The Loyola Greyhounds are going to championship weekend in the 2012 NCAA Lacrosse Tournament for the first time since 1998 following a 10-9 victory over the Denver Pioneers on Saturday afternoon. This was Denver's third loss to Loyola this season and sixth one-goal loss in 2012.
Down 6-4 at the start of the second half, Loyola's Chris Layne scored nearly two minutes into the third period for a 7-4 lead. However, Denver scored two goals in quick succession, Cameron Flint and freshman Wes Berg scoring within 90 seconds of each other. But that was it for the Pioneers that quarter. Eric Lusby scored two more goals for a 9-6 lead and to reach five goals for the game.
Denver made a charge during the middle of the fourth quarter with Mark Matthews and Jeremy Noble each scoring a goal over a span of 65 seconds, but the game played steady after that until less than three minutes remained. Wes Berg scored his second goal with 2:43 left, cutting the deficit to 10-9.
With 24 seconds left in the game, Denver won the final face-off and took the ball down the field, but Cameron Flint's shot was blocked. Loyola picked the ball up and ran out the clock.
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