Denver Pioneers 2024

[Puck Swami]

Winning cures most of the problems. DU really doesn't have any star players this year, and still plays a rather blah style, and that it makes it very hard for anyone outside of Denver to care very much about this team. But now that the NCAA Selection Committee has Denver ranked #4 by the solid body of work and no bad losses, I think DU will host a home game in the NCAAs as long as they win out against Marquette and in the B.E.T in May.

Lose in the BET and the home NCAA game is probably quickly off the table, although the RPI should still be good enough to keep the Pios in the NCAA tournament, albeit on the road.

Add it all up, and the rest of the country sees Denver as a good, but non-elite program right now.

The Pios will have to keep winning to generate much interest.

[OSVAlacrosse]

Winning cures most of the problems. DU really doesn't have any star players this year, and still plays a rather blah style, and that it makes it very hard for anyone outside of Denver to care very much about this team. But now that the NCAA Selection Committee has Denver ranked #4 by the solid body of work and no bad losses, I think DU will host a home game in the NCAAs as long as they win out against Marquette and in the B.E.T in May.

Lose in the BET and the home NCAA game is probably quickly off the table, although the RPI should still be good enough to keep the Pios in the NCAA tournament, albeit on the road.

Add it all up, and the rest of the country sees Denver as a good, but non-elite program right now.

The Pios will have to keep winning to generate much interest.

A first round game with Utah at home would be good for college lacrosse and ESPN

[cherrylax]

Expecting a serious dog fight on the main line tomorrow night. Definitely going to be a different game with the biggest difference being Coppola being back. Last year in two games against Denver he went 22-46, not great but still much better than the alternatives that played in the first game which allowed us to go 13-19.

Keys to Win

1. Shoot Better. First game we did not have a great shooting game. Nova's goalie is sitting right under 50% so we need to wait for the right shots and get to him early
2. Spark transition from the D end. A younger Villanova offense against The old men of Denver. Guys like Mercurio, Wilson, Edinger, Giles, need to push transtion and generate some scoring chances.
3. Over 50%. Both for Saves and Faceoffs.

[cherrylax]

Expecting a serious dog fight on the main line tomorrow night. Definitely going to be a different game with the biggest difference being Coppola being back. Last year in two games against Denver he went 22-46, not great but still much better than the alternatives that played in the first game which allowed us to go 13-19.

Keys to Win

1. Shoot Better. First game we did not have a great shooting game. Nova's goalie is sitting right under 50% so we need to wait for the right shots and get to him early
2. Spark transition from the D end. A younger Villanova offense against The old men of Denver. Guys like Mercurio, Wilson, Edinger, Giles, need to push transtion and generate some scoring chances.
3. Over 50%. Both for Saves and Faceoffs.

The worst game this team has played since Air Force and that had some weather factors. 20 turnovers a good chunk of them uncaused. DU's stick protection yesterday was horrendous, with several of Nova's over the head checks landing and our veteran offensive players hanging there sticks, and turning the ball over.

Credit to Villanova, they had a game plan to beat DU and stuck to it. There goaltender was superb, and Denver let him gain confidence by not shooting well at all. Nova's goalie plays an EXTREMELY high arc (something to be discussed later) and I think it caused DU's shooters to panic and not shoot with confidence. Don't know how many times we hit the goalie in the legs but he's going to have some bruises.

Face off unit could be the most deceiving stat of the whole game. I would say we wont 71% of the initial possessions than turned it over enough so that if I had to guess Villanova could be in the majority. Outside of winning clamps 37 had one of the worst games I've seen him play, missed GB's, 5 or 6 turnovers, an absolutely brutal shot that should be considered a turnover. Didn't receive much help from the wings but man that was tough to watch.

Offense in the first half was brutal, back to standing around waiting for someone to initiate. Mic Kelly seemed to be the only one who really could win the one on one battles. Second half was better assisted by two man up goals, and guys starting to wake up a bit.

Officials were a conundrum. Seemed to miss several little calls like tipped balls or minor pushes. The last play of the game is an interesting discussion as I felt (biased) the goalie actually initiated the contact outside of the goal mouth. If your a goalie and I see a guy dodging to finish like that I would just go out to the edge of the crease and initiate contact and get the goal wiped out. I also personally think #2 could've gotten a little more topside and made it a harder decisions for the refs, but with time winding down he tried to make a play.

