Denver women’s Head lacrosse coach Liza Kelly and her team are all-in for a serious run at a national championship this spring. The team is returning four All-Americans along with experience across the board with the addition of some exceptional graduate transfers. The roster upgrades started soon after DU’s otherwise-perfect 22-0 last season ended on May 26,  when DU finally fell to #1 Northwestern in Cary, North Carolina in the NCAA semifinals, the high water mark for DU’s history in the women’s game. Since that time, it has been clear that the program is doing everything in its power to return to Cary this spring to bring about a different result – a national title. Continue reading DU Women’s Lacrosse is In it to Win it All →

What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? We finally got our answer: the unstoppable force wins. In the first NCAA Semifinal matchup of the day between the #5 Denver Pioneers and #1 Northwestern Wildcats, it was Northwestern’s top-ranked scoring offense that dominated Denver’s top-ranked scoring defense. After an encouraging opening quarter, Northwestern found its offensive rhythm and controlled the final 45 minutes of the game en route to the 15-7 Wildcats victory at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina. Not only was it their first loss of the season in their first-ever trip to the national semifinals, but it was also the first time Denver gave up more than nine goals in a game all season. Continue reading Pioneers’ Dream Run to Championship Weekend Ends In National Semis in Loss to Northwestern →

What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? In about 24 hours’ time, we’re going to find out when 5th-seeded Denver’s top-ranked defense (5.82 GAA) meets #1-seeded Northwestern’s top-ranked offense (17.00 GPG) at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina in the first national semifinal. Stopping Northwestern’s deadly attack duo of Izzy Scane and Erin Coykendall – both of whom are Tewaaraton Award finalists – is Denver’s next big test in a season chock full of them. Continue reading Championship Weekend Preview: Denver vs. Northwestern →

For the first time in program history, the Denver Pioneers are going to Championship Weekend.

Let that sink in for a moment and smile.

Yet again, it was the #5 Denver’s (22-0) defense that won the day. The country’s #1 ranked scoring defense showed up to Dorrance Field in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and dominated the #4 North Carolina Tar Heels’ (16-5) offense. The Pioneers started slow, allowing four goals in the first half while only scoring twice, but they found the extra gear they needed in the second half, outscoring the defending national champions 3-0 over the final 30 minutes and held the uber-talented Tar Heels’ offense scoreless over the final 35-plus minutes of the game to clinch the 5-4 Elite Eight victory and advance to Championship Weekend for the first time ever. Continue reading Denver Completes Second-Half Comeback Against North Carolina to Advance to Championship Weekend →

“Oh, we’re excited. We’ve been looking forward to this one. We were watching [North Carolina’s] game this morning, hoping Richmond wouldn’t pull it off so that we could play UNC. We want to win a national championship and we want it to look as good as it possibly can. We want to go through UNC.”

That’s what star DU midfielder and all-around speedster Trinity McPherson had to say after her 5th-seeded Denver Pioneers beat the UAlbany Great Danes 8-6 in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament on Mother’s Day at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium. The low-scoring, defensive victory earned the Pios their second-ever trip to the NCAA Quarterfinal round (their other appearance came in 2019 when they lost to Maryland, the #1 overall seed and eventual national champion). Continue reading NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Quarterfinals Preview: Denver at North Carolina →

All season long, the 5th-seeded Denver Pioneers’ (21-0) calling card was defense. Even if the offense wasn’t there on any given day, they knew that they were just as comfortable winning a 5-4 game as they were winning a 23-6 game. That’s the reality for a team that hasn’t given up more than 9 goals in any game this season – as long as the defense shows up, they can and will win. In Friday’s NCAA Tournament, First-Round matchup against the USC Trojans, the Pios’ defense showed up to hold the high-flying, fast-paced Pac-12 champions to seven goals. In their follow-up performance n the Second Round against the UAlbany Great Danes (13-7), a team that scored 13 of its 16 goals in the second half of their first-round matchup against Virginia, DU held the visitors to just six goals as they won 8-6 at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium to advance to the Quarterfinals for the second time in program history. Continue reading Pioneers Clinch Second-Ever NCAA Quarterfinals Berth with 8-6 Victory over UAlbany →

Nobody ever said it was going to be easy. Even with a 6-0 second-quarter lead in NCAA Tournament play, advancing to the second round was never guaranteed. Against the Pac-12 Champion USC Trojans (16-4) at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium in first-round NCAA Tournament action, the 5th-seeded Denver Pioneers (20-0) had to withstand a valiant five-goal third-quarter rally from the Trojans – which erased their five-goal halftime lead – to win 10-7. It wasn’t exactly how head coach Liza Kelly drew it up but in the first-ever NCAA Tournament game in the Mile High City, the Pioneers showed up and treated a raucous crowd to an instant classic. Continue reading Pioneers Survive Furious Third-Quarter Southern Cal Rally to Advance to Second Round →

When 5th-seeded Denver Women’s Lacrosse (19-0) plays the University of Southern California (16-3) Friday at 3:00 pm MT at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium, two similar teams will take the field. Despite the controversy regarding Denver’s lower-than-deserved seed, the Pioneers have a challenging game ahead of them against the defensive-minded USC Trojans – a team that mirrors the Pioneers in many ways. Continue reading NCAA Tournament Preview: Round One A Clash of Similar styles →

All of the prognostications from the east coast lacrosse media establishment proved true. The country’s only unbeaten team,  BIG EAST regular season and tournament champions Denver (19-0, 6-0 BIG EAST), will not be one of the top four seeds in the NCAA Tournament, which starts next weekend. The top four seeds, as predicted were Northwestern, Syracuse, Boston College, and North Carolina. Denver is the #5 overall seed and will host the Pac-12 champion USC in the first round next weekend. The other first-round game that Denver will host is between Virginia and Albany. Should the Pioneers beat the Trojans, they will play the winner of that game.

The full bracket is below: Continue reading Denver Women Named #5 Seed in NCAA Tournament →

BIG EAST Champions. Yet again. The Denver Women’s Lacrosse program reached the pinnacle of the conference three years ago and they haven’t left. Using timely offense, dominant draw control play, and yet another masterful defensive performance, the #5(lol) and top-seeded Denver Pioneers (19-0, 6-0 BIG EAST) topped the #24 UConn Huskies (12-5, 4-2) by a score of 11-6 in Storrs, Connecticut, on the Huskies’ own turf. The Pioneers clinched the regular season conference title with a victory over Marquette and with today’s victory, they clinched the conference double. But, as great as the two championships are, the Pioneers’ goal – a national championship – is still in front of them. Continue reading Pioneers Win Third-Straight BIG EAST Title, Enter NCAA Tournament As Country’s Only Unbeaten Team →