With the NCAA lacrosse championship at stake, the standing room only crowd in the Pioneer just off the University of Denver campus was eager for action Monday morning. Denver and Maryland were squaring off in Philadelphia. The throng of DU alumni and students were watching the clock.
Matt Brown was on duty behind the bar and a customer asked if it wasn’t already 11 a.m. What was appearing on the television screen had nothing to do with lacrosse.
Brown had the answer. With the restlessness increasing, he started his countdown.
“Five, four, three, two, one,” and sure enough when he said “one” the playing field in Philadelphia came on the screen. Game on.
And, from the outset, DU was in control, cruising to a 10-5 victory which helped make for a joyous watch party.
“It’s really exciting to have DU in the championship game,” said Toby Gerard from a seat at the end of the downstairs bar. Gerard, A DU graduate in 2011, had more than a casual interest.
“I coach lacrosse at Evergreen High School,” Gerard said. “I’m from New York and I played lacrosse all the way through high school, but I wasn’t good enough to play at the Division I level when I got here.”
Georgia Gerard, Toby’s wife and also a DU alumnus, was ready pumped up for the game.
“I’m an alumni and I like lacrosse,” she said. “I want to support a great team.”
The Pioneers lived up to her expectations, scoring a quick goal, which resulted in a loud outburst from the DU partisans. Senior Wesley Berg kept the atmosphere lively, scoring three of Denver’s first four goals as the Pioneers took an early 4-1 lead they did not relinquish.
The estimated crowd of 250-300 fans that jammed the main floor, the upstairs and the patio, were frequently on their feet to celebrate a goal.
“They’re giving a great effort offensively,” Toby Gerard said in the early going. “They’ve had a lot of three-minute possessions waiting for the right shot.”
The Pioneers were seeking their first NCAA lacrosse title and with three minutes left, the fans felt it safe to claim victory.
“DU had great goal tending and dominated throughout,” Toby Gerard said. “Maryland looked like garbage.”
The celebration erupted when the game clock hit zero.
“Let’s go Denver!” the fans shouted.
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296, imoss@denverpost.com or
