DENVER – The [9/10] University of Denver men's lacrosse program will open its 2025 season on Saturday afternoon when the Pioneers welcome [8/8] Johns Hopkins to Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium for the first time. Opening faceoff is set for 12 p.m. MT, and the game will be broadcast on Midco Sports Plus and 104.3 the Fan HD3.
 
DI SERIES HISTORY:
The Pioneers hold a 2-0 series lead in their Division I series with Johns Hopkins and a 2-1 lead overall with the only setback coming in 1998 during Denver's final year of the transition to Division I.  Denver's wins came in the 2011 NCAA Quarterfinal in Hempstead (14-9) and in the 2024 season opener at Homewood (13-12, OT). DI SERIES HISTORY
 
SEASON OPENERS:

• Denver is 19-7 in season openers in its Division I era, including 8-0 in home games and 13-0 in the state of Colorado.
• The Pioneers have won the curtain raiser in each of the last 12 seasons with the last loss coming in a neutral site game in Florida against Ohio State in 2012 (10-9).
• The Pioneers games during the season-opener 12-game streak have come against Duke (twice), Air Force (six times), Utah (three times) and Hopkins (2024).
• Denver is 4-1 in one-goal games in season openers, including its first overtime game in a season opener last year in Baltimore.

 
ON THIS DATE

• Saturday's season opener marks the second earliest start date in the program's history.
• Feb. 1 is the earliest official start date for the Pioneers since hosting Utah on January 30, 2021.
• Denver won that game, the first after the COVID shortened 2020 season, 9-8 at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium.

 
HISTORIC COMEBACK AT HISTORIC HOMEWOOD IN 2024

• Denver's four-goal comeback in the fourth quarter at Johns Hopkins last season was Denver's first four-goal comeback in the final frame since coming from behind to beat Stony Brook 13-12 on March 20, 2010 after trailing 12-8 with 11:49 to go in regulation.
• The Pioneers hadn't had a two-goal comeback in the fourth quarter since 2019 (at Towson) and hadn't had a three-goal comeback since March 7, 2015 (home vs. No. 3 Notre Dame).
• Denver's win was its first road win against a top-10 team since the Pioneers defeated No. 7 Ohio State in Columbus on March 20, 2022.
• JJ Sillstrop's sock trick was the first of his career and the 25th sock trick in Denver's DI history.
• Denver came from four goals down in the second half once again in the Pioneers 17-16 win over [6/8] Cornell on Feb. 24.

MATT BROWN IN SECOND SEASON IN CHARGE OF ALMA MATER

• On April 19, 2023 long-time associate head coach Matt Brown was named the next William G. Tierney Head Men's Lacrosse Coach, following Tierney's retirement announcement to take effect after the 2023 season.
• In his 14 seasons under Tierney, Brown served as the offensive coordinator. Under his guidance, the Pioneers' offense was consistently ranked within the top -10 in scoring offense, ranking as high as No. 3. Brown helped the Pioneers to make it to the NCAA Tournament 11 times under Tierney.
• Brown first joined the staff as a volunteer assistant under Jamie Munro in 2007. When Tierney replaced Munro before 2010, Tierney and his son Trevor hired Matt Brown as the offensive coordinator.
• Outside of NCAA lacrosse, Brown is one of the founders and directors of Denver Elite Lacrosse and directs the Denver Elite Box Lacrosse Program, which is a founding member of the USBOXLA. USBOXLA began the Colorado Collegiate Box Lacrosse League (CCBLL) in the Summer of 2017, which has led to the creation of six leagues nationally.
• Brown serves as the head coach for the Canadian National Lacrosse team, a tenure that started as the offensive coordinator in 2012.
• As a student-athlete, Brown was a four-year starter for the Pioneers from 2002-05. While at DU, Brown played 56 games and accumulated 137 points and 113 goals, and after being passed by JJ Sillstrop in the NCAA First Round on May 11, 2024 sits sixth on the career goals chart.
• In his first year as the head coach, Brown led the Pioneers to a 13-4 campaign and the program's first trip to Championship Weekend since 2017.

 
DENVER AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS

• Denver is 78-90 in its DI history against teams in the USILA Top-20.
• Denver is 32-25 at home against ranked opponents.
• Denver's 2024 overtime win at Johns Hopkins and its March 20, 2022 win at No. 7 Ohio State are the program's two top-10 road wins since a trip to Notre Dame in 2020, the final game before the COVID-19 shutdown.

 
2025 SCHEDULE

• Denver was ranked 10th in the 2025 Inside Lacrosse Preseason Media Poll.
• The Pioneers schedule includes six teams ranked in the preseason top-20 and three additional teams that received votes in the poll.
• Denver's opponents in the poll include No. 3 Cornell (A), No. 7 Duke (N), No. 8 Johns Hopkins (H), No. 9 Yale (A), No. 11 Georgetown (A) and No. 19 Ohio State (H).
• The Pios games against teams that received votes in the initial poll are Villanova (H), Providence (H) and Utah (H).

