DENVER – The [4/4] University of Denver men's lacrosse program will open up postseason play on Thursday night when the top-seeded Pioneers travel to fourth-seeded [RV/-] Villanova for the first of two BIG EAST Semifinals at 5:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. MT on CBS Sports Network and 104.3 the Fan HD3.
Thursday night's winners will take on the winner of second-seeded [10/10] Georgetown and third-seeded Providence on Saturday at 5 p.m. ET/3 p.m. MT, also on CBS Sports Network.
SERIES HISTORY:
Denver is 18-4 all-time against Villanova, including 9-2 at Villanova Stadium. The Pioneers have won each of the last three and six of the last seven between the two clubs. DU is 4-1 against VU in BIG EAST Tournament games, and the two teams will meet in the semifinal for the third-straight year (1-1). Denver defeated Villanova 16-9 last May in Wisconsin in the semifinals and won the regular season match-up 9-6 in Philadelphia at the end of March.
DENVER IN THE BIG EAST TOURNAMENT
The Pioneers are 12-10 all-time in conference tournament play, including 9-7 since the program joined the BIG EAST Conference ahead of the 2024 season. Denver won its first two BIG EAST Tournaments in 2014 and 2015, but has not lifted the trophy since the '15 campaign. DU is 7-2 in the semifinal round with the two losses coming in 2017 (Marquette) and 2022 (Villanova).
LAST TIME OUT:
Following a more than two hour lightning delay, Denver used a 5-0 third quarter to break-open its regular season finale win over Marquette by a count of 15-9 last Friday inside a rain-soaked Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium.
Cody Malawsky led the Denver offense with four goals,
Richie Connell had a hat trick and
JJ Sillstrop had five assists to lead the offense.
Alec Stathakis controlled possession from the stripe, winning 15-of-23 with seven ground balls.
FULL RECAP
13-STRAIGHT WEEKS IN THE TOP-10
Earlier in the 2024 season, Denver rejoined the top-5 for the first time since 2021, the top-4 for the first time since 2018 and sat at the top spot nationally for the first time since 2017. After starting the campaign outside the top-10, Denver has spent the last 13 weeks inside the top-10. The Pioneers rejoined the top-5 in the USILA poll for the first time since March 4 last week and are ranked fourth in both polls heading into the postseason.
2024 CAPTAINS
ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY
- The 2024 Denver Pioneers have players from 20 different states.
- Since turning Division I ahead of the 1999 season, the Pioneers have had players from 35 different states.
- The 35 states are: Alabama (1), Arizona (3), California (27), Colorado (100), Connecticut (32), Delaware (1), Florida (5), Georgia (6), Idaho (2), Illinois (10), Indiana (2), Iowa (1), Kansas (1), Kentucky (2), Maine (2), Maryland (24), Massachusetts (10), Michigan (8), Minnesota (9), Missouri (6), Nevada (3), New Hampshire (1), New Jersey (26), New York (21), North Carolina (3), Ohio (22), Oregon (4), Penn (11), Rhode Island (3), Tennessee (3), Texas (10), Utah (1), Vermont (1), Virginia (4), Washington (10).
- Last season's roster added three states to that list this season in Iowa (Provenza), Kansas (Eldred) and Utah (Caldwell).
- The Pios have had 20+ from seven states: Colorado (100), Connecticut (32), California(27), New Jersey(26), Maryland(24), Ohio (22), New York (21).
- Denver's DI student-athletes also cover three provinces of Canada: Alberta (2), B.C. (15) and Ontario (16).
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