Denver wins first NCAA men's lacrosse championship
When Bill Tierney took over the reins at Denver, the Pioneers hoped the coaching legend would bring west the touch that helped him win six titles at the helm of Princeton.
When Bill Tierney took over at Denver, supporters of the team hoped the coaching legend would bring west the touch that helped him win six NCAA titles with Princeton.
On Monday, that hope became a reality. Denver captured its first NCAA men's lacrosse championship with a decisive 10-5 victory against Maryland before 24,215 at Lincoln Financial Field.
Senior Wesley Berg capped his career with the Pioneers with a five-goal performance, notching three of them in a first quarter that ended with Denver leading, 4-1. Berg was named MVP of the tournament. His 15 goals for the NCAA tourney tied him for fourth all-time with Syracuse's Gary Gait.
"We wouldn't have admitted it before," said Tierney, who led Denver to the national semifinals four times in the last five seasons. "But just like Wesley put us on his back here for a few games, I feel like we were carrying a burden around and now it's off and now we move on."
Tierney coached at Princeton for 22 seasons before taking over the Pioneers in 2009. Denver finished with a 17-2 record.
Before Monday, only eight teams had ever won the NCAA championship. Denver's win marks the first time a team from outside the Eastern time zone has ever won the title.
"It's a really good feeling, but honestly, right now it just feels like we won another game," said Berg, who set a Denver record for goals in a season with 58. "This is something special. And it's great to have accomplished it. I'm sure as time goes on we're going to appreciate it a whole lot more."
Denver's quick strike came against a Maryland club (15-4) that was the best defensive team in the nation, having allowed just 6.9 goals per game. The Terrapins had allowed an opponent to reach double figures in scoring only four times this season.
But Zach Miller fed Berg for his third goal of the game with 5 minutes, 4 seconds left in the first quarter. After former Maryland attack Connor Cannizzaro scored the first of his two goals to give the Pioneers a 4-1 lead at the end of the first, things did not look good for the Terps.
Maryland attack Matt Rambo, a La Salle High graduate, led the Terrapins with two goals and an assist. He said they did not worry about their early predicament because they had been behind in the past.
"I was confident; we've come back before," Rambo said. "But sometimes it just doesn't go your way."
Maryland's 37 appearances in the NCAA tournament are the second-highest total since its inception in 1971. After winning a school-record 15 games this season, the Terrapins had hoped to end their string of 40 straight seasons without a victory in the championship game.
"That was not the end that we wanted, but it was not due to the effort," Maryland coach John Tillman said. "I've never been more proud of a group than this one."
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