With spring bringing the occasional rain shower, those who plan on attending the Atlantic Ten Conference lacrosse tournament on May 5 in Washington, D.C., may be a bit uncertain about the weather conditions.
The forecast for the three-day event won’t be available for a few days, and the same could be said for the list of teams vying for spots in the tournament.
But before they secure a trip to the Nation’s Capitol, the Owls must first do a little spring cleaning at home, where they will play their final two games.
The Owls, winners of four in a row, have the postseason in their sights and a serving of revenge ready to be dished out.
Last year the Owls finished the regular season with a 6-1 mark in the conference and entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed, only to be upset in the final minute by the upstart Spiders of Richmond in the quarterfinal round. After defeating Temple, Richmond went on to win the A-10 championship.
This season, the Owls find themselves attempting to chase down a familiar foe in Richmond (13-3 overall, 5-1 A-10) to earn the coveted one-seed.
The Owls (8-6, 4-1) have won four straight conference games after suffering a 13-2 loss in its A-10 opener to those very Spiders.
To prevent an early matchup against Richmond, one of the more dominant teams in the conference, the Owls will have to win out their remaining schedule to ensure at least a position as one of the top two seeds.
In two home games, the Owls will face Saint Bonaventure and Duquesne, two teams the Owls dispatched last season.
The Bonnies, however, may be looking to paint a picture that doesn’t contain Cherry or White. A team that is also 4-1 in conference play, the Bonnies are ranked 18th in the country and have collected an overall record of 13-1 after failing to make the postseason last year.
The Dukes (10-4, 3-2) are still very much in contention for one of the top two spots in the tournament. They are also hoping for a late-season stumble by one of the aforementioned clubs.
In a similar position last season, Duquesne is milling around the middle of the A-10 Conference and bringing up the rear of the top four squads. However, the Dukes fell just short of an A-10 title after losing to Richmond in last season’s A-10 Championship game.
The Owls’ victory on Sunday against Massachusetts adds a little more steam to their postseason engine. With their 11-10 win over the host Minutewomen, the Owls extended their record to 4-1 in matches decided by one goal. Temple’s only loss by this margin came to nationally ranked Princeton earlier this month at Geasey Field.
Although the Owls’ desire to see an image of themselves hoisting the A-10 Championship trophy may be like trying to see things clearly through a kaleidoscope, for now, the Owls are hoping that that picture will contain both a beak and large talons.
Jeremy Drummond can be reached at jdrum@temple.edu.
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