Big games have become a habit for the No. 11 Arizona men’s club lacrosse team as they face the No. 4 UC-Santa Barbara Gauchos tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Murphey Field at Lohse Stadium.

The Laxcats (8-4, 3-2 Western Collegiate Lacrosse League) are excited to play this game because they have a shot at solidifying their chances at a spot USLIA National Championships in Dallas in May, according to Arizona head coach Kenny Broschart.

“”If we win this game it will be hard to keep us out of the championships,”” Broschart said. “”If we win we can pretty much punch our tickets to Dallas.””

The Laxcats have a strict game plan against UCSB (6-4, 2-2), the back-to-back USLIA A Division champions. They want to put pressure on the Gauchos and hold the ball as long as they can on offense.

“”If we stick to our game plan, I think it should be a good game,”” senior attackman Steve Luna said.

Broschart said he is more concerned that his offense won’t score goals rather than his defense keeping the Gauchos out of the net. The Laxcats will be hit with a big challenge offensively as they face one of the toughest defenses in the conference, as the Gauchos allow just 6.6 goals per game.

“”We need to hold the ball on offense,”” Broschart said. “”We need to put a lot of pressure on their defense and put some balls in the net.””

Senior close defender Carson Parmelee is convinced they have a tough job on defense as well.

UCSB has scored seven or more goals in seven out of their 10 games, including five in double digits.

“”We are going to be throwing a couple different defensive schemes at them,”” Parmelee said. “”If we put pressure on them and our offense holds the ball, we will be in good shape.””

Parmelee recognizes that it is tough to play at Santa Barbara, so it is an advantage to be home.

“”They have a long drive to get out here, and they are going to have to wake up early to play us,”” Parmelee said. “”We have a great fan base, and it is always nice to play with their support.””