A common perception on college campuses is that club sports teams don't matter. They fail to measure up to the heavily funded varsity teams, which offer scholarships and receive a majority of the attention.

If all of that is true, and that is unlikely, then the K-State men's lacrosse team is certainly the exception.

"We bleed purple just like all the varsity teams - just nobody knows it," Andrew Brautigam, a senior defenseman, said. "The team is really just a bunch of good guys that really love the game and love to have a good time playing it."

The team was established in 1989, a time when lacrosse was a relatively unknown sport in the Midwest. The original roster consisted of students who were hand-picked out of the residence halls - many of them from Marlatt Hall - and soon there was a 25-man team.

As the years have passed, support for the team has grown. The university, local sponsors and alumni all make financial contributions.

"The money mainly goes to league dues and paying the refs for our games," Brautigam said. "The university has been great to work with ... they give us enough money to keep our member dues as low as possible."

The major difference between a club sport and a varsity sport like football is the amount of money and resources available.

The lacrosse team practices three times a week and is trying to add a fourth practice.

Last season, the team finished 5-9 with a young squad. Many of the players on the roster were freshmen. But with several returning players this year, Brautigam said expectations are much higher for the upcoming season.

"Our goal is to win every game," Brautigam said. "I am pretty confident, with a good fall turnout, that we should be well above .500 in the spring."

The lacrosse season starts Oct. 8 when the team takes on the alumni. After that, the team will play host to the annual Donnie Tillar Lacrosse Classic, a tournament in honor of the team's first coach, who was killed in the Gulf War in 1991.

The tournament helps support the lacrosse team and also gives players the opportunity to remember Tillar.

Junior midfielder Mike Manns said Tillar's memory lives on with the team.

"He's definitely a big part of our program," Manns said. "One of the first things we learn about as freshmen is how we started ... and it was with him."