Men’s lacrosse season came to a sudden end after DU gained a second chance at the NCAA tournament when DU fell to Maryland 10-7 in the first round on Saturday.
The last time these two teams faced off against each other was in the 2006 tournament, Denver’s first NCAA appearance. The Pioneers lost that match 16-8.
In the match junior Austin Konkel had 13 saves against the Terps. Junior Joey Murray and sophomore Charley Dickenson each scored and assisted, and sophomore Ilija Gajic recorded two goals.
“I was proud with how the team competed. We executed perfectly in the first half, besides a few unnecessary penalties, and we played hard in the second half, but not as disciplined,” said Head Coach Jamie Munro.
Denver was hopeful after the first period, leading the Terps 3-2, thanks to early goals from sophomore John Dickenson and Murray, both within the first five minutes to give Denver a 2-0 lead right away.
Maryland put one away and senior Brent Koll responded, extending Denver’s lead with 6:18 remaining in the period. The Terps managed to put one more by Konkel before the end of the first period ended, leaving the score 3-2.
Freshman Jamie Lincoln and Gajic both put away goals in the second quarter putting Denver up 5-2, but Maryland took action and came back with three unanswered goals leaving the score tied at halftime 5-5.
Maryland took their first lead of the game in the third period when they scored with 6:13 remaining. The Terps were up 7-5 as the teams headed into the final quarter of the match.
Maryland immediately extended its lead to three with a goal just two minutes into the quarter. It was the Terps’ sixth straight goal. Denver fell farther behind when Maryland scored again two minutes later.
Charley Dickenson brought the Pioneers one closer to the Terps when he scored with an assist from Murray with 7:32 left in the game. Gajic put away his second goal of the game and moved Denver within two of the Terps with just over four minutes remaining in the match. Maryland’s Grant Catalino sealed the Terps’ victory when he completed his hat trick in the final minute of the game.
The loss ended the season for the Pioneers and advanced Maryland to NCAA quarterfinals.
“We did some great things this season with a very young team. Of course I wanted more, but this team had a lot of toughness and competitiveness. We had some huge wins and a very tough schedule,” said Munro.
Though the season ended sooner than the Pioneers would have liked, the year was marked by highlights including freshman Jamie Lincoln breaking the DU Division I scoring record. Lincoln contributed a total of 47 goals this season and had three or more in each of the last eight games.
Charley Dickenson led the Pioneers in assists, tallying 19 for the year.
Senior Jon Paulson put himself on the board when he scored only 13 seconds into Denver’s match against Bellarmine, the tenth fastest goal scored in NCAA Division I history.
The Pioneers were known for their last minute comebacks this season, and they recorded 56 goals in the fourth quarter alone this season. They allowed only 35 fourth quarter goals.
Six different players recorded game-winning goals this season including Cliff Smith, who leads with three, Charley Dickenson and Ilija Gajic, who each have two. Seniors Brent Koll and Andrew Bourke also scored one each. The Pioneers beat out both Harvard and Penn in overtime this season thanks to these game-winning goals.
The team is hopeful as it looks toward next year.
“We lose some great seniors, but that’s what happens in college athletics. We expect to be better in ’09 as we return so many players and we bring in a very talented group of newcomers,” said Munro.
