Connor Cannizzaro, Denver
Yesterday In #BIGEASTmlax – 2.12
NEW YORK – BIG EAST men’s lacrosse went 2-2 on Saturday as No. 3 Denver and Providence scored wins. The third-ranked Pioneers defeated No. 19/17 Air Force, 16-4. Providence gained road win over Holy Cross, 10-4. Villanova lost their season- and home-opener to Monmouth, 12-10 and St. John’s was defeated by former league foe No. 16/19 Rutgers, 16-8.
Monmouth 12, Villanova 10
Villanova (0-1) dropped their season opener to the Monmouth Hawks by a final of 12-10. The Wildcats jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, John Kluh opened up the scoring streak and Devin McNamara scored back-to-back goals just under 10 minutes into the game. The game was tied 7-7 through the third period. Monmouth scored three unanswered goals in the fourth to take a lead the Hawks did not relinquish. Luke Palmadesso took all 25 faceoffs for the Wildcats and went 17-for-25 on the day. Kluh lead the Wildcats with five points on two goals and three assists. Dan Willis played all 60 minutes in goal for the Wildcats and finished the day with six saves and a .333 save percentage.
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Next up: Yale (2/18) at 12 p.m. ET
No. 16/19 Rutgers 16, St. John’s 8
Playing on the brand new state-of-the-art turf at DaSilva Memorial Field, St. John’s (0-1) was unable to contain the Scarlet Knights high-powered attack, falling in the contest 16-8. Nick Heller played a major factor in the majority of the Red Storm’s scoring opportunities as the senior midfielder ended the day with three points on two goals and one assist. Heller shot a perfect 4-of-4 on goal and picked up one groundball. Daniel Costa, a transfer from Fairfield, minded the goal for the Red Storm the entire contest, and saved 15-of-31 shots on goal.
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Next up: Stony Brook (2/19) at 1 p.m. ET
Providence 10, Holy Cross 4
Providence improved to 1-1 on the season with a road win over Holy Cross. Brendan Kearns dominated the Friar attack with four goals and two assists. Friar goalkeeper made nine saves. Providence led by one goal after the first period. By halftime, the Friars had taken an 8-2 lead. Kearns scored a hat trick in the period, all even strength goals.
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Next up: at Bryant (2/18) at 1 p.m. ET
No. 3 Denver 14, No. 19/17 Air Force 6
No. 3 Denver took a 14-6 win over No. 19/17 Air Force in the Pioneers' 2017 opener on Saturday afternoon in front of the 33rd sellout (14th-straight) at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium. 2016 Tewaaraton Finalist Connor Cannizzaro led DU (1-0) with six points behind four goals and a pair of helpers, while freshman Ethan Walker totaled five on three goals and two assists, with junior Jeremy Bosher rounding out the scoring with a trio of goals. Sophomore Alex Ready finished with 10 saves in backstopping the win, while junior faceoff man Trevor Baptiste was successful on 15-for-18 faceoff attempts for the Crimson and Gold, picking up 12 ground balls and a goal in the process.
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Next up: Duke (2/18) at 2 p.m. ET