For the first time in school history, the Pioneer men’s lacrosse team will play in the NCAA National Championship on Memorial Day, May 25, having defeated the University of Notre Dame in an 11-10 overtime thriller.

The luck of the Irish ran out just in time for the Pioneers. Notre Dame completed a furious four-goal comeback in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter to tie the game at 10 apiece and to force overtime.

Senior attacker Wesley Berg (Coquitlam, British Columbia) ripped the game-winner from the left side of the net two minutes into overtime. Berg led all Pioneer scorers with three goals.

Much like his six-point performance earlier in the year against Notre Dame, sophomore midfielder Zach Miller (Steamburg, New York) was arguably the most effective player on the offensive end for Denver, forcing slides and dishing to open teammates. Miller had two goals and an assist, and set up Wes Berg’s winning shot by drawing a double team.

Senior long stick defenseman Mike Riis (Carlsbad, California) had what may have been the biggest game of his career, causing two turnovers, picking up four ground balls and scoring with less than a second left in the third quarter.

The faceoff was, for the most part, dominated by DU’s Trevor Baptiste (Denville, New Jersey). The NCAA Division I leader at the x went 15-of-24 on the day.

Denver jumped out to a quick two-goal lead, but Notre Dame responded with two of its own to make it even at the end of the second. Miller weaved his way to his first score six minutes into the second period, and the Pioneers held a 4-3 edge at the half.

The stingy defensive effort for the Pioneers was anchored by senior goalie Ryan LaPlante (Fort Collins, Colorado), who had 13 saves on the day.

Denver beat Notre Dame earlier in the year by an identical 11-10 overtime score. Bill Tierney’s squad has made it to the semifinals three of the last four years, but never advanced to the final.