In the first year of the Matt Brown era, Denver Lacrosse has regained their spot among college lacrosse’s elite. With a 10-8 victory over Syracuse, Denver returns to the final four of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017.
Facing a Syracuse team that averaged over 15 goals per game, the Crimson and Gold put on a defensive clinic, holding them to just eight goals. They did this with physical play, which gave the normally crushing Orange attack all sorts of problems.
Denver made a statement early, scoring on their first possession, with junior midfielder Mic Kelly just sneaking a shot past the Orange goalkeeper Mark Will after it hit the goalkeeper’s stick.
After Syracuse quickly equalized, the game turned into a defensive struggle, with both teams using physical play to stifle attacks. Both teams were hunting the ball on the defensive end, forcing turnovers at will.
Syracuse scored the next goal to make it 2-1, but Denver would answer right back with a goal from senior midfielder Michael Lampert to tie the game. Denver got the lead back in the final seconds of the period on a goal by junior midfielder Joshua Carlson.
The second quarter would be even more of a defensive slugfest, with each team only scoring one goal in the period. After a long period of no goals, Syracuse tied the game about halfway through the period.
After the offense looked stagnant all quarter, they finally turned it on right before the half. Senior Ty Hussey scored a massive goal to make it 4-3 and gave Denver momentum heading into the locker room.
Denver would ride that halftime momentum into the third quarter, where they would go on a game-changing run. The run was facilitated by senior faceoff ace Alec Stathakis dominating the faceoff circle. Denver won six faceoffs to Syracuse’s three in the third quarter.
Freshman attacker Cody Malawsky kicked off the action with a goal on the first possession of the third quarter to make it 5-3. After a faceoff win by Stathakis, Denver went quickly down the field and scored again on a goal by Hussey that just barely crossed the line.
After yet another faceoff win, Malawsky struck again to make it 7-3, making a move that put his defender on skates and beating the goalkeeper with a nice shot.
Syracuse would finally win a draw, but Denver’s defense stifled them, with senior defender AJ Mercurio forcing a turnover and running down the other end to set up senior attacker JJ Sillstrop, who scored to make it 8-3.
This run is what gave Denver the game, and it was an example of how Denver can dominate every facet of the game for large stretches, just like they did against Michigan in the previous round.
Syracuse got two quick goals to make it 8-5, but right at the end of the period, Lampert and Sillstrop scored massive goals to give the Crimson and Gold a five-goal cushion. The Lampert goal was especially soul-crushing for the Orange, with the senior midfielder just barely beating the shot clock to score the goal.
In the fourth quarter, Denver decided to park the bus and soak up pressure to preserve their lead. The approach was frustrating and nerve-inducing, but it got them over the line. When they had the ball, their plan was centered around chewing clock rather than scoring goals, and they were happy relying on their second-ranked defense to carry them.
The Orange scored three goals in the period, but it was not enough for them with Denver getting enough stops to win the game, 10-8.
The Crimson and Gold advanced to their first final four since 2017, which is a huge accomplishment for first-year head coach Brown, who replaced the legendary Bill Tierney.
In the final four, Denver will face their toughest challenge yet, facing off against the top team in the nation, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. They play on Saturday at 10 a.m. MT in Philadelphia at Lincoln Financial Field. The game will be broadcast on ESPN +.
