2021 Schedule | Watch Coach German Discuss 2021 Slate
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Games against BIG EAST and ACC opponents, four rematches of contests from the 2020 campaign and a first-time opponent highlight the Cleveland State University lacrosse program's 2021 schedule released Wednesday.
As of this writing, CSU has nine regular-season games and one scrimmage on its slate. The Vikings will face off against a pair of teams that reached the most recent NCAA Tournament and will meet the same opponent more than once in the same season for the first time.
Due to the conditions created by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Cleveland State will not permit spectators for its home games inside the Krenzler Dome this season.
"We're excited for the opportunity to go out and compete," head coach Andy German said. "For anybody that was here last year and was a part of the shortened season, or even our freshmen who had the rug pulled out from under them in their [high school] senior years, the opportunity to get out and compete again is the best thing in the world right now. It's exciting. It really is. It's been a long time coming, but it's here."
Cleveland State will host fellow northeast Ohio foe Walsh for a scrimmage this Saturday, Feb. 6.
Cleveland State is set to officially open its 2021 campaign, its fifth season of existence, by traveling to Marquette Saturday, Feb. 13. It will be the third consecutive year the programs have met, with each winning at the other team's home venue. Both previous meetings were close affairs, decided by a total of three combined goals.
The game at Marquette will begin a season-opening stretch of four consecutive road contests for CSU, marking the fifth time in five seasons that CSU will have played four straight games away from home at some point during the season.
After opening with a BIG EAST foe on the road, Cleveland State will next head south as it closes out the month of February at Mercer. The Bears and Vikings are set to meet for the fourth straight season (Feb 28), with this being the second meeting in Georgia. Mercer was off to a hot start a year ago, winning six of their first seven games, before the season abruptly came to an end.
In keeping with the theme from the game before, Cleveland State will then face Bellarmine for a fourth straight season, as the Vikings visit the Knights March 13.
Cleveland State will wrap up the road trip one week later as it travels to Notre Dame March 20. The Fighting Irish are a consensus top-10 squad in preseason polls and reached the 2019 NCAA Quarterfinals. The teams will be meeting for the second straight season as CSU visited ND last February.
After playing four straight on the road, Cleveland State will return home to open the season's third month as it welcomes VMI Saturday, April 3. The matchup with the Keydets will be the first between the schools in program history.
Cleveland State will return to the road the following weekend as it takes on Robert Morris. The Vikings and Colonials, who have been to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments, will be meeting for the third time in four seasons (with the 2020 meeting having been canceled due to the pandemic).
Two of the Vikings' final three games will see them face off against an opponent that they already faced during the campaign, adding a unique twist to the season.
Cleveland State will return to Bellarmine April 17 and will close the season at VMI May 1. In between those two rematches, Cleveland State will host Utah Saturday, April 24.
CSU will be facing the Utes for the second time, with this being the first matchup in Ohio (as the scheduled 2020 meeting was canceled due to the pandemic).
The Vikings' game at VMI will be the program's first in the state of Virginia since CSU's inaugural season. The Keydets will be the 19th distinct opponent that the Vikings will face in a true road contest.
Cleveland State is set to continue its streak of playing at least one team from the ACC and BIG EAST in each year of its existence to date.
In its last full season, Cleveland State won seven of its final 10 games to register a winning season in what was just the program's third season of existence. In an abbreviated 2020 campaign, the Vikings surpassed another program milestone as they defeated a nationally ranked foe for the first time.
Fans of Cleveland State lacrosse and Cleveland State Athletics are invited to join the Viking Fund by visiting www.csuvikings.com/VikingFund. The financial support benefits all 330+ student- athletes as they become champions in the classroom, in the community and through competition. For more information on the Viking Fund, contact Assistant Athletics Director Brandon Longmeier at b.longmeier@csuohio.edu or call 216.630.2974.
