From Press Releases

College lacrosse will return to Dallas on March 20 for the 4th-annual Patriot Cup.

Returning Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association Division I national champion Michigan will take the field at SMU’s Gerald J. Ford Stadium to face off against Oregon. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Wounded Warrior Project, a non-profit organization that seeks to assist men and women of the armed forces who have been severely injured during conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and other locations around the world.

“The Patriot Cup has grown beyond our expectations in the last four years,” said Tom Fitzsimmons, president of the North Texas Chapter of U.S. Lacrosse and Patriot Cup committee chair. “With the addition of national champion Michigan, we now have the Big Ten facing off against the Pac-10, which further highlights Dallas as the place to see lacrosse played at its best. No sport has grown faster at the high school and college levels over the last five years.”

The 2010 Patriot Cup will showcase some of the nation’s premier collegiate and high school programs in the week leading up to the main event. In addition to the Michigan-Oregon game, the Patriot Cup will feature three of the nation’s top NCAA Division III teams. Western New England College (ranked 9th in 2009), Nazareth College (#19) and Bowdoin College (#20) will practice and play each other in Dallas, culminating with the Western New England vs. Nazareth game at SMU Ford Stadium on March 20. Later that day, SMU and Texas A&M University will square off in the nightcap at Ford Stadium for the second consecutive year.

Local high school teams St. Mark’s School of Texas, Episcopal School of Dallas and Highland Park High School will serve as event hosts and will also compete at Ford Stadium on March 19-20. The local schools will take on top-ranked lacrosse teams Loomis Chaffee (Conn.) and J.K. Mullen (Colo.).

For a complete schedule of games during the week, visit the Patriot Cup web site at www.patriotcup.com.

Tickets for the five-game package at SMU Ford Stadium March 20 are $10 for students and $15 for adults. A 20% group discount is available for groups of 10 or more. Tickets may be purchased by emailing patriotcup@gmail.com