DENVER – The University of Denver men's lacrosse program hits the road for the final time in the regular season on Saturday when the Pioneers head to Providence for a BIG EAST Conference tilt. Opening faceoff on ESPN+ is set for 10 a.m. MT.
SERIES HISTORY:
Denver is 16-1 all-time in the series, including 9-0 in Rhode Island. The Pioneers are 11-1 in conference regular season match-ups. Providence's lone win came last season in Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium, when the Friars earned a 10-6 win.
FULL HISTORY
LAST TIME OUT:
Denver raced out to a 5-1 lead in the first quarter en-route to a 15-9 win over St. John's last Saturday at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium.
Cody Malawsky (4G-1A) and
Marek Tzagournis (2G-3A) led the Pioneers offense with a pair of five-point afternoons.
ON THIS DATE
Denver is 2-0 on April 18 in its Division I history.
In the 2015 meeting vs. Providence, the eventual national championship defeated the Friars 13-9. Trevor Baptiste went 22-for-24 in the win.
POSTING 0'S
Denver has shut its opponent out in 11 different quarters this season, compared to opponents blanking Denver in just four frames this year.
The Pioneers held three teams to multiple quarters without a goal in Cleveland State (3), Air Force (2) and Duke (2).
Denver's defense held opponents without a goal in just eight quarters in all of 2025.
The Pioneers Division I record for most shutout quarters in a season is 12 (2003, 2006).
OVERLY CLEANING UP THE GROUND
Redshirt junior close defenseman
Russell Overly has picked up a career-high 40 ground balls in the opening 11 games of the season.
Overly is tied for 12th in program history in single-season GBs by a pole.
Overly has more than double the ground balls this year than the next closest field player on the Denver roster.
DENVER'S MAN-UP D IN LAST THREE SEASONS
In 42 games since the start of the 2024 season, Denver has allowed just 18 man-up goals on opponents 97 opportunities for a man-down kill-percentage of 81.4%.
The total is second for the fewest man-down goals in the country since the start of 2024 (Maryland - 17).
Denver's penalty kill rate is the highest in the country over that span (81.4).
In 2026 alone, Denver ranked 2nd in man-up kill percentage at 87.5 % (21-for-24).
In Denver's 7-3 win over Georgetown on April 12, 2025 the Pios man-down unit killed off four of four penalties, and forced two shot clock violations while a man down.
UP NEXT: Denver returns home for the final time in 2026 on Saturday when the Pioneers welcome Marquette for Senior Night on Friday. Opening faceoff on ESPN+ is set for 6 p.m. MT.
TICKETS: Tickets for the 2026 season are on sale now, and can be
purchased here.
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