On Saturday afternoon in Providence, Rhode Island, the Villanova men's lacrosse team dropped a 15-11 affair to the lowly Providence Friars. With the loss, the Wildcats fall to 8-6 on the year and 4-2 in the Big East. The win for the Friars is their first ever Big East win, as they end the season at 2-12 overall, 1-5 in the conference.
The loss could prove to be quite costly for Villanova, as they were in prime position to obtain an at-large spot in the 16 team NCAA Tournament. Now, the chances of an at-large bid are virtually gone, so the Cats will most likely have to win the upcoming Big East Tournament to be held this week at Villanova Stadium. The winner of the conference tournament receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Villanova, the #2 seed in the Big East Tournament, will open up with the 3rd seeded Syracuse Orange on Thursday, May 3rd at 7 PM. The winner advances to the championship game on Saturday against the winner of the St. John's-Notre Dame game.