April 17, 2004

Box Score

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Junior goalie Brian Sanders (Columbus, Ohio) made 18 saves to lead the University of Denver men's lacrosse team to a 7-6 win over conference-foe Air Force on Saturday, April 17, in Colorado Springs, Colo. The win boosts the Pioneers' record to 7-3 (2-1) on the season, while the Falcons fall to 3-6 (1-2).

Sanders made three great saves before Air Force opened a 2-0 gap with goals from William Meister and Greg Dangler in the first four minutes of play. Sophomore Greg Weigel (Port Republic, Md.) tallied the Pioneers first goal of the game and 14th of the season at the 8:23 mark. Sophomore Geoff Snider (Calgary, Alberta) tied the game at 2-2 off a feed from senior Jeff Biggs (St. Louis, Mo.) with three minutes left in the first quarter. With 35 seconds left remaining, Weigel scored his second goal of the game to give Denver its first lead of the game, 3-2, heading into the second quarter.

Defense was the key in the second half as both teams remained scoreless until the Falcons' Dangler scored his second goal of the game to tie the score at 3-3. The Pioneers responded on offense as Snider won the next faceoff and ran the ball down the field seven seconds later to regain the lead for Denver. Sophomore Greer Hanlon (Libertyville, Ill.) extended the Pioneers' lead to two with a goal off a pass from sophomore Adam Swain (West Simsbury, Conn.). Biggs claimed his first goal of the game with 1:07 remaining in the half to give Denver a 6-3 lead heading into the second half.

Air Force's William Keleher's was the only player on either team to score in the third quarter. His goal cut Denver's lead to two at the 12:27 mark and put the score at 6-4 heading into the final quarter.

Keleher scored his second goal of the game to open the fourth quarter and leave the Falcons trailing by one. Just over two minutes later Air Force's Justin Kuchta scored an unassisted goal to tie the score for the third time in the game. With the Pioneers serving a penalty, sophomore Adam Miller (Columbus, Ohio) tallied a man-down goal to give Denver a 7-6 lead with 8:06 remaining in the game. The Falcons' Meister had the best scoring chance for Air Force, but Sanders made a huge save to clinch the 7-6 win for Denver.

Denver's Weigel and Snider and Air Force's Dangler and Keleher led all scorers with two goals apiece. Air Force outshot the Pioneers 38 -27. Goalie Sanders was spectacular in goal, making 18 saves on the day. The Falcon's Justin Pavoni recorded 12 saves.

The Pioneers return to conference action next Friday, April 23, when they travel to Ohio to face Butler at 1:30 p.m. MT. Denver will continue its weekend road trip on Sunday, April 25, when it faces Ohio State at 11 a.m. MT.