IU lacrosse team ranked No. 19 in nation with help of one-loss record

Here in Hoosier country, IU students are traditionally used to successful sports teams on the basketball court or the soccer field. But a sport with much more popularity on the east coast -- lacrosse -- has recently made a name for itself in the Midwest.\nThe IU men's club lacrosse team received a No. 19 ranking in United States Lacrosse Men's Division Intercollegiate Associates third edition of its top-25 poll. After an impressive 8-6 victory over then-No. 8 University of Florida, IU received enough votes to receive its No. 19 ranking.\nIn addition to its victory over Florida, IU has posted wins against Iowa, Washington University, Purdue, LSU and Oakland University. The Hoosiers' sole loss came at the hands of No. 10 Florida State in a 13-8 loss. \nTo what do the team and coaches attribute all this success?\n"I think past IU lacrosse teams have had talented players, but this team has meshed well together and become a real talented team," said defensive coach Will Knight.\nThe Hoosiers have received help on the offensive end from an abundance of talented freshmen. Midfielders Jason Bowman and Brian Vogel, along with attacker Matt Hof, are among the top point leaders on the team. Attacker Chris McManus is the points leader on the squad. In a recent 12-6 home victory over Oakland University, McManus had seven goals and two assists for a total of nine points. \nSenior captains Brett Aprati and Jon Hatton have also contributed on the offensive end for the Hoosiers.\n"It was a goal of ours to be ranked since the beginning of the season," said coach Jeff Robertson. "The team has put in a lot of hard work, and it's paid off. "Overall, our defense has been real solid, and the freshmen up front have really helped out." \nSenior captain Brian Adams is a leader for the Hoosiers on defense, said freshman Matt Hof. \n"Adams is our anchor -- the focal point of our defensive family," Hof said. \nSophomores Chris Kunkel and Pete Moor aid in keeping opponents away from the net. Lacrosse games are usually very high-scoring. IU has kept all but one of its challengers under 10 goals, with the exception being 13 against Florida State. \nSenior goalie Steve Brown has also shown solid play guarding the goal. In IU's victory over LSU, he posted a shutout, a rarity in the sport. So rare, in fact, that it was Brown's first shutout in the 11 years he has been playing lacrosse.\nUp next for the team is a trip to Kalamazoo, Mich., to play Western Michigan Friday. The following weekend it will travel to Oxford, Ohio, to play the No. 21 Redhawks of Miami-Ohio and will also compete against No. 5 Michigan. \n"Michigan will definitely be our toughest test of the year. We are going to need an all-around game in order to beat them," Brown said. \nBrown and some other teammates have also donated their time Monday through Thursday nights to teach the basics of lacrosse to high school students. They have started a combined Bloomington North and South High School lacrosse team, which will play its debut game this weekend in Indianapolis. \nAs far as the post-season is concerned, to make the final USL-MIDA 16-team national championship tournament, IU will need to win its Central Collegiate Lacrosse Association conference tournament or receive an at-large bid.\n-- Contact staff writer Ryan Corazza at \nrcorazza@indiana.edu.