The University of Denver men's lacrosse team entered the 2012 season optimistic with fading memories of a successful 2011 campaign and a group of emerging preseason All-Americans who looked to match last season's remarkable run to the school's first NCAA Final Four.
A challenging nonconference slate, which included four top-10 programs, and a wealth of vastly improved teams from the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) guaranteed head coach Bill Tierney and the Crimson and Gold would see a grudge match every game - as DU played in seven one-goal games in 2012.
In a season in which the Pioneers showed 2011 wasn't a fluke, DU came one game short of a return trip to the Final Four. The Pioneers played the second-most difficult schedule in the country, including 2012 Final Four participants Duke, Loyola (Md.) and Notre Dame, among others.
The Crimson and Gold dropped six one-goal games during 2012, including four in overtime, and ended their season by falling one-goal short of upsetting top-seeded Loyola in the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals. The Pioneers concluded 2012 with a 9-7 overall record and made their third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. DU faced-off with six teams ranked in the top 10 during 2012, which included victories over a pair of ACC foes in North Carolina and conference regular-season and tournament champions Duke.
As a team, Denver finished the 2012 season ranked fifth nationally in scoring offense (12.31), face-off winning percentage (.591), assists per game (7.69) and shot percentage (.335). In the ECAC, the Pioneers led the way in goals per game (12.31), assists per game (7.69), points per game (20.00) and shot percentage (.335).
Denver was led by a talented group of upperclassmen, highlighted by senior attackmen Mark Matthews (Oshawa, Ontario, Canada) and Alex Demopoulos (Canton, Conn.). Both Matthews and Demopoulos earned Division I Preseason All-American honors from Inside Lacrosse and neither disappointed, as the duo finished at the top of nearly every major offensive statistical category. Matthews led the team with 47 goals, finishing third in the nation in goals per game (2.94) and 10th in the country in points per game (4.0). Matthews also led the ECAC in goals per game (2.94) and points per game (4.00). The 2012 All-ECAC First Team honoree finished his career first in Denver history in points (216) and goals scored (155), while recording 30 career hat tricks. At the conclusion of the season, Matthews was honored with his second career USILA All-America honor as he was named a Second-Team selection. Demopoulos finished his career first in Denver history in assists (82), while finishing third in points (176) and sixth in goals (90).
Rounding out the Pioneers' attackmen was junior Eric Law (Centennial, Colo.) who finished fourth on the team in points (42), tied for second in goals (26) and fourth in assists (16). Law also finished ranked eighth in the nation in shot percentage (.500).
Following his successful 2011 season, junior midfielder and face-off specialist Chase Carraro (Louisville, Ky.) continued to flourish in 2012, earning ECAC Specialist of the Year and USILA Second Team All-American honors after finishing the season ranked eighth nationally in ground balls per game (7.0) and face-off winning percentage (.604).
Freshmen Wes Berg (Coquitlam, British Columbia) and Ryan LaPlante (Fort Collins, Colo.) led a confident first-year class. The 2012 ECAC Rookie of the Year, Berg finished tied for second among all Pioneers in goals (26), ranking him fourth in the nation in most goals scored by a freshman. The freshman appeared in all 16 games and led the Pioneers in points three times, including a four-point performance against Loyola in the NCAA Quarterfinals.
LaPlante started 10 games in net following the unfortunate injury to preseason All-American Jamie Faus (Lakeville, Conn.) and flourished, tallying 114 saves, a .535 save percentage and a 5-5-0 record in goal. LaPlante finished the ECAC slate third in the conference in goals against average (8.68) and save percentage (.561), while finishing fourth in saves per game (11.0) en route to earning ECAC All-Rookie Team honors alongside teammate Carson Cannon (Stillwater, Minn.). He also set a new school NCAA Tournament single-game record, recording 14 saves against Loyola in the quarterfinals in Annapolis, Md. LaPlante finished his freshman campaign ranked 23rd in the nation in save percentage (.535) and goals-against average (9.93).
Sophomore Jeremy Noble (Orangeville, Ontario) and junior Cameron Flint (Georgetown, Ontario) garnered ECAC Second Team honors. Noble continued to shine during the postseason, just as he did during Denver's 2011 Final Four run. In the Pioneers' NCAA Tournament opening round contest at North Carolina on May 12, Noble set a new Denver Division I record for points in a game, tallying 10 (three goals and seven assists), while coming two points shy of the all-time individual NCAA Tournament mark. Noble was honored as a USILA Third-Team All-American, while Flint was named an Honorable Mention selection.
Denver opened the season against Ohio State, as it traveled to Jacksonville, Fla., for the Moe's Southwest Grill Classic, hosted by Jacksonville University. A national television audience witnessed the Pioneers' first conference loss during the Tierney-era, as DU fell to the Buckeyes 10-9. Denver rallied to win four straight following the setback, including victories over Michigan and Robert Morris during the annual DU Face-Off Classic and a win at then-No. 10 Penn State.
Following the trip to Happy Valley, Denver embarked on arguably its toughest road stretch of the season as it was set to take on both Cornell and Notre Dame on the road in a three-day span. Along with dropping both games in one-goal, overtime thrillers to top-10 programs, the Pioneers also lost Faus to a season-ending injury.
The absence of Faus left a void in the Pioneers' defense, a hole quickly filled by LaPlante who tallied eight saves in his first start against national-power Cornell. The Colorado native proved to be the anchor of the DU defense, as his dominant play in just his first season resulted in three-straight wins following his first start, including a career-high 16 saves in a win against Bellarmine. LaPlante went on to garner ECAC Rookie of the Week honors three times in 2012, including Defensive Player of the Week once.
The Crimson and Gold capped the regular-season off with a national television win against Duke in the Whitman's ® Sampler ® Mile High Classic at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, hosted by Inside Lacrosse. The victory over the ACC regular-season champions gave Denver momentum heading into the ECAC Tournament, as the Pioneers looked to win its second-straight tournament title and secure its spot in the NCAA Tournament.
A rematch with top-seeded Loyola in the semifinals of the ECAC Tournament saw a late rally by DU fall short, as the Pioneers scored seven-straight goals to end regulation with a 13-13 tie. However, the Greyhounds scored just seconds into overtime, sealing a 14-13 victory and a trip to the ECAC Tournament Championship game.
After earning an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament and defeating North Carolina in the opening round, 16-14, the Crimson and Gold took on Loyola in the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals for the third time in the same season. Denver concluded its season with a 10-9 loss to the top-seeded Greyhounds in front of 13,390 fans at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md.
The senior class of Demopoulos, Matthews, Cal Kennedy (Concord, Mass.), Henry Miketa (Fort Collins, Colo.), Troy Orzech (Franktown, Colo.), Liam Resch (Erdenheim, Penn.), Patrick Rogers (Portland, Ore.) and Steven Wylie (Denver, Colo.) all had a hand in helping the Pioneers to 43 wins over the last four season, three NCAA Tournament appearances, including a trip to the 2011 Final Four, two ECAC Regular Season Titles and one ECAC Tournament Championship.
