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The Cleveland State Vikings are the 22nd team in our 2020 men’s college lacrosse schedule preview series and the second independent team. Cleveland State finished 8-7 overall in 2019, their third varsity season. The Vikings recorded notable wins over Canisius, Marquette, and Utah last year.
Here’s their entire 2020 schedule:
Cleveland State’s 2020 Schedule
| Date | Road Team | Home Team | Special Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Road Team | Home Team | Special Notes |
| 1/18 | Hill Academy (ONT) | Cleveland State | Scrimmage |
| 2/1 | Marquette | Cleveland State | |
| 2/8 | Cleveland State | Michigan | |
| 2/15 | Cleveland State | Notre Dame | First ever meeting |
| 2/22 | Cleveland State | Air Force | Faceoff Classic (at Denver) |
| 2/23 | Cleveland State | Denver | Faceoff Classic |
| 3/6 | Bellarmine | Cleveland State | |
| 3/9 | Cleveland State | Mercer | At Towson, MD |
| 3/14 | Cleveland State | Hampton | First meeting since 2018 |
| 3/18 | Cleveland State | Robert Morris | |
| 3/24 | Cleveland State | Canisius | |
| 3/28 | Utah | Cleveland State | |
| 3/31 | Cleveland State | St. Bonaventure | |
| 4/7 | Cleveland State | Binghamton | First ever meeting |
| 4/14 | Cleveland State | Detroit Mercy | |
| 4/24 | Lafayette | Cleveland State |
Who’s In?
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2/15)
- Hampton Pirates (3/14)
- Binghamton Bearcats (4/7)
Who’s Out?
- Ohio State Buckeyes (12-9 L)
- North Carolina Tar Heels (15-9 L)
- Penn State Nittany Lions (15-11 L)
Cleveland State’s Opponent’s 2019 Average Win Percentage & RPI
| Avg. overall win pct. | Avg. overall RPI |
|---|---|
| Avg. overall win pct. | Avg. overall RPI |
| .401 | 46.53 |
Circle These Dates
- 2/1 vs. Marquette: The start of new eras for each program. After the Dylan Sheridan-led Vikings upset the Joe Amplo-led Golden Eagles, Andy German’s Cleveland State squad will host Andrew Stimmel and Marquette to kick off their seasons. The Golden Eagles didn’t have the majority of their top players in last year’s meeting due to a violation of team rules.
- 2/15 at Notre Dame: For the first time in program history, Cleveland State will make the trip to South Bend, Indiana to take on the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame has made themselves into one of the premier college lacrosse programs in the decade, but lost both of their assistant coaches in the offseason.
- 3/9 vs. Mercer (in Towson, MD): This year’s meeting will be at a neutral site in Towson, Maryland after spending the last two seasons at Cleveland State. After their comeback bid came up short in overtime in 2018, the Vikings were able to get their revenge on the Bears with a four-goal win. Don’t be surprised if we see another competitive matchup.
- 3/28 vs. Utah: In their inaugural season, the Utes gave nearly everyone on their schedule a tough time except for a few games. One of those games was against Cleveland State in the penultimate game of the season. The Vikings recorded six goals in the first and fourth quarters en route to a nine-goal victory. Utah will still be a tough team to face and perhaps this year’s battle will be a lot more closer.
- 4/24 vs. Lafayette: The final game for the inaugural group of seniors that first made their debuts in 2017. For a newer program like Cleveland State, this is one of the final firsts they will experience, the first goodbye of an entire class. And luckily, the final game will be at home, one of four throughout the season.