This is truly gut check time for this super senior class. This group has been to ONE tournament game, and have never won. Whatever you say about there skill, talent, and dedication to the program, I hope for their sakes that DU can make some noise in the tournament or this will be part of there legacy.

[westlax]

Denver coaches have prioritized the senior class over cultivating and grooming underclassmen. They rarely use their bench players. Gotta be the worst roster management of any top 20 program. At the end of the day, defensive breakdowns lost that game for them. Nova scored the last two goals with the Denver defense lost and spinning. It’s time for a new defensive coach. Denver has ridden the COVID extra year harder than any other team in the league. Time to start fresh with players who have very little experience.

[wgdsr]

Officials were a conundrum. Seemed to miss several little calls like tipped balls or minor pushes. The last play of the game is an interesting discussion as I felt (biased) the goalie actually initiated the contact outside of the goal mouth. If your a goalie and I see a guy dodging to finish like that I would just go out to the edge of the crease and initiate contact and get the goal wiped out. I also personally think #2 could've gotten a little more topside and made it a harder decisions for the refs, but with time winding down he tried to make a play.

goalie crease protections re: dive are limited to the goalmouth and yes, he was out of the goalmouth.
however, the call wasn't that he ran into the goalie. it was that he landed in the goalmouth post-shot. and the only way that's not waved off is if he was fouled in getting there, and he wasn't. it was a pretty easy call with no defender on his back.

[cherrylax]

Officials were a conundrum. Seemed to miss several little calls like tipped balls or minor pushes. The last play of the game is an interesting discussion as I felt (biased) the goalie actually initiated the contact outside of the goal mouth. If your a goalie and I see a guy dodging to finish like that I would just go out to the edge of the crease and initiate contact and get the goal wiped out. I also personally think #2 could've gotten a little more topside and made it a harder decisions for the refs, but with time winding down he tried to make a play.

goalie crease protections re: dive are limited to the goalmouth and yes, he was out of the goalmouth.
however, the call wasn't that he ran into the goalie. it was that he landed in the goalmouth post-shot. and the only way that's not waved off is if he was fouled in getting there, and he wasn't. it was a pretty easy call with no defender on his back.

Makes sense. You could make the argument that contact with the goalie caused him to land in the goal mouth, but that would be a stretch.

[wgdsr]

Officials were a conundrum. Seemed to miss several little calls like tipped balls or minor pushes. The last play of the game is an interesting discussion as I felt (biased) the goalie actually initiated the contact outside of the goal mouth. If your a goalie and I see a guy dodging to finish like that I would just go out to the edge of the crease and initiate contact and get the goal wiped out. I also personally think #2 could've gotten a little more topside and made it a harder decisions for the refs, but with time winding down he tried to make a play.

goalie crease protections re: dive are limited to the goalmouth and yes, he was out of the goalmouth.
however, the call wasn't that he ran into the goalie. it was that he landed in the goalmouth post-shot. and the only way that's not waved off is if he was fouled in getting there, and he wasn't. it was a pretty easy call with no defender on his back.

Makes sense. You could make the argument that contact with the goalie caused him to land in the goal mouth, but that would be a stretch.

if you leave your feet in a dive, then the only argument is if the contact is a foul. if there's legal contact that puts you there and you haven't "dived", then the goal can stand. he took his chances and he lost.

[Puck Swami]

DU deserved to lose that game with 22 turnovers, and were only the better team for about 40% of the game. Full credit to Villanova, who walked through the door that DU so kindly opened for the Wildcats.

In my view, this DU team was poorly-prepared and basically unmotivated until half time, which is frankly inexcusable in playoff lacrosse. They showed adjustment and character in the third period to come back, but were unable to close out the Wildcats when the game was on the line.

The many turnovers yesterday are a sign that this team has regressed, rather than improved. This program used to play with such precision, and now often looks sloppy, averaging nearly 16 turnovers per game, ranking #31 -- in the bottom half of the nation -- embarrassing, considering the team is so veteran-heavy.

The team also ranks #40th nationally in clearing percentage at 86%, which is also sloppy.

