Coming off a season that was one for the record books, the Pioneers have another challenging year ahead of them.

After making it to the Final Four of the Division I Men’s Lacrosse Championship last May, the Pioneers are expected to make another impressive showing this spring. Fighting for a spot in the final championship game last year, Denver fell to powerhouse Syracuse University, 8-9. Denver was the only team in the Final Four from west of the Mississippi. Now, for the 2014 lacrosse season, the stakes are high.

Last week, Denver took on Team Canada in two fall scrimmages at Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y. Team Canada invited Denver as an opportunity to prepare for the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) Championships that will be held in Denver this spring.
According to a DU Athletics press release, head coach Bill Tierney indicated that both scrimmages served as great opportunities for Denver to gain some pivotal fall practice that will hopefully help prepare the Pioneers for the spring. Denver ended up falling to Team Canada Red in a close game 14-10, and then to Team Canada White, 22-6.

Team Canada is comprised of the best players of Canadian descent, so although the scrimmage results were not what Denver was looking for, the practice and level of play was ultimately a helpful experience for the Pioneers.

Most recently in the fifth annual Colorado Lacrosse Showcase, the Denver Outlaws had no luck in taking down the Pioneers at the Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium. Denver had 58 shots on the Outlaws’ goal, 38 ground balls and won 18 of 36 face-offs. Junior Sean Cannizzaro, freshmen Tyler Pace and Zach Miller paved the way for Denver’s 10-5 win with two goals each.

The showcase brought Denver’s fall exhibition to a close and served as a preview to the Pioneers upcoming spring season. The first game of the official 2014 season less than four months away.
The official schedule for the 2014 men’s lacrosse season is expected to be released in the coming weeks.