning streak on their way to winning the conference championship.
Senior faceoff specialist Dylan Staley has been reported as one of the best at his position numerous times over his career as a Chanticleer. This season, Staley has consistently won most faceoffs every game.
Senior attackman Chris Orton is a new addition to the roster this season and has immediately become a leading role in the offense, leading them in goals and following closely in assists.
“Going into the ALC tournament, we gotta be more fundamentally sound. Right now, we have a really good record and we’re scoring a lot of goals, which is good. But turnovers are going to matter way more in games like that,” Orton said.
