On Friday night as the sun set on Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium, the No. 11 Pioneers took on the No. 20 Villanova Wildcats in the second BIG EAST Men’s Lacrosse semi-final game. The last time these two teams met this season, Villanova won 11-12 handing the Pioneers their first BIG EAST regular season loss. The Pioneers had a 12 goal first half that helped propel past Villanova to send the Pioneers into the BIG EAST Championship game. 

In the first quarter, Villanova was able to get on the score board first by a goal from Connor Kirst, his thirtieth of the season. It was all Pioneers after the goal from Kirst as the Pioneers were able to go on a 12-2 run for the rest of the first half. Senior Austin French (Danville, Calif.) put the Pioneers up first to tie the score at one. Jackson hit the net with a mid-to-low bouncer to put the Pioneers up 2-1. Junior Ethan Walker (Peterborough, Ontario) increased the Pioneer lead to two as a shot from freshman Alex Simmons (Smithville, Ontario) rebounded off of the Villanova keeper straight to Walker who then placed it into the upper corner. The Pioneers continued their scoring streak with goals coming from Simmons, Senior Quinn McKone (Novato, Calif.), junior Schuyler Blair (Huntington Beach, Calif.) and sophomore Jack Hannah (Milford, Ohio). 

The second quarter would see the Pioneers maintain their lead with senior Colton Jackson (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) continuing the scoring run. However, Villanova would begin to crawl back in the game. By the end of the third quarter, the score was 15-6 Denver. The fourth quarter would favor Villanova, but the initial first half run by the Pioneers would be enough to win the game 17-11. The Pioneers had three players score hat tricks: Jackson, Walker and French. This performance was one of the better offense showcases demonstrated by the Pioneers this season as they had multiple Pioneers with a on the box score. 

This advanced the Pioneers into the BIG EAST Championship game against Georgetown, a rematch of last year’s championship game where Georgetown won it all. The winner of the game would give the winner an automatic bid into the NCAA Championship.