DURHAM, N.C. – The [5/6] University of Denver men's lacrosse team fell to 1-1 in the 2019 campaign after a 10-9 loss at [8/10] Duke on Saturday morning at Koskinen Stadium.
 
Denver raced out to a 6-2 lead midway through the third quarter, but an 8-3 Duke run and a game-winner with seven seconds to go from Joey Manown was the difference as the Blue Devils improved to 3-1 on the season.
 
Freshman Ellis Geis (Tustin, Calif.) scored his fourth and fifth goals of his freshman campaign and added an assist to lead the Pioneers with three points. Sophomore Ted Sullivan (Tucson, Ariz.) was Denver's other multi-goal scorer. Freshman Brett Boos (Parker, Colo.) finished 12-for-23 from the faceoff dot in his first collegiate road game.
 
On the defensive side, redshirt-senior transfer Matt Neufeldt (Naperville, Ill.) earned four of Denver's 11 caused turnovers, tied for the eighth most in a single game in Denver's Division I history to go with five ground balls and an assist. Seniors Dylan Gaines (Baltimore, Md.) and Dylan Johnson (Englewood, Colo.) both caused two turnovers and picked up a ground ball. Gaines moved into fifth in Denver's Division I record book with the 40^th caused turnover of his career.
 
Duke goaltender Turner Uppgren made nine saves in the victory, while Joe Robertson added four goals in a five point day for the home team. 
 
On a wet morning and early afternoon in Durham, the two programs split the first quarter 1-1. Cameron Badour got the Blue Devils on the board with 11:37 to go in the quarter before junior SSDM Danny Logan (Upper Arlington, Ohio) got one by Uppgren, who had five saves in the opening 15 minutes of play to tie the score 1-1.
 
Denver made it a 3-0 run to open the second quarter with two more goals from its midfield. Sophomore Jack Hannah (Milford, Ohio) made an individual move into the heart of the Duke defense and finished his second of the campaign before Sullivan added his second of the campaign five minutes later to make it 3-1. Brad Smith answered for Duke with 5:27 to go in the quarter to end the run and make it 3-2. With less than five seconds on the shot clock later in the second quarter, senior Colton Jackson (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) fired a bomb through defenders from deep to put the Pioneers up 4-2 with 3:19 to go in the half, and the Pioneers entered the locker room with a two goal advantage.
 
The Pioneers outshot Duke 16-7, putting 10 of their 16 shots on goal, but Uppgren stopped six to keep the Blue Devils within two at the intermission. Denver's defense allowed just three shots on goal in the opening 30 minutes. Boos won six of the eight faceoffs in the opening 30 minutes.  
 
Duke and Denver split the four goals in the third quarter two apiece. Denver pushed its lead all the way up to 6-2 thanks to Johnson's first goal since he scored two in his freshman year in 2016. Sullivan added his second goal of the game to make it 6-2.
 
The Blue Devils answered with a 7-1 run that spanned over the third quarter break to take an 9-7 lead, including a hat trick from Joe Robertson. Geis had the lone Denver goal in the run with 12:59 to go in the fourth quarter.
 
Geis added his second goal of the fourth quarter and his fifth of the season to make it 9-8 with 2:25 to play. Following a Duke faceoff win that resulted in a scrum and a ground ball, junior Colin Squires (West Linn, Ore.) picked up a key ground ball and head coach Bill Tierney took his final timeout of the game. Out of the timeout, freshman Alex Simmons (Smithville, Ontario) scored his second goal in as many collegiate games, converting a feed from Hannah to tie the game back up at 9-9 with 19 seconds to go.
 
Duke won the faceoff and after a pass missed its intended target, Manown picked up a ground ball and found himself wide-open for the game-winner.
 
Denver outshot Duke 34-20 in the contest, including 18-12 on goal in sloppy conditions that saw the two teams combine for 38 turnovers.
 
UP NEXT: The Denver men's lacrosse team, Presented by Your Hometown Toyota Stores, will return home next weekend to host the 2019 Faceoff Classic. Denver will take on 2019 NCAA Lacrosse newcomers Utah on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. MT before hosting Cleveland State on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. MT at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium. Air Force will take on Cleveland State Saturday at 11 a.m., and Sunday's men's game will follow the DU women's game against Stony Brook (10 a.m. MT).  
 
TICKET INFORMATION: Single game tickets for the remaining home games are on sale, and can be purchased here.

Fans interested in making a donation to the men's lacrosse program can do so by clicking here. Your contribution will make a direct impact on the success of YOUR Pioneers. Thank you in advance for your unwavering support of our student-athletes and their quest for excellence.
 
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