Perhaps most telling stat is the team ranks #47th nationally in ground balls, despite having a top three in the nation face-off specialist, revealing a lack of hunger and sloppiness in retrievals.

There is a lot to clean-up if this team hopes to advance in the NCAA tourney. Clearly, the coaching staff is aware of the deficiencies by this point...

[cherrylax]

Not a single Pio taken in the PLL draft last night. That makes two years in a row. A bit surprised to see Mercurio not taken, but I'm sure he will be picked up. Jack DiBenetto is perennially underrated and I'm sure will be on an initial roster. Problem with Jack is that he's the opposite of what the PLL is about, doesn't throw a whole bunch of checks, isn't overly physical, not a real threat in transition. What he does do is cover every teams best attacker and rarely gets beat in one on one situations.

Taking a look at what the former head coach was doing, looks like he handed the reigns over to Dylan Sheridan. Can't imagine Coach T would've taken an Ohio State defensemen over one of his own, especially since said defensemen was not a consensus pick. Than the taking of Boehm in the 4th (A Cleveland guy) makes me believe Sheridan ran this draft.

Oh well, looking forward to a really tough Michigan team coming in Saturday. Need to clean up the faceoff game, and hopefully Stath rises to the occasion of playing aginst one of the best in the country.

[Puck Swami]

I am expecting Michigan to win comfortably on Saturday by 3-4 goals.

The Wolverines come in very hot and confident and the Pioneers have regressed after a good season start, playing poorly for much of their last game. The usual face off advantage DU has will probably be mitigated (or perhaps eliminated) by Michigan's face off group, and I don't see the Pios having any other real advantages other than home field.

I am hoping that Matt Brown and the staff will have prepared Denver to play good lacrosse, but I fear it will be more of the same sloppy play we've been seeing. Please prove me wrong, Pios!

[The Orfling]

Congratulations to the Pios faithful -- pretty terrific for Matt Brown to get to Memorial Day in his first season as Head Coach. Denver played very well against Syracuse -- it's a pleasure to see the strong team defense -- and more than earned the spot in the semis.

[Puck Swami]

I think every Denver fan is over the moon that this Denver team is returning to championship weekend. I knew DU could be an NCAA tourney team this year, but in no way did I think they would finish top four.

Clearly, Denver's veteran defense has come together and played their best lax of the season since the Villanova flameout, and the offense is doing enough to win a couple of NCAA games.

The key was the job the DU close defense did on Spallina (especially DiBenedetto), and Johnson with 4 CTs finding his groove. Freehill did a nice job in there too.

The big learning from this Syracuse game should be not to try and sit on leads. Keep scoring goals. DU will need much more from Sillstrop to upset the Irish.

No matter what happens against Notre Dame, Pioneer fans have to be thrilled with this NCAA run for the Pios.

[Farfromgeneva]

I’ll be behind Denver in Philly next weekend.

[henryben]

I think every Denver fan is over the moon that this Denver team is returning to championship weekend. I knew DU could be an NCAA tourney team this year, but in no way did I think they would finish top four.

Clearly, Denver's veteran defense has come together and played their best lax of the season since the Villanova flameout, and the offense is doing enough to win a couple of NCAA games.

The key was the job the DU close defense did on Spallina (especially DiBenedetto), and Johnson with 4 CTs finding his groove. Freehill did a nice job in there too.

The big learning from this Syracuse game should be not to try and sit on leads. Keep scoring goals. DU will need much more from Sillstrop to upset the Irish.

No matter what happens against Notre Dame, Pioneer fans have to be thrilled with this NCAA run for the Pios.

People who haven’t watched DU this season don’t appreciate how good their defense is, and especially their d-middies. Great athletes, great feet, great sticks, and John Gallant is a terrific coordinator.

[cherrylax]

I think every Denver fan is over the moon that this Denver team is returning to championship weekend. I knew DU could be an NCAA tourney team this year, but in no way did I think they would finish top four.

Clearly, Denver's veteran defense has come together and played their best lax of the season since the Villanova flameout, and the offense is doing enough to win a couple of NCAA games.

The key was the job the DU close defense did on Spallina (especially DiBenedetto), and Johnson with 4 CTs finding his groove. Freehill did a nice job in there too.

