The field at M&T Bank Stadium will lay dormant no longer.
Today the Atlantic Coast Conference is descending on the home of the Baltimore Ravens to play the conference?s annual lacrosse tournament.
Roy Sommerhof, the senior director of stadium operations for the Baltimore Ravens, said that having the tournament at M&T Bank Stadium allows the Ravens to showcase some of the best lacrosse in the country.
“Since we hosted the NCAA Lacrosse Final Four in 2003, we try to have a lacrosse event every year,” Sommerhof said.
Ray Naimoli, Manager of Media Sales and Business Development for the Ravens, said that last year?s tournament held at M&T Bank set the record for tournament attendance with 12,000 spectators for the weekend.
“We are expecting 15,000-20,000 over the entire weekend,” Naimoli said. “These outside events are important because they make this building relevant to Baltimore and the country.”
Women?s teams from Boston College, Duke University, University of Maryland, University of North Carolina, University of Virginia and Virginia Tech will play Thursday, Friday, and Sunday in the 10th annual event. The women?s title game is at 1 p.m. Sunday, with the men?s title game at 3:30 p.m.
The 18th men?s title will be decided between just three teams, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia, after the cancellation of the Duke men?s lacrosse season following rape allegations at a team party in March.
Maryland has won three tournament championships, including the last two. “It is all about playing well and continuing to improve for the NCAA tournament,” Cottle said.
Under head coach Cindy Timchal, the Maryland women have won the tournament five times. But Duke is the defending champion. “If you look at a team like us, we?re ranked fifth in the country, but we?re seeded fourth in this tournament. That speaks volumes about the kind of quality we have in this conference and in this tournament,” she said.
TOURNAMENT TIME
The women?s tournament opens at 2:30 p.m. Thursday when No. 3 North Carolina plays No. 6 Virginia Tech. At 5 p.m., the No. 4 Maryland women play No. 5 Boston College. Second-seeded Virginia and top-seeded Duke will play the winners from day one on Friday, and the women?s championship will be held Sunday at 1 p.m.
Maryland?s men will play North Carolina Friday at 8 p.m. and the winner will play in the championship against Virginia at 3:30 p.m. Sunday.
The tournament will feature several Division III college games and high school games. Following Thursday?s women?s games, Boys? Latin will take on St. Mary?s High School of Annapolis at 7:30. Saturday at 4:15 p.m. the Villa Julie College?s men?s lacrosse team is playing Cabrini College. DeMatha High School and Gonzaga High School will be facing off with each other at 6:15 p.m. in prep boys. The nightcap will be at 8, as Salisbury University plays Washington College in the annual meeting between the two Division III men?s teams, dubbed the War on the Shore.
