On Sept. 14, the University of Denver men’s lacrosse team revealed their upcoming 2016 schedule via Twitter. The Pioneers will be hosting five regular season games and for the first time ever, the Big East Championship on May 5, 2016.
The pressure is on for the first-ever NCAA champions to come from outside of the eastern time zone.
“First is to make sure we remember that [National Champions] is the past and we’re starting a new journey,” said Denver head coach, Bill Tierney in an exclusive interview.
Denver is set to host an exhibition game against 2015 NCAA Semifinalist John Hopkins University on Jan. 30.
The regular season will then kick off Feb. 13, away, against local rival Air Force Academy, followed by a trip to Georgia where the Pioneers face Duke University on Feb. 20.
The Faceoff Classic, Feb. 27 and 28, will be held at the Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium and will feature Sacred Heart University, Dartmouth University, Air Force and Denver.
The Pioneers will travel on March 5 to avenge the University of North Carolina Tarheels, who was one of their only two losses last season.
On March 13, Denver will head to South Bend, Indiana for a rematch against NCAA Semifinalist Notre Dame, where Denver won 11-10 in overtime play.
The matchup between the Irish and the Pioneers has required overtime for four out of five past meetings.
Six days later, Denver hosts the Ohio State University for another rematch. The Pioneers knocked the Buckeyes out of the Quarterfinals, 15-13, at the Denver Bronco’s Sports Authority Field in the spring of 2015.
The Pioneers will also face the following opponents throughout this season: Georgetown University, Villanova University, St. John’s University and Marquette University.
Denver returns with key leaders and players like junior Connor Cannizzaro (Cazenovia, New York), sophomore Trevor Baptiste (Denville, New Jersey), junior Zach Miller (Steamburg, New York), senior Pat Karole (Glen Ridge, New Jersey) and junior captain Christian Burgdorf (Westfield, New Jersey).
“It’s comforting to know we have a lot of talent coming back and the freshmen coming in are really good,” said Tierney.
The biggest question for the Pioneers remains who will start in goal, with three returning back ups; senior Joey Gigantiello (Shamong, New Jersey), junior Hunter Krout (Naples, Florida), junior Ryan Purcell (Levittown, New York), and two freshmen; David Winsor (Boulder, Colorado) and Alex Ready (Lancaster, Pennsylvania).
“There’s going to be a lot of battling going on for that [goalie] spot,” said Tierney.
