NEW YORK – The [RV/-] University of Denver men's lacrosse team scored at least four goals in three different quarters to get its offense back on track in a 14-7 win over St. John's on Saturday afternoon at Belson Stadium.
 
SIGNIFICANT STATS:
Noah Manning and Cody Malawsky led the Pioneers in points with four on three goals and one assist afternoons.
Daniel Clark also finished with a hat trick on a perfect 3-for-3 shooting day for Denver.
Casey Wilson picked up a career-high seven ground balls and had a caused turnover from the wing and his SSDM position.
Michael Kraus finished 12-for-16 facing off, part of a 14-for-24 day for the Pioneers. Krause added seven ground balls.
Manning, Jimmy Freehill and Gordon Reynolds all finished with a pair of caused turnovers as part of the Pioneers 11 caused turnover day, Denver's fifth double digit caused turnover day of the season.
Denver cleared at 20-for-23 on Saturday afternoon.
The Pioneers went 1-for-2 on the man advantage, while killing off both their penalties on the man down.
 
POSTGAME NOTES:
Denver has had three players record hat tricks in the same game now 32 times since the start of the 2014 season. Saturday marked the second time three Pioneers finished with hat tricks in a game this season (Marist) and the third time under second-year head coach Matt Brown.
Noah Manning wrapped up his fifth hat trick of the season and the 13^th of his career.
Daniel Clark completed his first career hat trick.
Marek Tzagournis had three assists, his second such game of the year and of his career.
Cody Malawsky was the third Pioneer to complete his hat trick, his second of the season and the fourth of his career.
Malcolm Kleban finished with double digits saves for the sixth time this season and the 19^th time in his career.
Kleban brought his career saves total to 349, moving him two places up to sixth on Denver's career saves list, passing Jeff Nunziato (2000-03) and Jeb Hollingsworth (2004-07).
Denver's man down has killed off 52 of the last 62 penalties it has taken back to the start of the 2024 season.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
First Quarter:
Denver sandwiched a pair of back-to-back goals around a St. John's tally to take a 4-1 lead into the second quarter. Cody Malawsky got underneath his man to finish his 11^th goal of the season to open the scoring at Belson Stadium. Joe Taraboletti then finished a Lucas Klokiw feed to make it 2-0 with 10:04 to play in the opening period.
 
After the Red Storm goal with 9:17 to play, both teams struggled to find their footing in pouring rain and blistering windy conditions in Queens, but Noah Manning put home a Marek Tzagournis feed with 1:12 to go to make it 3-1 Pioneers. Daniel Clark closed out the first-quarter scoring with an extra-man tally off Malawsky's 11^th assist of the season.
 
Second Quarter:
After a scoreless opening 11 minutes of the quarter, St. John's got the first goal of the frame before Manning picked-up a rebound in-front of the cage and stuffed home his second of the afternoon to restore the two-goal advantage with 3:21 to go in the half. Brian Kelly's second of the day for the Johnnies cut it to a 5-3 Denver lead at the intermission.
 
Third Quarter:
Denver's offense got in sync and scored five goals in the third quarter. Joshua Carlson got top side to make it 6-3, and then Mic Kelly got his first of the game a couple minutes later to make it 7-3. Following a St. John's goal to cut it back to a three-goal lead, Kelly's second off a feed from Tzagournis got Denver's lead to 8-4 and then Manning completed his hat trick to stretch the lead to five with 4:30 to go in the third.
 
The Johnnies got another, making it 9-5 before Clark's second of the day came with two seconds to go on a backhanded shot from his backside to give Denver a 10-5 lead heading into the fourth.
 
Fourth Quarter:
Russell Overly got the fourth-quarter scoring started 15 seconds into the frame off the opening faceoff. After St. John's sixth goal of the day, the Pioneers offense rattled off three straight to extend the margin to eight at 14-6 with 3:14 to go. Malawsky's second got the run started followed by Clark's hat trick goal to make it a seven-goal game. Malawsky then completed his hat trick off a feed from Manning to end the run.
 
St. John's got a seventh goal late to end the game in a football score at 14-7.
 
UP NEXT:
Denver will return to the east coast again next weekend for the first of two-straight nationally televised contests when the Pioneers travel to nationally ranked Georgetown. Faceoff is set for 3 p.m. ET/1 p.m. MT, and will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
 
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