Texas is the land of home-cooked meals and cowboys, but this weekend, it will also be home to the CSU women’s lacrosse team. For the men, the heart of Texas will come to play here in Fort Collins.

The women are heading to Austin for the Lonestar Showdown, their second out-of-state tournament in as many weeks. After going 2-2 at the Santa Barbara Shootout, head coach Liz Melahn is looking for more from her team.

“The girls have been working really hard to get better and improve in every aspect of the game,” Melahn said. “I expect that we will play calmly and more in control than we were at the start of last weekend.”

As of now, the team is unsure of which four teams they will face over the weekend, but as defending national champions, every team will know who they are. However, Melahn is unconcerned with their potential competition.

Though she is new to the team this year, she is already on board with the mindset the team stuck with last season.

“The biggest obstacle is not another team but ourselves,” she said. “If we go out and play our game, that’s the best we can do. I expect that we continue to get better and that we have the opportunity for the right to hold onto the national title.”

As for the men, they are getting ready for a tough visit from the No. 13 Longhorns Sunday at 1 p.m. in their first home game of the season. Texas’ narrowest margin of victory this season is 7 points. They have played six games and won all of them by a combined score of 114-21.

The Rams have some accomplishments of their own they are bringing to the field. They are 2-0 in division games, with an 8-6 win over No. 12 Grand Canyon and a 14-7 victory against No. 8 University of Oregon last Sunday.

Eleven players scored during that game, proving that head coach Alex Smith’s plan to spread the talent is working. Look for big performances from senior Kacy Carter, junior Mike Wolff and sophomore Brian Allen, who all scored twice against the Ducks during Sunday’s home game.

The season is young for both teams, and they are eager to stay on top to defend their national titles.