IRVINE, Calif. - The red-hot Concordia University Irvine men's lacrosse team will face Grand Canyon University in the first round of the Southwestern Lacrosse Conference (SLC) Tournament this Friday.

It's a rematch between the two programs who went head-to-head back in March in an overtime affair that CUI ultimately won 14-13 at Eagles Field. CUI is the No. 1 seed and GCU is the No. 4 seed in the bracket.  The two squads will square off at 4 p.m. in Tucson, Arizona.

The winner will face either Arizona or USC in Saturday's 10 a.m. Conference Championship game.

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CUI had already secured the top seed in the conference tourney prior to this past weekend's contest.  The Eagles defeated their longtime rivals from Chapman 17-14 on the road in the regular season finale for both squads.

"At the beginning of the season, it was our defense that was winning us games," explained CUI head coach Jesse Foss. "Our offense has come alive in the second half of the season. We now have the balance where the one side can pick up the slack if the other is having an off day."

"Our depth is also really impressive," continued Foss. "We have nine 20+ scorers and six (different players) with 30+ points. That is unheard of."

The Eagles extended their winning streak to a season-high seven games after knocking off Chapman.  CUI entered that contest ranked no. 2 in the nation in the MCLA rankings and has been firmly entrenched in the top three for the majority of the entire season.

Concordia's only loss this season came in a close contest against then-No. 1 BYU up in Provo. The Eagles won six times in a row before that 12-11 loss at BYU and closed out their regular season a perfect 6-0 at home after the Eagles enjoyed Senior Day with a win over San Diego State.

"I think this is a determined and focused group," said Foss. "They have weathered every in-game situation and still stayed the course. That next-play mindset will bode well as we head into the postseason."

The Eagles have also scored at least 10 goals or more in 12 of their 14 contests. CUI has also scored at least 19 goals on four different occasions (all wins).

CLICK HERE for the full CUI men's lacrosse schedule