DU alumni Wesley Berg (Coquitlam, British Columbia), Jeremy Noble (Orangeville, Ontario), Mark Matthews (Oshawa, Ontario) and Dillon Roy (Denver, Colorado) returned to Peter Barton Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 22, but not as Pioneers. Instead of sporting the traditional Crimson and Gold, the former Denver players represented Team Canada in a fall exhibition game.
“They made us champions and they are champions. They’re the heart and soul of our team, of our program,” said head coach Bill Tierney. “Mark [Matthews] being one of the all-time greats, Jeremy [Noble] being a part of our staff and Wes [Berg] carried us to a national championship and Dillon [Roy] was my first captain here. Each one has an amazing story and we’re thankful that they’re part of University of Denver lacrosse.”
Team Canada defeated the Pioneers 15-13. Tewaaraton Award Finalist and NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, Wes Berg, led the Canadians with a hat trick. Meanwhile, current Pioneer and Tewaaraton Award Finalist, senior Connor Cannizzaro (Cazenovia, New York), led Denver’s offense with four points (three goals and one helper). Sophomores Austin French (Danville, California) and Colton Jackson (Highlands Ranch, Colorado) each netted two goals. Sophomore goalie Alex Ready (Lancaster, Pennsylvania) finished the day with 10 saves.
USILA First Team All American senior defender Christian Burgdorf (Westfield, New Jersey) and USILA Second Team All American senior midfielder Tyler Pace (Coquitlam, British Columbia) did not suit up for the game due to precautionary injuries.
USILA First Team All American Trevor Baptiste (Denville, New Jersey) suffered a lower body injury during the second period. For precautionary reasons, the junior faceoff specialist did not return to play for the remainder of the game, disrupting Denver’s consistent success at the X.
“We liked the start of the game and we liked the end of the game. I think we showed who we can be,” said Tierney. “We’re thankful for the Canadian team to come here and to play us; it’s not everyday you get to play a bunch of guys who have played in the professional leagues. We’re thankful that we played well, we’re disappointed we didn’t win, but we’re going to get better from having been here.”
The Pioneers dominated the first quarter, jumping to a 6-1 lead. Berg put the Canadians on the board 3:03 into the opening quarter. Denver countered, amassing six goals and maintaining strong defensive play; boasting a perfect, six-for-six in clears.
Entering the second period, junior long-stick midfielder Sean Mayle (San Carlos, California) extended the Pioneers’ lead 7-1 as he fired a rocket shot outside of the arc in transition. During the next faceoff, Baptiste suffered his game-ending injury.
Baptiste’s absence at the X provided an advantage for Team Canada to identify its offensive rhythm. Throughout the next 11 minutes, the Canadians tallied seven unanswered goals and a perfect clearing game, finishing six-for-six. Heading into the locker room, the Pioneers trailed 7-8.
The Pioneers never regained the lead during the second half, but managed to outscore the Canadians 5-3 during the final quarter. Denver continued to implement its high-powered, quick offense, outshooting Canada 45-34.
“We’ve got a lot of great film and a lot of mistakes. We can learn from those and we can get better,” Tierney said. “We’ve got a long winter ahead of us to get better and to get healthy to come back stronger than we were in the fall and hopefully make another run for the championship.”
Following a road game at Johns Hopkins on Jan. 28, Denver returns for its 2017 season debut hosting the Air Force Academy on Feb. 11 at 1 p.m.