The big learning from this Syracuse game should be not to try and sit on leads. Keep scoring goals. DU will need much more from Sillstrop to upset the Irish.

No matter what happens against Notre Dame, Pioneer fans have to be thrilled with this NCAA run for the Pios.

Clearly a poor coaching decision to start playing prevent with the whole 4th quarter left, but there defense had been playing lights out and they started winning Face offs consistently.

Jack DiBenedetto is far and away the most underrated defensemen in the NCAA, I have said this for years. He totally removed Spallina from the game, and it wasn't for lack of trying. It seemed that every time Spallina got the ball at X he tried to dodge, but to no avail. Kleban stepped up in a big way and made some great saves inside.

Now on to ND. Clearly they have been the best team all year, they have an elite level attack, some real playmakers in the midfield, and there ND so D is always going to be good. Saying that I do think we match up well with them. I would imagine the matchups to be Hangland on Jake Taylor, DB on Pat Kavanuagh, and Freehill on Chris Cavanaugh.

I hope everyone is ready for a 7-5 final because if DU stands a chance in this game they are going to have to value the crap out of possessions.

On another note lets not beat up Jake Taylor too bad so he uses his final year of eligibility with his original commitment.

[3rdPersonPlural]

I hope everyone is ready for a 7-5 final because if DU stands a chance in this game they are going to have to value the crap out of possessions.

I was a Boulder resident from 2012 through 2015, and if you recall those years, you’ll understand why I became a happy DU Lax fan. I still root for the Pios, but I’m not an impassioned fan.

I just want y’all to know that I’m not a hater, so please take my comments in proper context.

If you love the game and appreciate all the action that makes lax games exciting, pick another team to love on.

DU is a BORING game on TV. Only DU can make ‘cuse and Cornell games pedestrian. Both of those New York teams have beautiful offenses featuring sublime shooters, and DU makes these attacks as dull as their own.

As a DU Pio fan, I am of course delighted that I still have a dog in the Final Four fight, but as a lacrosse fan, I wish that CherryLax is wrong. But DU has the personnel and the coaching to hold the Irish to 5 and put up 7.

More’s the pity….

[PulpExposure]

This was the first game I watched Denver play this year and I came away super impressed with how active the defense is. A lot of aggressive stick checks - always on the opposing players hands. Is that how they've played all year? It's making defense a weapon, which is great.

[cherrylax]

I hope everyone is ready for a 7-5 final because if DU stands a chance in this game they are going to have to value the crap out of possessions.

I was a Boulder resident from 2012 through 2015, and if you recall those years, you’ll understand why I became a happy DU Lax fan. I still root for the Pios, but I’m not an impassioned fan.

I just want y’all to know that I’m not a hater, so please take my comments in proper context.

If you love the game and appreciate all the action that makes lax games exciting, pick another team to love on.

DU is a BORING game on TV. Only DU can make ‘cuse and Cornell games pedestrian. Both of those New York teams have beautiful offenses featuring sublime shooters, and DU makes these attacks as dull as their own.

As a DU Pio fan, I am of course delighted that I still have a dog in the Final Four fight, but as a lacrosse fan, I wish that CherryLax is wrong. But DU has the personnel and the coaching to hold the Irish to 5 and put up 7.

More’s the pity….

I think this team plays to its strengths and adjusts it's gameplan accordingly. Against Michigan DU put up 16 goals with 10 in the first half, hardly a boring game to watch. I would agree with you the days of Cannizero, Miller, Berg, Law, Adamson, Flint, Noble, Matthews, Demopolis may be behind us, but the game has changed and DU had to change with it.

I know I'm a lacrosse nut but personally watching DU"s defense defend SU's ridiculously high powered offense was awesome to watch. Your probably right in that the casual fan would like to see a high scoring game (Look at the PLL's model) but Sunday's performance was a masterclass in team defense and I enjoyed watching every second of it.

[darkhaha]

I hope everyone is ready for a 7-5 final because if DU stands a chance in this game they are going to have to value the crap out of possessions.

DU is a BORING game on TV. Only DU can make ‘cuse and Cornell games pedestrian.

I was at the Cornell game this year, which DU won 17-16. Hardly pedestrian…