 
2025 CAPTAINS

• William G. Tierney Head Men's Lacrosse Coach Matt Brown named four captains for his second season in charge in 2025.
• Jack Tortolani is the only multi-year captain in the quartet after also being named a captain to last year's Championship-Weekend qualifying 2024 squad.
• Tortolani is joined this season by close defenseman Jimmy Freehill, SSDM Casey Wilson and midfielder Joshua Carlson.
• Tortolani played and started in all 17 games in Denver's first midfield a year ago, totaling 15 points on seven goals and eight assists.
• Carlson played in all 17 games as well, starting 16 in the midfield where he put up 18 goals to go with nine assists for 27 points.
• Wilson had 6 points (4-2) in transition to go with 35 ground balls and 14 caused turnovers on the defensive end.
• Freehill played and started in all 17 games on Denver's close defense, often drawing the opponents top attackman while picking up 37 ground balls and forcing 22 turnovers.

 
DEFENDING THE LACROSSE CAPITAL OF THE WEST

• 125-26 since Peter Barton was built in 2005
• 61 sellouts, including five in 2014, 2015 and 2018, eight in 2016 and 10 in 2017.
• Denver has finished in the top-10 in the country in average attendance in each of the last 9 seasons (excluding 2021 due to COVID-19).
• The Pios have finished in the top-5 three times, fourth in the shortened 2020 season, fifth in the 2015 National Championship season and fifth in the 2023 campaign.
• Denver has had at least one sellout in every season since 2011 (13 straight).
• Denver vs. Yale on March 10, 2024, drew 3,037, the second-biggest crowd in the history of PBLS. Denver vs. Cornell on February 24, 2024 drew 3,025, now the third-biggest crowd.
• Denver and Michigan in the 2024 NCAA First Round drew 2,965, the fifth largest crowd in the stadium's history, and the stadium's largest for an NCAA Tournament game.

 
GRADUATING OFFENSE

• Denver lost five of its top-10 point getters from a year ago, including its top-2 in JJ Sillstrop and Michael Lampert.
• Sillstrop (29-17-46), Lampert (23-23-46), Richie Connell (19-3-22), Stephen Avery (7-6-13) and Ty Hussey (9-2-11) all combined for 263 career goals and 135 assists (398 points) in 228 combined appearances for the Crimson and Gold.
• Sillstrop became Denver's ninth Division I player in its history to surpass 100 career goals, finishing his Championship-Weekend qualifying 2024 graduate season with 116 career tallies.
• Lampert became the 23rd DI Pioneer to get to 100 career points, reaching the milestone in the national semifinal last May.

 
RETURNING OFFENSE

• While losing five, the Pioneers also return five offensive players from a year ago that combined to make 52 starts in David Metzbower's offense last season.
• The group combined for 89 goals and 44 assists (133 points) in 2024.
• Cody Malawsky returns for his redshirt-sophomore season after starting the final eight games of 2024 and having put up 22 goals and 10 assists in his athletic freshman campaign.
• Noah Manning, who split his time between midfield and attack, enters the campaign with 43 career appearances, 52 goals and 27 assists for 79 points, the closest Pioneer to reaching the century mark coming into 2025.
• Mic Kelly enters 2025 with 46 career appearances, 37 goals and 22 assists (59 points).
• Joshua Carlson started 16 of Denver's 17 games last season in the first midfield, and enters 2025 with 29 goals and 15 assists in his 39 appearances.
• Jack Tortolani rounds out the group having started all 17 games a year ago. Torts has played in 39 games entering his final season of college lacrosse, scoring 10 times to go with 11 helpers.
• The group of five have combined for 184 games played, 150 goals and 85 assists in their careers.

 
REPLACING A MAJORITY OF 2024'S DEFENSE

• Denver's defense lost two LSMs, two SSDMs and two close defensemen that played heavy minutes in one of the top defenses in the country that guided the Pioneers to the national semifinals a year ago.
• DU's two graduating close defensemen in Jack DiBenedetto (70GP) and Adam Hangland (69GP) were five-year performers for the Pios that combined for 146 ground balls and 84 caused turnovers in their careers.
• The Pioneers two heavy-load SSDMs that did not return in 2025 were Jake Edinger and Dan Anderson.
• Edinger played 66 career games in his five years with the Pios, picking up 61 ground balls and forcing 29 turnovers.
• Anderson transferred to St. Lawrence to pursue a college basketball career. He played in 32 career games in two seasons, picking up 38 grounders and forcing 20 turnovers. 
• LSM's AJ Mercurio and Ryan Giles also graduated in the offseason. The duo combined for 113 career games played.
• Mercurio had 93 ground balls and 53 caused turnovers, while Giles picked up 36 grounders and forced 12 turnovers.

 
RETURNING 2 PRESEASON FIRST TEAM ALL-AMERICANS ON DEFENSE

• Denver's defense returns two of USA Lacrosse Magazine's 2025 Preseason First Team All-Americans in Jimmy Freehill and Casey Wilson this season.
• Freehill has played in 47 career games, picking up 65 ground balls and forcing 32 turnovers.
• Wilson, who has made senior national team appearances at the World Lacrosse Championships for Team Canada in 2023, has played in 47 career games, and has put up 18 points in transition while picking up 83 ground balls and forcing 20 turnovers.

 
UP NEXT:
Denver will make the short trip down I-25 to the Air Force Academy next Saturday for a 12 p.m. MT faceoff.
 
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