No. 1 Denver Takes On No. 2 Georgetown In 2015 Championship Rematch
VILLANOVA, Pa. – BIG EAST Championship Saturday has arrived and with it a rematch of the 2015 BIG EAST Championship title game between No. 1 seed Denver and No. 2 seed Georgetown, which was also held at Villanova Stadium.
Ben Holden and Evan Washburn will be on the call on Saturday with the championship game starting at 2 p.m. ET on CBSSN.
Why We’re Watching
Final: No. 1 Denver vs. No. 2 Georgetown
2 p.m. ET/CBSSN
Live Stats
In The BIG EAST Championship: Denver leads series, 1-0: met in 2015 BIG EAST Championship Game
2018 Regular-Season: Denver won the regular season meeting, 6-5 (March 31, 2018)
It is the seventh meeting all time between the Pioneers and Hoyas. Denver holds a 6-0 advantage over Georgetown, including a 6-5 win on March 31 this season. The Hoyas had hosted the Pioneers on their home field.
Saturday is Denver’s fourth championship game appearance, Georgetown’s second. The last time Denver won the BIG EAST tournament championship was against Georgetown in 2015, same location, same seeds.
En route to Saturday’s championship, Denver defeated Marquette, 10-7; while Georgetown defeated Villanova, 13-10. Denver’s Trevor Baptiste set the NCAA career faceoff wins record in the victory with his 1,118th faceoff draw win. Junior attackman Austin French scored half of Denver’s goals and added an assist for a six-point night. Georgetown goalie, BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year, Nick Marrocco had 12 saves for the Hoyas, who kept the lead despite a three-goal attempted comeback rally by Villanova with four minutes to go. Craig Berge led Georgetown with four goals and an assist while Lucas Wittenberg added a goal and three assists. GU’s faceoff specialist Peter Tagliaferri went 19-24 to help aid the Hoyas with key possessions down the stretch.
In the 2015 championship game between these two teams, Denver defeated Georgetown, 16-8. Denver was ranked Berge, then a freshman, led Georgetown with two goals and an assist. Rookie keeper Nick Marrocco made eight saves. Denver was led by Connor Cannizzaro who scored eight points on five goals, three assists. Wesley Berg scored four goals. Denver went on to win the national championship that year in Philadelphia. Then-freshman Baptiste went 19-24 from the faceoff dot.
In the earlier meeting between the Hoyas and Pios, Denver’s Ethan Walker, BIG EAST Attack Player of the Year, had a hat trick. Georgetown held the Pioneers to one goal in the first half. Berge also netted three goals. Denver scored three goals in the fourth quarter for the win. Georgetown was leading 5-3 heading into the final period.
NCAA berths are at stake as the championship winner will earn the BIG EAST’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. The runner up will await their fate to be a potential at-large selection in ESPNU’s Selection Show on Sunday, May 6 at 9 p.m. The BIG EAST Championship has only had three champions: Syracuse (2012, 2013), Denver (2014, 2015) and Marquette (2016, 2017). Marquette won the title as the No. 4 seed last season in Providence. For the past two years, the BIG EAST has sent two teams to the Big Dance with Marquette as the automatic qualifier and Denver as the at-large bid.
BIG EAST Men’s Lacrosse Championship Presented by Jeep
Villanova Stadium
Villanova, Pa.
Semifinals - Thursday, May 4
No. 1 Denver 10, vs. No. 4 Marquette 7
No. 2 Georgetown 13, No. 3 Villanova 10
Final – Saturday, May 5
No. 1 Denver vs. No. 2 Georgetown at 2 p.m. ^
All Times Eastern
^ CBSSN