Lacrosse fans in Central Oregon – and anyone just curious about the sport – will have an opportunity to watch one of the country’s top-ranked collegiate club teams this weekend right here on the High Desert.

The men’s lacrosse team from the University of Oregon will face Boise State at 1 p.m. on Saturday, and Oregon State University will take on the Broncos at the same time Sunday for a double dose of Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse League action.

The games are being hosted by the Bend Metro Park and Recreation District and will be held at the Bend High School soccer field on 15th Street.

All three club squads are members of the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association – made up of approximately 200 teams divided into nine conferences across the country.

The MCLA is also split into A and B divisions. The A teams are typically large schools (Oregon, Colorado, Michigan) and the B teams are smaller schools (Linfield, Pepperdine, Puget Sound).

The UO Ducks and OSU Beavers are part of the Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse League, which includes five other teams: Simon Fraser University (British Columbia), the University of Washington, Gonzaga University, the University of Idaho and Boise State.

The UO men have won three consecutive conference titles and finished the last three seasons ranked among the top 10 teams nationally in the MCLA.

Approximately halfway through their 2007 schedule, the unbeaten Ducks are currently the No. 3-ranked club squad in the country – they recently beat top-ranked Brigham Young University.

The Ducks and Beavers routinely play home conference games at sites other than their respective campuses as a way to generate interest in the sport.

”There’s been a constant interest of people in Bend to have us play a game out there,” said Oregon head coach Joe Kerwin on Friday.

Many of the players who fill out the Oregon and Oregon State rosters are products of the Oregon High School Lacrosse Association, noted Kerwin.

”We play in Portland and it draws a pretty big crowd,” said Kerwin. ”Most of the kids (on the UO team) are from Portland.”

The biggest difference between a varsity sport and a club sport at the collegiate level is funding, Kerwin offered.

”The school gives us a budget, but it’s limited,” Kerwin said. ”Most of our money is fundraising and player dues. Qualitywise, it’s pretty comparable to higher-ranked (NCAA) Division III teams.”

Rich Ekman, sports program coordinator for the Bend park district, said bringing the college matches to Central Oregon will further spur the already rapidly growing interest in lacrosse locally.

”This is how kids learn about a sport,” said Ekman. ”The idea is to have these college guys come over and show them what lacrosse is all about. The kids see it and want to learn to play.”

This weekend lacrosse games come on the heels of registration for the Bend park district’s spring youth lacrosse program, which is on track to include some 300 participants – the most ever for the still-developing program, according to Ekman.

”It’s turning out to a bigger deal than I thought,” Ekman admitted. ”I didn’t realize Oregon specifically is as good as they are. Oregon could be (ranked) No. 1 by the time they get here.”

Admission to both games is free. There are bleachers at the 15th Street field, but Ekman encourages spectators to bring lawn chairs as well. Following Saturday’s UO vs. Boise State game, members of the Duck squad will conduct a youth clinic at no charge. Ekman said there is no need to register for the informal clinic, and participants should bring a lacrosse stick if they have one.

If You Go

WHAT: Men’s college lacrosse.

WHEN: 1 p.m. Saturday, University of Oregon versus Boise State; 1 p.m. Sunday, Oregon State versus Boise State.

WHERE: Bend High soccer field, 15th Street.

ADMISSION: Free.

INFORMATION: Rich Ekman, Bend Metro Park and Recreation District, 389-7275.