Pair of CAA hopefuls bow out in NCAAs
Mike Mazzeo
Issue date: 5/15/09 Section: Sports
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Hofstra and Cinderella Villanova, who represented the CAA in the NCAA Tournament, both had their 2009 season ended in the round of 16, as they were defeated by top-seed Virginia and No. 7 Cornell respectively.
The Pride fell to the Big Red in a highly competitive game, 11-8, May 9 in Ithaca, N.Y., while the Wildcats were blown out by the Cavaliers 18-6 May 10 in Charlottesville, Va.
Hofstra (11-4), which was making its 15th appearance in the postseason, enjoyed one of its finest seasons in its storied history as it earned victories over four teams that reached the NCAA Tournament - Princeton, Brown, UMass and the Wildcats en route to earning an at-large bid. In fact, at one point the Pride was ranked as the No. 5 team in the nation.
Hofstra looked like a lock for a high seeding and the opportunity to play a pushover in the opening round - if not for Villanova.
The Wildcats reached the field of 16 for the first time in program history, scoring stunning road upsets over the top-seeded Pride in the conference semifinals and second-seeded Towson in the conference finals en route to a CAA Championship and automatic berth in NCAA Tournament. And Villanova (11-6) accomplished all of that without any scholarship players and a part-time coach.
I have a feeling even Villanova men's basketball coach Jay Wright - a former coach at Hofstra - would be impressed with all that; and his team reached the Final Four.
A whole new look
The Wildcats will actually be leaving the CAA for a newly-formed Big East lacrosse conference starting in 2010.
Robert Morris and Sacred Heart will also be subtractions, while the Minutemen and Penn State will become new additions.
So what does this all mean for Drexel?
The Dragons will now be playing in a conference that is in the upper echelon in men's lacrosse for one thing.
And that means that head coach Chris Bates will have an easier sell to recruits that want to play colligate lacrosse at a high level. However, that also means that the competition for said players will become a fierce battle as rival teams look to jockey for the premiere talent.
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