HENNIKER, N.H. - New England College Men's Lacrosse was selected to finish eighth out of thirteen teams in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference preseason polls, voted by the conference's head coaches. In-state rival and defending GNAC champions Rivier University finished first in the poll, receiving seven first-place votes as Lasell and Emmanuel closed out the top three.
This season marks the beginning of a new playoff format as the top eight teams overall will make the playoffs, meaning the Pilgrims are predicted to take the final spot in the bracket.
The Pilgrims open their season at home to face the University of Southern Maine on Wednesday, February 18 at 3:00 PM before they hit the road for a spring break game against McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland on March 2.
They open conference play on March 7 when they host ninth-ranked Regis College on Don Melander Field at 1:00. Top-ranked Rivier come to Henniker on April 8 before the Pilgrims close out their season on April 21, hosting the sixth-ranked Saint Joseph's College of Maine.
New England College will play two additional non-conference games as they host Plattsburgh State on March 18 and Thomas College on April 16.
Men's Lacrosse Preseason Poll Results
- Rivier (7) - 157
- Lasell (4) - 155
- Emmanuel (2) - 147
- University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) - 138
- Dean - 106
- Saint Joseph's (Maine) - 104
- Norwich - 93
- New England College - 85
- Regis - 63
- Albertus Magnus - 54
- Colby-Sawyer - 32
- Elms - 30
- Mitchell - 19
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