On Saturday, the DU Crimson and Gold Men’s Lacrosse took on Peter Barton Stadium for the first time this season. The snowy afternoon had nerves up for DU’s first home game of the season, but the Crimson and Gold didn’t falter for even a second. DU defeated the Air Force Falcons 11-9.
While the game started with a strong offensive push from the Air Force, DU’s defensive line quickly moved the ball up, getting junior attack Noah Manning his first two goals of the game.
Freshman midfielder Lucas Klokiw used this strong start to score his first career goal, giving the Crimson and Gold a 3-0 lead to start off the first quarter.
The first quarter ended with a goal from the Falcons, bringing the score to 3-1 as the snow started to fall harder. After winning the faceoff, junior midfielder Mic Kelly sprinted straight for the goal at the start of second and didn’t waiver, scoring DU’s fourth goal of the game.
The Crimson and Gold, while having a dominant start to the game, lost steam at the start of the second quarter. The Falcons went on a 4-0 run, and although senior goalie Malcolm Kleban made five saves, it wasn’t enough, and the Crimson and Gold ended the second quarter 4-5.
The third quarter started with another push from the Falcons. Not even a minute into play, the Falcons extended their lead to 4-6.
In the face of the initial push from the Falcons, DU mounted a remarkable comeback with four goals. Despite the early trailing by two goals, the Crimson and Gold’s prowess showed through, as DU gained control over midfield and pressed forward.
During the four-goal streak, Kelly scored his second goal of the day, and graduate student attack JJ Sillstrop put two goals on the scoreboard after his heroic comeback last game, putting DU right back on the scoreboard, tied at six. This tie remained until Kelly secured a hat trick with only 40 seconds left on the clock, bringing the Crimson and Gold up 8-6 leading into the final quarter.
The fourth frame began with another pushing effort from the Falcons, bringing them up 8-7 after 1:30 minutes of play time. Graduate attack Richie Connell continued to push the Denver lead, bringing DU up to a two point advantage and scoring his first goal of the game.
The Falcons came back quickly, however, tying the score at 9-9 with nine minutes left in play.
Connell, quickly, with a wrap-around pass behind the goal, sunk the ball straight into the bottom of the net, bringing DU back 10-9. Manning used this push, receiving a pass from Connell that he turned into a point, bringing him to complete his hat trick for the afternoon and giving Denver the 11-9 lead.
With four minutes left in play, Denver hung onto the lead, winning DU’s second game of the season.
The Crimson and Gold will be back on the road taking on Utah, facing off at 1 p.m. on Sat. Feb. 17.
