On Sunday, the Longhorn lacrosse team will get its final chance of the fall to play against opposing teams and iron out some preseason wrinkles.

Texas travels to the Southwestern University campus in Georgetown to compete against some of the area's top college teams in the 2009 Pirates Fall Lacrosse Classic. The Horns will play their first game at 11 a.m. against Southwestern, which this year will be the first program competing at the NCAA level in the state. A match against Texas State follows at noon, and the team will return at 2 p.m. for a final game against Sam Houston State.

"We are looking forward to seeing how the team is developing and learning to play at a faster speed," said Texas head coach Noah Fink.

The Longhorns played their first scrimmage of the fall last week against Texas State. Although the team came out slow and there remained some questions on the defensive side, coaches said they were satisfied with the squad's ball skills. Tomorrow's tournament will be the last meeting between Texas and a different school until next spring.

Players are hoping their recent exposure to the professional game will help them improve their speed and creativity this weekend. Kyle Harrison, a midfielder for the Denver Outlaws and a former national champion at Johns Hopkins, stopped by practice two weeks ago to hang out with the Longhorns. Aside from participating in some drills, he also took the opportunity to impart some wisdom to the Texas players.

"[Kyle] showed a level of intensity in both aspects of the midfield game that really impressed me and showed me what it means to be a dual threat," said junior midfielder Alex Ierullo. "I think a display like that will help all of us."

For updates on the team, please become a follower of us on Twitter: @UTLax.