The seventh-ranked DU men’s lacrosse team traveled to Providence, R.I. to play Georgetown in the Big East final on Saturday afternoon. This was shortly after handling Providence last Wednesday in the semifinal game 14-5. On Saturday, DU and the Hoyas were neck-and-neck all game before Georgetown’s 4 goals in the fourth quarter lifted them over DU to secure the championship.
Just like the two teams’ last matchup on April 17, Denver came out as the better team at halftime with a 6-4 advantage.
In the first quarter, the Hoyas opened the scoring with 2 goals in the first 2:18. Denver was able to match them with two goals of their own, including a rocket off the post from sophomore long-stick midfielder Malik Sparrow (Aurora, Colo.) to close out the quarter at a 2-2 draw.
DU’s 4 goals in the second quarter to Georgetown’s 2 made the game start to go Denver’s way before halftime. Junior midfielder Alex Simmons (Smithville, Ontario) scored his 31st goal of the season before the Hoyas caught up with two back-to-back goals of their own.
DU then went on a 3-0 run, featuring a goal from graduate student attackman Jackson Morrill (Baltimore, Md.) who went on to be the highest-scoring player of the day for DU with 2 goals and 2 assists. Senior midfielder Jack Hannah (Milford, Ohio) scored next, followed by junior midfielder Ellis Geis (Tustin, Calif.) just over a minute later. The Georgetown offense tried to pick up steam, but they were stopped by sophomore goalie Jack Thompson (Castle Rock, Colo.) who added 5 saves in the remainder of the half.
Graduate student attackman Ethan Walker (Peterborough, Ontario) gave DU their first 3 point advantage with 12:28 to go in the third quarter. The Hoyas ended their scoring drought with 2 goals to close the quarter and get within one point of the Crimson and Gold. Morill then brought Denver’s lead back to 2 with a goal with just over two minutes remaining.
Denver’s defense began to spiral out of control in the final quarter, ultimately leading to Georgetown taking home the championship. The Hoya’s 3 straight goals gave them their first lead of the second half before Walker tied things up with 6:39 to go. Georgetown’s Dylan Hess had the game-winner with four minutes remaining, sending the Hoyas off with the 10-9 win.
After this defeating loss, DU now looks ahead to the 2021 NCAA Division I championship tournament, where Denver was awarded the No. 7 seed in a field of 16 top teams. This is the men’s 12th tournament appearance in program history. DU will face Loyola Maryland at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium on Sunday, May 16 at 5:30 p.m. MDT, and the game will be broadcast on ESPNU. A limited number of tickets will go on sale for the general public for $20 on Tuesday at noon.
