PROVIDENCE, R.I.  – The [7/8] University of Denver men's lacrosse team remained perfect in BIG EAST play with a 19-11 win over Providence on Saturday morning at Chapey Field at Anderson Stadium.
 
Inside the Box Score:
Alex Simmons and Jackson Morrill led Denver with seven points. Simmons had a game-high five goals for his fourth hat trick of the season and the fourth of his career. Morrill had three goals and four assists, his fourth hat trick of the season and the 19^th of his collegiate career.
 
Ethan Walker had six points to tie 2015 NCAA Tournament MOP Wes Berg's career points record at 255. Walker's hat trick (4G-2A) was his fifth of the season and the 30^th of the graduate student's career.
 
Denver split faceoff duties between three specialists on Saturday. In his much anticipated Denver debut, Yale transfer TD Ierlan went 14-of-14 with 10 ground balls from the faceoff dot. Alec Stathakis went 11-for-15 with six grounders and Brett Boos finished 2-of-4.
 
On the defensive side, Kyle Smith had a game-high two caused turnovers and two ground balls, while Danny Logan picked up four ground balls.
 
First Quarter:
Denver scored off the ride to open Saturday's contest. Walker scored unassisted 49 seconds in. The Pioneers answered a Providence goal with three-straight to end the quarter. Simmons scored on the doorstep off a feed from Jack Hannah, Walker scored on a dodge from X and Ellis Geis finished a Morrill feed to make it 4-1.
 
Second Quarter:
The Pioneers put up eight goals in the second quarter to push the lead to eight heading into recess. Providence cut the lead to 4-2 with 12:42 to go before the Pioneers ripped off six of the next seven goals in a 6:02 span. Walker, Lucas Cotler and Jackson Morrill all found the back of the net inside a two-minute burst. Following a Peter Pittroff goal for the Friars, Walker, JJ Sillstrop and Hannah all found twine inside 60 seconds.
 
Danny Logan and Morrill closed out Denver's scoring in the first half.
 
Morrill (2-3) and Walker (4-1) both finished with five points in the first half. Stathakis finished 7-of-9 with four grounders in the first half from the faceoff dot, while Ierlan didn't miss a beat in the year layoff, going 8-for-8 with 5 ground balls in his first 30 minutes with the Crimson and Gold.
 
Third Quarter:
Denver opened the third quarter on a 4-0 run with three goals in 2:52 from Simmons and a goal from Morrill that was assisted by Simmons. Providence scored the next two and held the Pioneers without a goal in the final 11:07 of the quarter.
 
Fourth Quarter:
After the dry spell to end the third quarter, Denver scored three of the first four goals to begin the final period. Simmons scored his fifth of the day and fourth of the half to begin the quarter. Reed Babcock became Denver's ninth goal scorer off a feed from Schuyler Blair and then Riley Curtis fed Blair to give Denver 10 different goal scorers in the early-day contest.
 
Significant Stats:

• Jackson Morrill stretched his point streak to 65 games, ranking second nationally in the active streak.
• The Pioneers had three players earn hat tricks in the opening three quarters, the 25^th time since the start of the 2014 season Denver has had three different players score hat tricks in a game. It marked the third time this season and the second time against Providence.
• Denver had 10 different players score goals for the 21^st time since Matt Brown joined the staff as an assistant in the 2008 season, including 15 times since the start of the 2015 season.

 
Up Next: The University of Denver men's lacrosse team, presented by Your Front Range Toyota Stores, will return home next weekend to start its only stretch of back-to-back home games this season when the Pioneers host Marquette Saturday at 12 p.m. MT. The game will be broadcast live on Altitude TV and 104.3 The Fan.   
 
For the latest University of Denver updates on the coronavirus, click here.
 
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