Hosting the San Diego State Aztecs on Friday, April 11, the Pioneers came away with an impressive 12-11 win at the Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium.
Clinching this win in the last two minutes of the game was crucial in giving Denver a spot in the 2014 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Tournament, which is scheduled to be hosted by Denver on May 1-4.
A back and fourth game, the Pioneers and Aztecs were evenly matched. In the last 21 seconds of the game, Denver scored twice to make for an epic win.
The Pioneers were tied with the Aztecs 6-6 at halftime.
Junior Jill Remenapp, who was being face-guarded around the goal for the majority of the game, recorded two goals and two assists for Denver. Senior Meredith Harris had two goals and one assist for Denver, while senior Annabelle Gilbride and senior Jenn Etzel each scored two goals.
Center for the Pioneers, junior Kiki Boone recorded a goal and had three draw controls.
In the nail-biting finish, freshman Layne Voorhees intercepted a pass, which ended in a man-down goal by Gilbride with 20.7 records remaining in the game.
In the last two seconds, sophomore Sarah Kasun scored the game-winning goal, while Denver was still a man-down.
On Sunday, April 13, Denver defeated the USC Trojans 7-8 in another intense game.
A defensive battle in snowy conditions, the game was tied 4-4 at half.
On defense, Voorhess caused five turnovers and had five groundballs. Redshirt goalie, junior Hannah Hook, recorded nine saves for the Pioneers.
On offense, Hook and sophomore Rachael McKinnon finished with two goals each for Denver. Sophomore Christa Reese scored two goals and also had two assists.
With less than 16 minutes remaining in the game, USC had a 6-5 lead over the Pioneers.
Three unanswered goals were scored by Denver to solidify the win. Gilbride, McKinnon and Reese all scored within the final minutes.
The No. 20 University of Denver now has a winning streak of 11 games.
The Pioneers face the University of California on Friday, April 18 at 4 p.m. at the Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium.
