Army men's lacrosse has more forgiving schedule for 2024 season
The Army men’s lacrosse team is accustomed to facing schools that are Division I powerhouses and recent NCAA tournament participants, so the 2024 schedule might be considered a bit of a breather.
The Black Knights will face no schools that made the 2023 NCAA field, and several ongoing series have gone on hiatus. Still, Army will take on Massachusetts in the schools’ annual season opener and the Black Knights will make another trip to the JMA (formerly Carrier) Dome to face Syracuse.
Army finished ranked No. 7 in the Inside Lacrosse final 2023 poll. Future foes Syracuse finished No. 18 and Rutgers No. 20.
In a twist, the Army-UMass opener on Feb. 10 will be played in Atlanta, Georgia.
Head coach Joe Alberici said the schedule is pretty typical to recent years, getting a non-league taste from four other conferences: Atlantic Coast, Atlantic Sun, Atlantic 10 and Big Ten. He expects perennial national power Syracuse - back on the schedule after a one-year hiatus - will bounce back strongly, and believes North Carolina has gained a "blueblood" status that should allow the Tar Heels to rebound from a tough year.
It should be noted that the dates for the Syracuse (Feb. 28) and Boston University (March 22) games are different from original social media postings.
Army won the 2023 Patriot League championship, earning an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Black Knights upended No. 4 seed Maryland, 16-15, in the first round and narrowly lost to No. 5 Penn State in the quarterfinals.
Three of Army’s 2023 setbacks (Cornell, Boston, Penn State) were decided by one goal and UMass was a 10-8 defeat.
The Black Knights are in a good position for 2024, losing only six seniors from last season.
"We do have a pretty experienced group,'' Alberici said. "But a year older doesn't make you a year better. ... If we are diligent in what we're doing and working hard and staying humble in our preparations then that's a stage for us to get better.''
Spring practice begins on January 9.
Also: A seven-figure donation to the program has established the Jack Emmer head coaching position. Joe Alberici heads into his 19th season as head coach. Emmer retired as Army coach in 2005 after 22 seasons. ... Former Army assistant Rick Lewis has returned to the program in the same role. He was Ohio State's offensive coordinator the past three seasons.
2024 Army men's lacrosse schedule
2023: 13-4, 7-1 Patriot, tied first
February
Sat. 10 – vs. Massachusetts (8-6, 3-2 Atlantic 10, fourth), in Atlanta, Ga.; Sat. 17 – at Rutgers (8-6, 1-4 Big Ten, tied fifth); Sat. 24 – vs. Mercer (6-10, 5-4 Atlantic Sun, tied fourth), noon; Wed. 28 – at Syracuse (8-7, 1-5 ACC, tied fourth)
March
Sun. 3 – at Lafayette* (6-10, 3-5 Patriot, sixth); Sat. 9 – vs. Holy Cross* (1-13, 0-8 Patriot, ninth), noon; Sat. 16 – vs. Lehigh* (10-5, 5-2 Patriot, third), noon; Fri. 22 – at Boston University* (10-4, 7-1 Patriot, tied first); Sat. 30 – at North Carolina (7-7, 1-5 ACC, tied fourth)
April
Sat. 6 – vs. Colgate* (2-9, 2-6 Patriot, tied seventh), 3 p.m.; Sat. 13 – vs. Navy* (8-8, 5-3 Patriot, fourth); Fri. 19 – at Bucknell* (3-10, 2-6 Patriot, tied seventh); Fri. 26 – at Loyola, Md.* (9-8, 4-4 Patriot, fifth); Tue. 30 – Patriot League quarterfinals
May
Fri. 3 – Patriot League semifinals (at highest Final Four seed); Sun. 5 – Patriot League finals (at highest Final Four seed)
Home matches at West Point’s Michie Stadium; asterisk marks Patriot League matches; 2023 overall and league records included in parentheses; additional start times will be announced later
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Army men's lacrosse announces 2024 spring schedule
