GAME #1
Marquette (0-0) at Cleveland State (0-0)
Saturday, Feb. 1 | 11:00 a.m.
Cleveland, Ohio | Krenzler Field
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OFF AND RUNNING
The Cleveland State University lacrosse team opens its fourth season, and the entire DI men's lacrosse schedule, by hosting Marquette. The game will be a matchup of first-year head coaches. 

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Marquette comes into its season opener after three scrimmages in the past two weekends against Ohio State, Johns Hopkins and Richmond. The Golden Eagles are under the direction of first-year head coach Andrew Stimmel, who was most recently the offensive coordinator at Yale. Peter Henkhaus (21) and Connor McClelland (19) are the top returners in points. John Hulsman is back for MU after playing in the cage in every game in 2019. 

FIRST FOR COACH
Prior to its fourth season of competition, Cleveland State had another first as the program experienced its first head coaching change. Andy German was named as the program's new head coach this past August. German had served as an assistant coach at CSU since the program's inception and was previously an assistant coach at his alma mater--Villanova. He will be making his collegiate head coaching debut this season.  

SEEKING TRIPLE DIGITS
Michael Wilson had was on fire offensively to end 2019, tallying 45 points in his final 10 games, He posted at least five points five times in his last 10 games, including a school record eight points in the March 12 win at Lafayette. Wilson's six points in the finale against Detroit Mercy pushed his career total to 88, as he closes in on becoming the first Viking to hit 100. 

TAKING TALLY OF THIRD SEASON
Cleveland State posted a winning record in its third season of existence by winning seven of its final 10 games in 2019. After having one DI win in their first season, the Vikings had four in 2018 before registering eight in 2019. In its third year as a program, Cleveland State had no true seniors on its roster in 2019. 

(NOT) CLEAR SAILING
CSU often forced its opponents into failed clears last season. The Vikings' foes were just 248-for-351 on clears in 2019 with the 70.7% mark ranking as the best opponent clearing mark in DI. No Viking opponent cleared above 83.3% after the season opener. Each of CSU's final five opponents cleared at a 70% clip or lower.

SPEAKING ABOUT SCHEDULE
A pair of games against preseason top-10 teams, home games against Marquette and Utah and a pair of first-time opponents highlight Cleveland State's 2020 schedule. CSU has 15 regular-season games on the slate for the second straight year. The Vikings will host a Big East foe for the first time and have four games against teams named in the final 2019 national rankings. Games against Notre Dame and Binghamton will be the first meetings in program history while CSU will continue its run of playing Michigan, Air Force, Denver, Canisius and Detroit Mercy in every season of its existence. Cleveland State will also continue its streak of playing at least one team from the ACC, BIG EAST and BIG 10 in each of year of its existence to date.

LAST WE MET
The first meeting between the programs was a defensive slugfest as the Vikings claimed a 7-5 win in Wisconsin in 2019. CSU scored five straight to take a 5-1 lead and held off a Golden Eagles comeback as the second half wore on. Michael Wilson had three assists, Danny Tesler won 11 of 15 faceoffs and Nick Polydoras scored the first two goals of his collegiate career for CSU.

FANTASTIC ON FACEOFFS
Danny Tesler won 68.3% of his faceoffs over the final 11 games last season and failed to top the 70% mark only three times in that span. He put together great efforts in four straight games on CSU's long road trip in 2019, winning 18-of-25 at Denver, 17-of-23 at Mercer, 11-of-15 at Marquette and 19-of-23 at Lafayette. His 19 wins at Lafayette are the most ever by a Viking. Tesler ranked among the top 10 in DI in faceoff winning percentage last year (64.4%).

HANNA'S HAT TRICKS
Tristan Hanna notched hat tricks in seven of the final 13 games last season. He had 26 goals and seven assists in this stretch after having a single point in the first two games. Hanna netted a career-best six points, including a new high three assists, in CSU's win over St. Bonaventure. Earlier last season, Hanna became the first Viking to produce four consecutive hat tricks.

GETTING DEFENSIVE
Cleveland State held Marquette to just five goals in last year's meeting, the fewest ever allowed by the Vikings to a DI foe. The total also represented a season low for Marquette, who averaged 10.8 goals per game. CSU held MU scoreless for a 36:08 stretch, the longest in-game shutout streak in CSU's history. The Vikings would go on to tie that goals allowed mark by yielding just five tallies to St. Bonaventure April 6.

SPREAD THE WEALTH
Cleveland State had a variety of offensive contributors in two early-April wins last season. Eleven different Vikings scored in both games, CSU's highest such figure against a DI foe. Cleveland State also had 15 players collect at least one point in each game, a new program record.

NOT UNLUCKY 13
Trailing 2-0 in an early April game against Canisius last season, Cleveland State proceeded to score 13 consecutive goals to close the half. CSU scored on 13 of 21 possessions in a 22:26 span to break the game wide open. Nine different Vikings scored during the run with both Nick Polydoras and Nick Wendel producing hat tricks in that span.

NEW TO THE PARTY
There are 14 Vikings new to the program this season, all of whom are true freshmen.

LIGHTING UP THE SCOREBOARD
Cleveland State tied its single-game record for goals and broke its record for assists in last season's final month. CSU's 19 goals April 2 tied the program's standard while its 14 assists April 6 was a new high. The 32 points in each of those games were the most ever produced by a Viking squad. Those performances helped CSU produce double-figure goals in three straight games for the first time ever.