The Sonoma State Men’s lacrosse club team has reached the final four of the playoffs after Santa Clara University forfeited the first round. The game will take place on Saturday in the south bay at Los Gatos High School, against Cal Poly, SLO.

SSU was originally scheduled to play this past Saturday on campus at Beaujolais Field against Santa Clara University. However, SCU was forced to forfeit the game due to their players having “prior recreational commitments.”

The game was then supposed to be played against Stanford as a stand-in. But because Stanford had failed to qualify for the playoffs, their season had ended and they could not get all their players together on short notice. This led to a complete cancellation of the first round, meaning the Seawolves advanced to take on Cal Poly in the CCAA semi-final tournament weekend.

Cal Poly SLO is currently ranked #17 in the MCLA Coaches Poll in Division I club lacrosse, with a 7-5 record this season and a 3-4 away record. Similarly, The Seawolves’ current record stands at 7-6 with three wins and four losses away from home.

The Mustangs and Seawolves appear to be evenly matched heading into this weekend. With the teams meeting in the south bay, both teams will be disadvantaged playing away from home.

Junior Seawolf, Danny Beglin says that despite the complicated start to the playoffs, the team’s mentality against Cal Poly is the same, “We need to do whatever it takes to keep moving forward because if we lose we’re done. And so is everything we’ve worked so hard to achieve this year.”

Beglin believes that one of the major accomplishments this year has been the team’s growth as a family. He said, “Since the start of this year our main theme has been building not just a team but a family. The bond we’ve created with each other is something truly unbreakable and has been evident throughout our season. And we will continue to grow as a team and family until the final whistle of this year blows.”

Senior Michael Trujillo echoed the same sentiment, highlighting the team’s chemistry, “We are an integrated team more than ever. Every player is on the same page, and the feeling of brotherhood is evident.”

Trujillo continued, “The team has grown enormously since the beginning of the season.  We play to each other’s strengths more than ever and pick each other up when someone waivers. We have formed a new work ethic and cohesive community.

Trujillo believes that the team’s key to beating Cal Poly will be the Seawolves’ ability to play a full four quarters, being able to keep possession, and play their style of lacrosse.

Beglin told us that the team’s underdog mentality has been a strength during the regular season and will continue to help them in the playoffs. He said, “Everyone has counted us out from the start. Every team we’ve played has gone in expecting to beat us. And time and time again we’ve proved people wrong. The fact we’ve been counted out has just driven us more.”