Putting on a show has become routine for All-America attackman Connor Cannizzaro. He led the University of Denver men’s lacrosse team with five goals and an assist Saturday in an 18-7 victory over Sacred Heart that was the Pioneers’ home opener.
Cannizzaro had the 18th hat trick of his DU career before halftime, but he fell just shy of a sock trick (six goals, two assists) for the game. He says he wasn’t keeping track, though.
“Not really,” Cannizzaro said, laughing, when asked whether he was bothered about not getting the sixth goal. “If it comes to me, I just try to finish.”
Cannizzaro’s electric performance tied for the second-most goals in a game in his DU career. The junior from Cazenovia, N.Y., extended his goal streak to 28, a mark that is tied for second-best nationally.
“That’s his job,” said DU coach Bill Tierney. “He’s got to do that for us.”
The Pioneers (3-0) shook off a 2-0 deficit by scoring 11 consecutive goals for an 11-2 lead at halftime. DU’s win was locked up by that point, but Sacred Heart (2-2) continued to play hard.
Tierney noted the late- game apathy from the top-ranked Pioneers and said he told his players that if they hope to hoist another national championship trophy on Memorial Day, Saturday’s performance won’t help. He said the Pioneers had a bad practice Friday, so he was concerned about how they would play in their home opener. He was satisfied with the win, but he l saw a lot of flaws in his team’s performance.
“Erratic at best,” Tierney said. “I thought we had some moments of real brilliance, but too erratic. If we’re going to be really good, we have to be more consistent.”
Cannizzaro and Tierney agreed that the Pioneers aren’t close to being at their peak. That’s a scary thought for DU’s opponents, because the defending national champions knocked off No. 3 Duke a week ago and won Saturday by 11 goals.
Sophomore midfielder Brendan Bomberry scored a career-high four goals and had an assist. He attributed his performance to being in the right place at the right time, but there’s no doubt he brought his best. He had only six goals in his career coming into Saturday, yet he notched his hat trick even before Cannizzaro’s.
“I owe it all to my teammates,” Bomberry said. “They made my job a lot easier than it should have been. If it wasn’t for them looking for me, this day doesn’t happen. This is little bit more special. It’s our first home game of the year.”
Bomberry praised DU’s support from “the nation’s best fans.” Attendance at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium was 2,497, the 15th-largest crowd in venue history.
The Pioneers improved to 44-5 under Tierney at home. They have won 17 consecutive home games, the longest active streak in the country.
The Pioneers play Dartmouth at 1:30 p.m. Sunday in the final game of the Faceoff Classic tournament.
Cameron Wolfe: 303-954-1891, cwolfe@denverpost.com or @CameronWolfe
