#5 seed Denver men’s lacrosse (12-3, 5-0) faced Michigan on Saturday afternoon at Peter Barton Stadium. DU was coming off a tough BIG EAST loss to Villanova. The Wolverines entered the game following a Big 10 Tournament win and four straight victories. Excluding the first eight minutes of the third quarter and a handful of faulty clears, Denver played nearly a flawless game. Denver never trailed and coasted to a decisive five-goal win, 16-11. Malcolm Kleban was fantastic in goal for DU with 10 saves.

Denver had an explosive first quarter. Mic Kelly got the party started with DU’s first possession and scored with the shot clock running down, 1-0. Michigan knotted the game with a bit under ten minutes remaining but DU went on a six-goal scoring spree. Kelly started the scoring followed by Richie Connell, Cody Malawsky (twice), Michael Lampert, and finally, JJ Sillstrop with 13 seconds remaining in the first quarter, 7-1.

Denver outscored the Wolverines 3-2  in the second period. Connel found paydirt at the ten-minute mark weaving through the Wolverine back line and DU’s Casey Wilson administered another goal to build a 9-1 advantage. Michigan found the back of the net twice in the final six and a half minutes but a goal by Denver’s Daniel Clark helped maintain a seven-goal lead at halftime, 10-3.

JJ Sillstrop opened the scoring in the third period for DU but Michigan went on a five-goal scoring run in the third quarter to pull within three goals, 11-8 with 8:50 remaining in the quarter. Denver responded to the Wolverine outburst with two goals of their own to end the quarter. Mic Kelly scored for Denver and Cody Malowsky found the back of the net to build a five-goal lead heading into the final quarter.

The game was all but over after the first five minutes of the final quarter when the Denver defense, strong all day, shut out the Wolverines and the Pioneers added two more insurance goals by Casey Wilson and Michael Lampert. Michigan scored several goals down the stretch but burned the game clock in the process. JJ Sillstrop scored at 3:07 to extinguish any hope of a Michigan comeback, 16-10. With only three minutes remaining in the game, Michigan’s Justin Tiernan scored the final goal and Denver coasted to a 16-11 victory.

All in all, it was a lacrosse clinic by Denver that ended Michigan’s season. The offense scored when they needed to score and the defense was stout, pushing the Wolverine offense to the perimeter and shutting down shooting lanes. Defensively, Denver earned the advantage on ground balls (+8) and faceoffs (17/31). Sillstrop and Malawsky finished with three goals each and Kelly chipped in with three goals and two assists.

Denver faces the winner of the #4 Syracuse – Towson game played later Sunday evening. The next game will be held on Sunday, May 19th in Towson, Maryland at Unitas Stadium. The winner advances to Philadelphia, PA. in the NCAA Semifinals.