by DENVER – Sophomore Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-American Zach Miller (Seneca Nation/ N.Y.) scored the game-tying goal with 1:19 in regulation, and the game-winner with 3:18 to go in overtime to send the [4/4] University of Denver men’s lacrosse team to an 11-0 win over [3/3] Notre Dame at a sold out Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Miller and Tewaaraton Watch List member Connor Cannizzaro (Cazenovia, N.Y.) had four goals apiece in the victory, and Miller also added an assist for a team-high five points.
Junior Jack Bobzien (Littleton, Colo.) made his return to the Pioneer lineup after missing the three games since the opener with an injury. Bobzien scored six goals in Denver’s 17-13 win over then-No. 3 Duke.
Freshman FOGO Trevor Baptiste (Denville, N.J.) came up in clutch situation after clutch situation for Denver, winning 16-of-23 faceoffs, including going 4-of-5 in the fourth quarter and overtime.
The Pioneers defense blanked Notre Dame from the start of the fourth quarter forcing three key Notre Dame turnovers in the fourth quarter. Denver outshot Notre Dame 11-4 in that span. Senior LSM Mike Riis(Carlsbad, Calif.) came up with a career-high six ground balls in the game.
Bobzien opened the scoring 95 seconds into the game with his seventh of the season. Notre Dame responded to the Pioneers opener with a 5-0 to close out the quarter, including two man-up goals. The Irish forced Denver into five turnovers in the first quarter on Saturday.
The Pioneers responded in the second quarter with three-straight to begin the period on two goals from Connor Cannizzaroand another tally from Pace. After two Notre Dame goals off the same unreleasable penalty, Cannizzarro completed his first-half hat trick with his 15th goal of the season with 2:58 to play. Baptiste finished the first half 9-for-12, but the Pioneers went into the locker room facing a 7-5 deficit.
Denver got within a goal twice in the third quarter, but it was Notre Dame that went into the final stanza with a three goal lead, striking twice in the final four minutes of the third quarter to give the Irish a 10-7 lead heading into the final 15 minutes.
DU went on a 4-0 run from there on to close the game, a run that included three of Miller’s four goals. The sophomore’s first came with 10:05 to play in regulation to cut the Notre Dame lead to 10-8. Connor Cannizzaro chipped followed Miller’s with an unassisted goal on the next possession, and then Miller provided the dramatic finish with one goal spinning around from behind the cage, and then the overtime winner, turning his man to get open from 10-yards out.
The Pioneers will begin a week long road trip at Ohio State on Saturday, March 14, at 11 a.m. MT. Denver will then head to Lehigh for a midweek tilt (March 17/5 p.m. MT) before taking on Penn State on March 21 in Hempstead, N.Y. DU’s next home game will take place on March 28, when the Pioneers open BIG EAST play against Georgetown (1 p.m. MT/Altitude).
