GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- The Augustana Vikings men's lacrosse team will begin a new season on Saturday, February 24 when they hit the road to take on the Calvin Knights.

Augustana is coming off a 6-10 season in 2023 and will be led this year by first-year head coach Jon Paul. The Vikings bring back their top six goal scorers from a season ago, including four who tallied at least 20 or more. Brady Holtz notched a team-best 28 goals in 2023, followed by Carson Ghys and Elijah Graesser with 23 apiece, and Jake Moore with 22. Three Vikings also were credited with double-digit assists, led by Ghys' 19 on the year. Defensively, three of their top four leaders in caused turnovers return, including Caiden McCann who had 18. The team's top nine in the groundball category are also back, led by Trevor Herman, who picked up 93 in just eight games during his freshman campaign. Senior Gus Magnusson also returns to the goalkeeping group after stopping 97 shots in 2023.

Calvin enters the new season after posting a 7-10 record in 2023. The Knights lost three of their final four contests and ended the year with a 3-4 mark on their home field. Calvin has already played twice this season, currently sitting with a 1-1 record. The team recently defeated Edgewood on the road by a score of 19-9 to bounce back from its season-opening loss to Davenport. 

Saturday will be the fourth meeting all-time between the two programs and the third in the last three seasons, with the Knights leading 2-1 in their series history. Augie fell to Calvin last season at home to begin the 2023 slate, dropping the matchup by a score of 23-11. Ghys led Augustana in scoring with four goals.

Start time is scheduled for 12 p.m. CST.