The Denver Pioneers are set to take on No. 2/2 Loyola for the third time this season and hope to get their first win over the Greyhounds this season. The Pioneers are in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Lacrosse Tournament for the second time in head coach Bill Tierney's tenor and are trying to head back to the Final Four after last years surprise run.
Denver advanced to the second round of the tournament following their 15-14 victory over the No. 8 seed North Carolina Tar Heels last weekend. UNC came up with a goal with 48 seconds left in the game, bringing it to a one-goal game, but that was it. Jeremy Noble was the player of the game with three goals and 10 points, a school record at the Division 1 level. Mark Matthews and Wes Berg each picked up a hat trick, though the former went one step further with five goals. Eric Law and Alex Demopoulos each picked up two goals apiece.
Loyola, the top-seeded team in the 2012 NCAA Lacrosse Tournament, defeated the Pioneers by a total of 4 goals in the two previous victories, including a 14-13 win in the ECAC Tournament. The Greyhounds claimed both the ECAC regular-season and conference championships after tallying an unblemished mark in conference-play. Loyola possesses one of the nation's most potent offenses, ranking second in the nation in scoring margin (5.19) and man-up offense (.500).
Denver vs. Loyola faces-off at 12:30 on ESPN2 and ESPN3 in Annapolis, MD.