College Lax: scoping out the scene in Baltimore & Philly

College lacrosse is in full swing and I just attended my first NCAA Division I games- well, true college games. I attended a fall ball scrimmage between Notre Dame and Team Canada a few years ago.

2/11/17- UVA at Loyola- Baltimore, MD

I have to say that Baltimore was probably the perfect location to experience my first D1 game. I made the short (2ish hour) drive down to to catch each team's first matchup of the season. This game caught my eye because Zed Williams of UVA is from back home, and I had never been to Baltimore.

Little did I know, arriving 20 minutes before face-off was not enough time to park. The staff had to open up a third lot for the overflow of people, and thousands packed the stadium.

The atmosphere at Loyola was incredible- beautiful stadium, passionate fan base, and most importantly- an exciting game. The fans were involved (compared to the next game I attended), outside of the stereotypical moms who have their say. The PA announcer and team working the scoreboard had a lot to do with that. The scoring graphics and music were upbeat and the announcer was great with explaining aspects of the game.

2/25/17- UAlbany at Drexel- Philadelphia, PA

This game was also a could-not-miss because 1- I'm currently living in Philly, and 2- UAlbany's roster consists of some of my boys of the '16 U-19 Iroquois Nationals.

On another note, Coach Scott Marr of UAlbany has been creating awareness of the Dakota Access Pipeline as he made the trip over with alum Lyle Thompson and his family. I think that's pretty huge to show not only the students he's coaching, but to use his position to educate the lacrosse world.

This crowd was a lot smaller than what I walked into at Loyola. Bleachers lined one of the sidelines and the teams stood on the opposite. Great game though- there's incredible talent on both sides and we have years of great lacrosse ahead of us.

After UAlb's win, I attended their postgame meal. Some of the moms coordinated and setup the meal for the team and families, which was held at Drexel's press room. This is a scene I'm familiar with and

My thoughts...

I was pleasantly surprised with the fan base of the non-hosting team at both games. Sure, they were mainly families of the teams, but sizable crowds of support.