If joining one of the strongest divisions in the nation, becoming eligible for post-season play and doubling its annual income wasn't enough, the Ball State University men's lacrosse club is taking another step toward gaining bigger exposure and more recruits.
In conjunction with Student Government Association, the team is bringing temporary lights to Turf Field on Friday evening in order to play its first-ever night game at Ball State.
The match will feature rival Miami (OH) and it will be the fourth match of the spring season for Ball State (0-3). Assistant coach and player Alonso Miller said the idea for a night game originated because the team is looking for more ways to bring students to its games.
"Usually on a Friday, people like to do some sort of activity before they go out for the night and so we decided one of our games should be that activity," Miller said. "We want to expose ourselves to a wider audience and to more recruits."
The Cardinals' home opener against Purdue Sunday attracted 200 spectators to the match, a high number for a club sport. Second-year coach Konnie Komarovsky helped elevate his team to the top division of the Central Collegiate Conference this year and he said this night game is just another step in the right direction.
"We're focusing on building a team for the future," Komarovsky said. "The bigger goal for us is to reach Division I status and Friday night is just a small step in that direction."
Ball State's fundraising efforts brought in double the funds this year for the 25-member team, which will help pay for uniforms, equipment and day-to-day activities. Even though the team doubled its fundraising from last year, it still wasn't enough to bring in the lights by themselves. The total cost for the lights was $580, and SGA paid $500 of it.
"Initially we were trying to raise enough money to rent the lights ourselves but we realized our funds weren't going to cover it,' Miller said. "SGA liked the idea and has really supported us."
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