DU men's lacrosse players celebrate their 13-10 victory over Villanova on May 15. Photo: Rich Clarkson & Associates
The University of Denver men’s lacrosse team won its first-ever NCAA tournament game with a 13-10 victory in front of a record 2,575 fans at DU’s Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium on May 15.
The game — the first NCAA men’s lacrosse tournament contest ever played west of the Mississippi River — extended DU’s winning streak to a program-record 11 wins and advanced the Pioneers to the quarterfinals for the first time in program history.
“I’m so proud of these young men,” head coach Bill Tierney says. “They faced a good Villanova team that gave us everything they had and more. They really gave us fits. We had just enough steam and enough heart to go out there and win against a very good team.”
DU trailed by as many as three goals in the third quarter but the Pioneers scored three goals in a 41-second span to tie at 8-8. Freshman goalie Jamie Faus made six of his 13 saves in the final quarter to hold Villanova scoreless, while DU racked up three goals to take the victory.
Freshmen Jeremy Noble doubled his career-high with six points off a career-best four goals and two assists and junior Mark Matthews had a hat trick and an assist in the second half. The Pioneers outshot the Wildcats 41-37 despite registering just 11 shots in the first half.
DU advances to the NCAA tournament quarterfinals in Hempstead, N.Y., and will face No. 3 Johns Hopkins at 12:30 p.m. MDT on May 21. The game will be televised on ESPN2 and ESPN3.com. The winner of the game will advance to the NCAA Final Four in Baltimore on May 28–30.