With the Boston University lacrosse team in the middle of its fall practice season, I’m reminded of the dream season it had last year. Peaking at No. 3 in the nation, the Terriers lost only two games, one of which was the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals. They accomplished more than anyone thought they could and established BU as a women’s lacrosse powerhouse for years to come.

They also opened the door for what is mysteriously lacking at Boston University – a men’s varsity lacrosse team. The women showed last year that a lacrosse team could grow and prosper here, so I see no reason to why we shouldn’t have a men’s squad.

Speaking for many BU students, the campus would love a team like this to cheer for. If the team became competitive enough and the university hyped the games to the best of its abilities, this team could become BU’s third headline sport. (Nothing, of course, will ever touch hockey, and basketball has a stranglehold on the two spot.)

As a niche sport, lacrosse appeals to nearly the same number of people as ice hockey does, and the men’s game shares many of the physical aspects of hockey (unlike the women’s game). Combine this with the fast and fluid nature of the sport and it wouldn’t be surprising if the team gained popularity quickly.

The question lies in how to make the men’s lacrosse team, currently a club squad, into a Division I powerhouse like its female counterpart. You can find the answer in a women’s team that just made the jump from club to NCAA play – women’s ice hockey.

Women’s ice hockey was a club sport for an inexcusable 32 years before it was finally transformed into a varsity team. Thankfully, this year the team has dropped the puck in its first official NCAA season. It will take time to build it into a dominant program like that of men’s hockey at BU, but undoubtedly if this team is given the money and attention it deserves, it will prosper.

And is the case of the men’s lacrosse team really any different? The women’s lacrosse team, like the men’s ice hockey team, has set a standard of excellence, and the taste of lacrosse that the women’s team gave us last year has left fans hungry for more.

It’s a shame that one of the Northeast’s most prominent universities doesn’t have a men’s lacrosse team to represent one of the nation’s biggest non-mainstream sports. Today, lacrosse is the fastest growing sport in the United States. So shouldn’t this be a clue to someone that it’s time for a varsity team at this university?

Recruiting should be easier than one would expect for such a new team. As the women’s team shows, Boston University is great at recruiting athletes from New York and Maryland, two of the hotspots for high school lacrosse talent. In fact, the best lacrosse players tend to hail from states along the East Coast, where almost all of BU’s recruits are from.

And that’s not even mentioning some of the other selling points BU offers to possible recruits. The Fitness and Recreation Center itself is probably enough to sway one or two recruits to join us on the Charles River. Add in Nickerson Field – whose location right near three huge dorm buildings almost guarantees an audience for every game – and many male lacrosse athletes would love the opportunity to represent the Terriers.

But for this idea to truly work, the students would need to support this team full-force, and the best way to do this is to go support the women’s lacrosse team. Everyone will be gunning for them this year, and they could use all the support they can get. And don’t worry about being disappointed if you make the effort to come out to The Nick to watch them. Last year the team was undefeated at home, and they plan on repeating that trend this year.

So this spring get out there and support our dominant women’s lacrosse team. The women deserve all the support they can get, and maybe this will send the message that BU is ready for a men’s varsity lacrosse team.