When Bill Tierney arrived from Princeton to take over the University of Denver men’s lacrosse program, expectations soared. Could a six-time NCAA championship coach from an East Coast-based lacrosse hotbed make a Rocky Mountain-based program part of the national conversation?
Well ahead of schedule, the answer is yes — punctuated with exclamation marks after the No. 16-ranked Pioneers’ 12-4 upset of No. 6 Loyola (Md.) on Sunday at Invesco Field at Mile High.
With its impressive victory over the Greyhounds (9-3, 6-1) of the Eastern College Athletic Conference, DU (11-4, 6-0) earned the ECAC’s automatic NCAA Tournament berth.
Using a Tierney simulation all week designed to create more efficient first quarters, the Pioneers jumped out to a 3-0 lead and withstood a response that sliced the lead to one goal.
With his own retort, DU sophomore midfielder Patrick Rogers sprinted around his man for a clean shot that netted a 4-2 lead, then used a spin move to find the back of the net for a 5-2 halftime advantage.
With no loss of momentum from the intermission break, Denver outscored Loyola 5-1 in the third quarter, and the rout was on.
It was the eighth consecutive victory for the Pioneers after a 3-4 start that included a loss to second-ranked Syracuse.
“It’s absolutely unbelievable, especially in light of all the accolades and press I’ve received through the move to the West,” Tierney said. “They’re (DU players) the ones who’ve had to put up with sacrifice and changes. All we’ve done is come in and convinced them to be as good as they can be.”
Rogers had a hat trick and two assists, and season-long scoring leader Alex Demopoulos also had a hat trick for DU.
Sophomore attackman Mark Matthews scored two goals and handed out two assists, and senior goaltender Peter Lowell contributed 15 saves in what Tierney called his best game.
In concert with goaltender coach Trevor Tierney — the son of the head coach and a former Princeton All-America goaltender and Denver Outlaws all-star — Lowell’s focus wasn’t necessarily on Loyola’s five double-figure goal scorers.
Yet Lowell and his defensemen held them to two goals combined and shut out Collin Finnerty, the Greyhounds’ top scorer and a former Duke player who was cleared of rape charges in 2008.
“I wasn’t worried about shooters’ tendencies,” Lowell said. “I was just trying to pick up the ball and stop it with my stick and my body. We came out flying in the first quarter and again in the third quarter.”
At the other end, the Pioneers cashed in on both their man-up opportunities and showed the patience Tierney has been seeking by moving the ball quickly for long stretches of time.
“This is great,” said Demopoulos, a sophomore attackman from Canton, Conn. “And it is great for recruiting.
“We will get more East Coast guys to come and play here.”
Loyola 0 2 1 1 — 4
Denver 3 2 5 2 — 12
LOYOLA: Goals — MacDonnell, Ebsary, Langan, Murray. Assists — Basler, Lusby.
DENVER: Goals — Rogers (3), Demopoulos (3), Matthews (2), Baxter, Kerr, Flint, Roy. Assists — Matthews (2), Rogers (2), Baxter, Dickenson, Hendry.
GOALKEEPERS: Loyola, Hagelin, five saves. Denver, Lowell, 15 saves; Tyrie, one save.
