Feb. 19, 2015
Game Notes | Swezey Interview | Peters Interview
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – On Sunday on the road in Virginia, the Vanderbilt lacrosse team braved the elements and played in blistering cold with a windchill of three degrees.
Coming back home to Nashville has not offered a reprieve with ice, snow and single-digit temperatures with more wintry mix on the way this weekend. Luckily for the Commodores and their weekend opponents, they won’t have to worry about bundling up when they step onto the field.
Vanderbilt will play both games this weekend in the Multipurpose Facility, a state-of-the-art indoor complex finished in November 2013. Vanderbilt plays Boston University at 2 p.m. on Friday, and plays No. 18 Denver at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Both games have been moved into the indoor facility due to below-freezing temperatures and the threat of more snow and sleet over the weekend.
“It is a luxury,” said coach Cathy Swezey, who is in her 18th season at the helm. “I have been coaching here a long time. I have spent many years in cold winters. We do get winter in the South and people don’t realize that. So to finally have a facility where we can do this is amazing. Frankly, we would be cancelling both games probably because there is so much ice right now. I don’t know where it would be going. It is a beautiful facility, beyond state of the art and I think both teams will enjoy playing here.”
As always, admission is free. Fans can enter at the glass doors accessing the lobby located at the Southeast side of the building. Spectators will be allowed to view the game from the second-floor balcony located on the west side of the facility. Parking is available in the flat lots located at the Natchez Trace and Children’s Way. Both games will be streamed live online, and Sunday’s game will be broadcast by Vanderbilt student radio at vandyradio.com.
Boston is 1-0 after defeating Siena 13-9 in the season opener last weekend. The Terriers and Commodores haven’t met since 2010, and the series is tied 4-4. Vanderbilt has won two straight against BU. No. 18 Denver (1-1) is the first of eight straight ranked opponents for Vanderbilt. The Pioneers are coming off a 10-6 win at Colorado after falling to Syracuse in the season opener. The series is tied 2-2, with Denver winning the last two meetings, including a 10-8 victory last year.
Vanderbilt is 2-0 for the first time since 2008 after defeating Liberty 20-10 last weekend in the road opener. Kelly Chandler and Alexa Kunowsky each tied career-highs with five goals apiece. Jill Doherty also notched a career-high with four assists in addition to a hat trick. Mallory Schonk, who was named the BIG EAST Attacker of the Week, tied a career-high with four goals. Caroline Peters also set a career-high with three goals. Through two games, five players have at least five goals and the Commodores are averaging 22 goals a game while allowing just 5.5.