The Denver Pioneers lacrosse team moved to 3-1 on Saturday afternoon by defeating the Hartford Hawks, 11-10, at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium, The Hawks are now 0-3 for the season.
The Pioneers jumped out to a 3-1 lead at the end of the first quarter with goals coming from Mark Matthews, Patrick Rogers and Jeremy Noble. Matthews and Noble each picked up an assist on the others' goal. That eventually turned into a 5-3 lead at the end of the first half, as Jared Franze's first goal of the season came with just six second left on the clock.
The Pioneers unleashed five goals in the third quarter and allowed just two to Hartford. Mark Matthews netted two more in that frame to reach 11 for the season. The lead moved to 11-5 just over a minute into the final quarter, but Hartford answered back with two goals over the next several minutes. With two minutes remaining on the clock, Hartford made a last, desperate attempt to finish the comeback, but the team managed three goals over the next 76 seconds. The final 44 seconds failed to see any goals scored.
Pioneers sophomore goaltender Jamie Faus allowed all 10 goals and made six saves on 34 shots. However, Denver won the ground ball battle, 36-25, and the face-off contests, 15-9.
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