BURLINGTON, Vt. - The University of Vermont men's lacrosse team announced its 2009 schedule today. The Catamounts will face three NCAA Tournament teams from last season, including Final Four participant Virginia. Vermont will also meet Notre Dame, who advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals last year, in the 2009 Patriot Cup at SMU Ford Field in Dallas, Texas.

"We are excited to once again play a schedule that will challenge our team week in and week out," Vermont head coach Ryan Curtis said. "Our strong out of conference competition will help prepare us for America East play."

The Catamounts begin the season on Sat., Feb. 28 at Marist. Vermont returns home on Tues., March 3 for its Moulton Winder Field opener against Dartmouth. UVM will play a total of seven home games on the season.

Other non-league games for Vermont include: at Virgina (March 10), at Bellarmine (March 12), Penn State (March 15), vs. Notre Dame (March 21), Brown (March 24), at Fairfield (March 31) and Holy Cross (April 7).

The match-up with Virginia on Tues., March 10 is a homecoming for head coach Ryan Curtis, who is a 2000 graduate of UVA. Curtis also won a national championship with the Cavaliers in 1999. Virginia went 14-4 last season and lost to eventual national champion Syracuse 12-11 in overtime at the 2008 Final Four.

Vermont will take on Notre Dame in the first of two games in the 2009 Patriot Cup in Dallas, Texas on Sat., March 21 (1:00 p.m. EST). Bucknell will meet Air Force in the second game. Proceeds from the Patriot Cup will benefit the Wounded Warrior Foundation, a non-profit organization that seeks to assist men and women of U.S. armed forces who have been severely injured during conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and other locations around the world.

The Catamounts open up America East play on March 28 against Hartford at Moulton Winder Field. The remainder of the conference schedule is as follows: Stony Brook (April 4), at Binghamton (April 11), Albany (April 19) and at UMBC (April 25).

UMBC is the defending regular season and tournament champion in America East. The Retrievers went 12-3 last season and lost to Virginia in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

The America East Tournament is set for April 30 and May 2. The top four teams in the league standings will qualify for the tournament that will be hosted by the highest seed.

February
  Sun 22   at Middlebury (scrim.)   2:00 pm
  Sat 28   at Marist                1:00 pm
 
March
  Tue  3   Dartmouth                3:00 pm
  Tue 10   at Virginia              7:00 pm
  Thu 12   at Bellarmine            3:30 pm
  Sun 15   Penn State               1:00 pm
  Sat 21   vs. Notre Dame $         1:00 pm
  Tue 24   Brown                    2:00 pm
  Sat 28   Hartford +               2:00 pm
  Tue 31   at Fairfield             3:00 pm
 
April
  Sat  4   Stony Brook +            1:00 pm
  Tue  7   Holy Cross               2:00 pm
  Sat 11   at Binghamton +          7:00 pm
  Sun 19   Albany +                 1:00 pm
  Sat 25   at UMBC +                1:00 pm
  Thu 30   vs. America East Semifinals %

+ America East Conference games
$ Patriot Cup (SMU Ford Field - Dallas, Texas)
% America East Men's Lacrosse Championship at No. 1 seed
All times are Eastern Standard Time and are subject to change.

2008-12-05