MILWAUKEE, Wis. – The [12/14] University of Denver men's lacrosse team clinched at least a share of its sixth-straight BIG EAST regular season title, using an 8-3 run over the final three-quarters to defeat Marquette on Friday night at Valley Fields.
 
Sophomore Ted Sullivan (Tucson, Ariz.) led the Pioneers offense with three points on two goals and a helper. Junior Ethan Walker (Peterborough, Ontario) and senior Austin French (Danville, Calif.) both added a pair of tallies in the victory.
 
Freshman goalie Cole French (Danville, Calif.) reached double-digit saves for the second time in his first three career starts, making 10 overall. Classmate Brett Boos (Parker, Colo.) went 14-of-20 from the faceoff dot and picked up eight ground balls in the win.
 
Marquette raced out to a 3-0 lead in the opening 5:38 in the contest, a stretch that saw goals scored from Andrew Romagnoli, John Wagner and Ryan Fazio. Freshman Alex Simmons (Smithville, Ontario) had a goal in the stretch, but it was waved off after what was ruled a dive not away from the goal mouth after a lengthy conference with the two-closest officials. Junior attack Schuyler Blair (Huntington Beach, Calif.) got Denver on the board with 3:12 left in the opening period, but Marquette answered with goals from Fazio and Griffin Fleming to take a 5-1 lead into the second quarter.
 
Denver used a 4-1 second quarter to cut the margin to one at the intermission. Senior Quinn McKone (Novato, Calif.) got the quarter started with his sixth goal in the last four games, followed by a half-field shot during a Marquette 10-man ride from junior captain Danny Logan (Upper Arlington, Ohio). Fleming's second made it 6-3 Marquette, but goals from Walker and Sullivan closed out the half with their 34^th and 16^th goals of the season, respectively to make it 6-5.
 
The Pioneers opened the third quarter with three-straight goals to make it a 5-0 run spanning back to the end of the first half. Walker's second of the day opened the quarter, followed by back-to-back goals from French to give Denver its first lead of the game at 7-6, then 8-6. Marquette responded with two quick goals, but Sullivan capped off the third-quarter scoring with 2:10 to go in the frame to make it 9-8 Pioneers after three.
 
Marquette and Denver played a scoreless final 15 minutes at Valley Fields, and the Pioneers held on to clinch the regular season title.
 
UP NEXT: Denver will host the BIG EAST Men's Lacrosse Championship next week at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium. The semifinals begin Thursday at 4:30 p.m. MT, with Denver playing the second semifinal set for approximately 7 p.m. MT. In 2019, the entire tournament will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network, and Denver's games will air live on ESPN Denver 1600.
 
TICKET INFORMATION: Tickets for the 2019 BIG EAST Men's Lacrosse Championship May 2-4 at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium 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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