What happened to DU men’s lacrosse (6-8, 2-3) this season?
In what looked like a potential breakthrough season for head coach Matt Brown and his team, Denver faded down the stretch, squeaked into the BIG EAST Tournament, and was quickly dispatched by their nemesis, Georgetown, 11-8. Season over.
While we have little inside knowledge of what happened to a promising season with a gauntlet of nonconference blue bloods, it is clear that scheduling may have damaged a hard-working team with little margin for error against high-end teams.
Denver opened the season with three straight wins. capped by a nice victory over Utah on the road. Denver split home games against #4 Cornell and Michigan. The loss to a skilled Cornell side was more decisive than the final 13-9 score and was the first signal that Denver would struggle with top-tier teams. Next up was a low-scoring loss against Ohio State, 6-4, in Columbus, followed by a heartbreaking home loss to Syracuse, 13-12. On a road trip to #6 Duke six days later, Denver battled to a heartbreaking 8-7 loss. Denver started to leak oil (and confidence) with these three straight losses, falling to an overall 4-4 record.
Denver fans have always dreamed of a schedule with home and road games against the very best. But, in this case, the schedule did DU no favors as they were struggling entering BIG EAST conference play. A fragile Denver team opened up against conference preseason favorite Georgetown at Peter Barton Stadium. Denver was buried by the Hoyas in one of their worst losses ever in conference play, 17-5 – the Pioneers bottomed out. Denver split their final four conference games to qualify for the BIG EAST Tournament as a #4 seed. In semifinal play, the Hoyas outscored Denver 5-1 in the third quarter and coasted to an 11-8 win in Providence, ending Denver’s season.
Denver struggled on the offensive end during the season, especially in crunch time in close games. Opponents earned 44 more shots on goal during the season and average shots-per-game, 42.2 to 33.8. Surprisingly, DU outscored opponents on the man-up 14-3. Denver’s man-up efficiency was solid versus their opponents, .378 vs .115. Both are signs of solid coaching and execution. Opponents carried a slight edge in fewer turnovers, more ground balls, and caused turnovers. Opponents won a decisive 38 more faceoff wins, 172-138, for a significant edge at the ‘X’. Clearly, possessions and scoring opportunities went against the Pioneers this season. However, the quality of opponents likely had much to do with this result.
The defensive unit was elite at times (ranked No. 1 in stop rate early in the season), with goalie Grayson Manning drawing Kelly Award buzz for his positioning and consistency. However, it wasn’t enough to overcome offensive lulls and possession disadvantages.
The key graduating seniors from this season’s squad are Chase Bruno with 15 goals, 8 assists, 23 points (3rd on the team overall), and Joe Taraboletti with 5 goals, 6 assists, 11 points. Otherwise, most of the production came from underclassmen. The big three returners are Marek Tzagournis (Jr., Attack) – 42 points (21 goals, 21 assists), Cody Malawsky (R-Jr., Attack) – 38 points (30 goals, 8 assists), and Chris Merageas (So., Attack) – 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists. If Denver can improve at the ‘X’, bolster their midfield ball control game, and add to their defensive long sticks in recruiting, Denver should improve next season.
The conclusion, assuming Denver retains its core underclassmen, is that the Pioneers will be better next season, especially if they play a more balanced schedule against a mix of teams, especially in non-conference play. Denver needs to improve on faceoffs and generate more positive ball possession. Next season should be a significant improvement over the past season’s results.
Top photo courtesy of Georgetown Athletics