Photo by: Michael Furman
The men’s lacrosse team hosted the Denver Outlaws of Major League Lacrosse for the inaugural Colorado Lacrosse Showdown Saturday in front of a packed Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium.
The Outlaws trailed the Pioneers going into the fourth quarter, but came back to win the exhibition contest 15-13.
The game was preceded by the Colorado Lacrosse Showcase Youth Clinic, which featured appearances by DU and Denver Outlaws players and the coaching staffs, including DU’s new head coach Bill Tierney.
“It’s really great for the lacrosse community here,” Tierney said about the showdown and the clinic. “Great event, great day. It can do nothing but raise lacrosse interest and help the sport.”
The game marked Tierney’s first game as head coach of the Pioneers as well as the first collegiate competition and experience for the team’s 16 freshmen.
“The freshmen stepped up, which is a good sign,” Tierney said. “They are going to give us more depth this year.”
All the freshmen got time on the field, and freshman Chase Carraro scored DU’s first goal.
“Chase is going to be a great player,” Tierney said. “There were a lot of young guys who played well for us today, including Cameron Flint, Colin Scott and Hayden Schuette.”
The score seesawed during the game with DU scoring first. But by the end of the first quarter, DU was down 5-3.
“We came out excited, and that first goal gave us confidence,” Tierney said.
DU tied the contest at 5-5 behind consecutive goals from sophomore Mark Matthews who slipped the ball past Outlaw goalie Alex Smith earlier in the second quarter.
The Pioneers found themselves trailing in the middle of the third quarter only to retaliate and claim a 13-12 lead going into the fourth quarter.
“When we got down that was a defining moment for our team,” Tierney said. “Our goal going in was to have the mentality not to back down and we never did, which means we were successful.”
In the fourth quarter, the Outlaws defense tightened up and held the Pioneers scoreless by controlling the ball for most of the quarter. The Outlaws went ahead 14-13 when Dan Hardy scored in the middle of the fourth quarter. Then moments later the Outlaws tacked on another goal to cement the victory.
Sophomore Alex Demopoulos was the most active scorer for the Pioneers. Demopoulos scored two goals while dishing a team-high five assists.
Matthews ended the game with a hat trick and an assist. Junior Todd Baxter also scored three times and had a solo assist.
Outlaws’ head coach Brian Reese was also impressed with DU’s performance.
“One would think there would be a level of intimidation for them playing a group of professionals,” Reese said. “But there wasn’t. They challenged us and competed with us throughout the game, which is a great sign for them.”
He added, “DU had the ball the entire third quarter. In the fourth, we played smarter, but most importantly we played good defense and made the simple plays.”
Drew Westervelt led the Outlaws with seven goals and Mundorf added three goals and contributed with an assist. Other Outlaws who found the back of the net include Lou Braun, Shane Koppens, Dan Hardy, Jeff Sonke and Matt Brown.
“Clearly we need to do a better job defensively,” Tierney said. “Over time we will get better at defending and clearing, but for now this was a huge stepping stone for us.”
The scrimmage may have had more meaning for the Pioneers than it did for the Outlaws. Not only did the young squad get to measure themselves against a quality opponent, the team also got to perform the new offense that Tierney has imported from Princeton.
“Everybody is like a freshman right now,” Tierney said. “This is a new system for all the players.”
“They have some pretty talented offensive players,” Reese said. “Great finishers with great stick skills.”
“I couldn’t be happier,” Tierney said when the photo session and postgame handshakes were over.
