by Jac Coyne | MCLA.us

LA CROSSE, Wis. – Despite only trailing by two goals at halftime, it was pretty clear that UC San Diego’s season was coming to an end after one game at the 2022 MCLA National Championships presented by New Balance.

For the second straight tournament, the Tritons had run into a powerful UMLC outfit. In 2019, it was St. Thomas. Last year, it was Grand Valley State.

The Lakers posted a 16-11 victory, sending UCSD back to the coast.

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“It was a tough loss, but anytime you play a respected program like GVSU – a perennial power – you learn so much,” said UC San Diego coach Albert Man. “Our team was so young last year, that game and experience just fueled the fire.”

That fire will get tested right out of the gate this season.

The Tritons hop on the I-15 to Las Vegas to take on No. 21 Northwest Nazarene and No. 6 College of Idaho in back-to-back tilts. Both of these metro Boise programs have big plans in ’23, making for a serious test of the Tritons' mettle.

“We are absolutely thrilled to kick off the season with Northwest Nazarene and College of Idaho, two of the top PNCLL programs,” said Man. “That GVSU game made us hungry for those type of battles. That's why we have the No. 3, No. 6, No. 8 and No. 12-ranked teams and more on the schedule this year.”

What is the MCLA Division I Game of the Week for the period ending Feb. 12? #mcla23
— 2023 MCLA National Tourney (@MCLA_Tournament) February 6, 2023

UCSD has the horses to run with just about anybody. Despite graduating a relatively large senior class, the bulk of the starters return.

Leading the way is attackman Austin Ortel. The Alexandria, Va., transplant was one of the most potent quarterbacks in the country as a freshman, scoring 31 goals while dishing out a staggering 50 assists.

Junior Austin Weinshelbaum, a ground ball machine, gives the Tritons a big lift at the dot with a 69.0 winning percentage. Junior Finn Reid (20g, 8a) is the danger-man out of the midfield.

There are veterans at all levels of the field save one.

“The most noticeable loss was senior goalie Billy Cui,” said Man. “We have two sophomores – Jarett Smith and Max Von Gottenberg – and one freshman – Eric Jung – vying to fill that key spot.”

Because the Tritons haven’t played the stiffest regular-season schedule in the past, they are kind of an unknown when they arrive in the postseason. That should change this year with a far tougher schedule and the talent to pay it off.

It starts this weekend.

What is the MCLA Division II Game of the Week for the period ending Feb. 12? #mcla23
— 2023 MCLA National Tourney (@MCLA_Tournament) February 6, 2023

GAMES I’M FOLLOWING
Northwest Nazarene at Claremont, 12 p.m. – Saturday
This is probably an under-the-radar game for a lot of MCLA observers, but these two programs should both have some pop this year. Time will tell how much this will impact that postseason narrative, but a decisive win either way will let us know we’re dealing with something formidable.

Dominican at Oregon State, 1 p.m. – Saturday
Fresh off its upset of No. 9 USC, the Penguins head north for a back-to-back against the Beavers and Oregon. The first contest against OSU will give us a better feel for what kind of staying power Dominican has because the Beavers are a very real threat to take down the PNCLL this year.

Conversely, Oregon State can put a nice chip in its at-large pile with a victory over the Pangs.

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Brigham Young at Concordia, 1 p.m. – Saturday
This game doesn’t need much hype with a pair of Top 10 squads squaring off. In the grand scheme of things, the win is probably important for CUI and its postseason resume. The Golden Eagles have checked in as a No. 8, 9 and 10 seed at nationals and failed to advance each time. A victory over the Cougars could lead to a more manageable 1-5 seed.

This will be the third game in four days for BYU, which obviously has repercussions. Typically, the Cougars have the depth to handle such a thing, so this should be a nice reminder – three games in four days at the start – of the grind facing any tournament teams with title aspirations.

Rhode Island at Northeastern, 1 p.m. – Saturday
I just want to see what this year’s Rhodey squad has in the tank. The Rams got drilled, 19-10, last year by the Huskies and still made the D-II national finals, so the score doesn’t matter. Simply a heat check for URI.

College of Idaho at UC San Diego, 2:30 – Saturday
Assumably these two teams are ticketed for Round Rock, so this makes for a spicy mid-February matchup. Neither team is particular deep, but their top 15 or so are outstanding. The outcome will make seeding a little easier for the committee.

Santa Clara at California, 7 p.m. – Saturday
Another contest to figure out just what the Bears have this year. The Broncos stunned Cal in overtime last spring, so Santa Clara will be a confident bunch heading into its season opener. A win for Cal gets them back on track after an opening setback to UCSB.

Back to back games this weekend. Tune into Espn + to watch the Pack play Liberty at Noon! pic.twitter.com/xI0uLjdzvZ
— Pack Lax™ (@PackLax1) February 9, 2023

NC State at Liberty, 12 p.m. – Sunday
They get caught in the shadows of the bright lights shining on Clemson, Virginia Tech and Liberty, but the Wolfpack are a legitimate team. BYU almost had to find that out the hard way last year before grinding out an 11-8 win. Liberty is well aware of NC State’s potential, so they certainly won’t be looking past the Wolfpack to the Virginia Tech game. Also, just how good is this Liberty team?

Boston College at Florida, 1 p.m. – Sunday
After wins over No. 5 Clemson and Georgia, the Gators are rolling early. That’s music to the ears of Boston College, which is always looking to pick up valuable wins on their road trips. The Eagles are one of the typical New England squads that have a ton of talent, but don’t necessarily have the outdoor reps to be completely polished in February. That hasn’t stopped them from posting huge wins in the past.

SLIDES & RIDES
- Brigham Young kept its part of the bargain leading up to the showdown with No. 7 Concordia on Saturday. The Cougars dismissed both UCLA and USC on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, setting the stage for the clash with the Golden Eagles.

The nature of the schedule -- BYU having played two games rolling into a fresh CUI outfit -- would probably make the Golden Eagles the favorites. With that said, CUI hasn't dipped its feet in the pond yet, which might swing the pendulum back to the Cougars. Definitely a game to follow.

- Nominations for Warrior Player of the Week and PEARL Goalie of the Week are due by noon on Monday to [email protected].