The No. 16/16 Denver Pioneers, losers of two straight games to close out the ECAC regular season, now prepare to face the No. 4/3 Duke Blue Devils on Friday in the inaugural Mile High Classic at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Pioneers and Blue Devils will face-off at 8:00 MT. Prior to that, the No. 6/6 Virginia Cavaliers will take on the Penn Quakers at 5:30.
After starting the season with championship aspirations, Denver's season and NCAA Tournament hopes now hinge on the next two contests against two of the best teams in college lacrosse. In order to receive a tournament invite, the Pioneers need impressive performances against the Blue Devils and Greyhounds, two teams currently in the top five in both polls.
The Duke Blue Devils have compiled a 13-3 record that includes a current winning streak of 10 straight games. After early season losses to Notre Dame, Loyola, and Maryland, the Blue Devils have taken down the likes of UNC twice, Syracuse, Virginia and avenged the Maryland loss in a one goal win. Duke is led by midfielders Justin Turri and C.J. Costible, both members of the 2012 Tewaaraton Watch List.
Friday's game will be shown live on ESPNU.