After three American Athletic Conference teams played their way into the 2021 NCAA Championship, hopes are high in The American as the 2022 season begins this Saturday.

Two teams from The American begin the season in the IWLCA-Inside Lacrosse preseason rankings. Florida is ranked No. 7 nationally, while Temple is No. 22.

Florida, which won its second straight American Athletic Conference title and reached the NCAA tournament quarterfinals last season, opens against Kennesaw State before the Gators play five of their subsequent six games against top-10 teams. 

Temple, which saw its 2021 season end to eventual national champion Boston College in the NCAA tournament, welcomes Army to Philadelphia for the season-opener. The Owls were picked second in The American’s preseason coaches’ poll, while Army was tabbed for third in the Patriot League’s preseaosn poll.

Vanderbilt made its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2010 last season, and the Commodores finished with a 12-7 record. Vanderbilt will open in Nashville against a Liberty squad that was the Atlantic Sun runner-up last year.

Cincinnati, which played in the semifinals of the American Athletic Conference Championship last season, heads to Milwaukee for its season-opener as the Bearcats visit Marquette. Cincinnati was a 20-19 winner against the Golden Eagles in last year’s season-opener as the Bearcats scored the last three goals of the game.

East Carolina will travel to Charlotte to face Radford Saturday in the first meeting between the North Carolina rivals. The Pirates were in contention for an American Championship appearance until the final day of the 2021 regular season.

Old Dominion begins its season against Richmond, which went 10-2 last season and is picked third in the Atlantic-10 preseason poll.