ORANGE, Calif. – The lights literally went out on a viable Chapman championship run last year.

(Too soon?)

Those same lights couldn’t be brighter for the Panthers heading into the 2020 virtual postseason.

But Chapman will have to get by a Southern Methodist team that was the favorite to take down the Lone Star Alliance.

Jason Gildea has continued the Mustangs’ tradition of rolling out superb athletes at every position, led by the senior-freshman St. Mark’s School attack duo of Graham Gillespie and Connor Cheetham.

D-I Round 1: Southern Methodist at Chapman | https://t.co/zZmVgplzXJ #mcla20
— MCLA Tournament '21 (@MCLA_Tournament) March 22, 2020

“We’re here to win,” said Gildea*. “Not a lot of teams have come here and left with a win, but that’s our expectation.”

Prescott King is a quality ball-stopper who has the athleticism to help on the clear. He has a host of agile defenders in front of him that were problematic in the LSA.

They’ll face their biggest problem at Ernie Chapman Stadium, likely from the first whistle when Parker Halaburda (71.0 winning percentage) takes a knee at the dot.

Senior attackman Wiley Bonham rightfully receives most of the attention on the offensive end of the field for the Panthers, but classmate Garrett Stemmler and junior George McGuirk are having career years.

“SMU is big and they’ve got some guys who can run,” said Chapman coach Dallas Hartley*, a 2020 MCLA Hall of Fame inductee. “I’m not sure we’re a six seed and I know they aren’t a No. 27. We won’t be overlooking any aspect of this game.”

[*- The coach didn’t really say this. This is all made up. It’s fake]