After a 1-0 victory over in-state rival Pittsburg State on April 19, the K-State men's lacrosse team will play in the Great Rivers Lacrosse Conference playoffs against Missouri on Saturday in St. Louis, Mo.

The Wildcats' playoff berth was assured by a 4-1 record in conference play. Coach A.J. Besik said a pre-season decision to split the conference into two sub-divisions worked to K-State's benefit in the long run.

"I was very happy with the way the conference split worked out," said Besik, who is in his third season with the Wildcats. "We were very competitive, and we went 4-1 in our sub-division and tied for first, so we're headed to the conference playoffs."

He said K-State will take on a very talented Missouri team.

"Missouri's a very athletic and very good lacrosse team," he said. "They draw a lot of talent."

Sophomore midfielder Ben Coughlin echoed his coach's thoughts.

"Missouri's team is pretty strong," said Coughlin, a native of Olathe, Kan. "Their defense has some pretty big guys, and they run a lot of man-on-man."

Coughlin said the Tigers' defensive scheme could work to K-State's advantage.

"That's actually pretty good, because we have a lot of fast guys," he said. "I think we match up pretty well with them."

Besik said depth could be an issue for the Wildcats.

"We have the athletes to run with them, but what we don't have is a deep bench," he said. "Missouri will probably bring 30 guys to the game, and we'll roll out with probably 19."

Besik said K-State's team has learned to rely on its young leaders, especially Sean Berger, who led the sub-division in points, averaging 3.77 per game.

"On offense, we rely a lot on No. 25, Sean Berger," he said. "On defense, we're relying on a pair of freshmen, Kevin Hadel and Ben Novak. Kevin's got excellent speed and he's a really smart defender."

Besik said Novak, a defender from Milwaukie, Ore., has the talent to play for a school where the lacrosse team has a higher profile.

"Ben's out of the Northwest. It's interesting," he said. "He's an outstanding athlete that probably could have gone elsewhere to play lacrosse, but he chose K-State because of the ROTC program."

Besik said Novak and Hadel, a long-stick midfielder from Lenexa, Kan., complement each other well.

Assistant coach Jay LeBoeuf said it will take a lot of drive and determination to beat Missouri.

"The guys will have to be pretty motivated," LeBoeuf, who is in his first season with the Wildcats, said. "They'll have to have a lot of heart. Missouri's definitely a big team, and it's going to be a rough game."

He said a game like this will require the whole team to put forth a solid effort.