Highly Ranked Lacrosse Clubs Gearing Up for Title Runs
By Brian Hiro
The 2025 spring season has been one to remember for the Cal State San Marcos men’s and women’s lacrosse clubs.
But the best, they hope, is still to come.
The CSUSM men’s team has a record of 11-2 and is ranked eighth nationally among Division II schools in the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association. The Cougars have one game left in the regular season, and it’s a big one – Friday, April 18 at home against their top rival, UC San Diego, which is undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the MCLA Division II poll.
“We have a lot of transfers that have played at a higher level in the NCAA who have come in and have really helped with the team chemistry,” men’s coach Tim Puls said. “We all have one goal on our team, and that is to win a national championship.”
The CSUSM women have been even better. They are unbeaten at 10-0 and ranked first nationally among D-II schools in the Women’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association. Their regular season has finished, with the next challenge upcoming in the WCLA regionals, April 12-13 in Santa Cruz.
“At the beginning of this season, we struggled with offensive communication and showing up to game days focused and ready,” women’s coach Jillian Dohrmann said. “Late fall, our whole offense met outside of practice and talked about their disconnect, and ever since then we have been excelling and have had great communication and collaboration.”
The Cougars’ men are led by sophomore midfielder Colin Dobbins, a Carlsbad native who transferred to CSUSM from Stevenson University, a NCAA Division III power. Dobbins paces the team with 52 goals, and none of them were more significant than the six he scored in an upset win over then-No. 1 Air Force last month.
For his efforts, he was named the MCLA Division II Warrior Player of the Week.
“He is the backbone of our offense,” Puls said of Dobbins. “He wants to make his teammates better and makes them work hard day in and day out in practice, and it shows during games. He is our go-to guy, and when we need someone to make a play, we call his number.”
Dobbins has accomplished all of this after recovering from a broken collarbone.
“Having the team’s support really gave me confidence and helped me recover faster and stronger,” Dobbins said.
For the women’s team, the top scorer is Shea Morgan with 44 goals, but the heart of the team is goaltender Cierra Warfield. She has posted one shutout and four other games in which she allowed three or fewer goals.
“The key to my success this season has been staying consistent with my game and practice and having a great community around me to lift me up when I fall,” Warfield said.
After the rivalry game against UCSD at Mangrum Track & Field, the men’s team next will head to Santa Barbara for the Southwestern Lacrosse Conference tournament April 25-27, with a goal of advancing to the MCLA national championships from May 5-10 in Round Rock, Texas.
The women, meanwhile, are gearing up for regionals, where they hope to qualify for the WCLA nationals from May 6-9 in Wichita, Kansas. The Cougars finished third at nationals last year.
“This year we are aiming for first place,” Dohrmann said. “The team is looking forward to playing and traveling. We have worked hard in fundraising throughout the year to afford these trips.”
Media Contact
Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist
bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306