#BIGEASTmlax Bracket Set, Denver Awarded Sixth Straight Regular-Season Title
NEW YORK – The field for the 2019 BIG EAST Men’s Lacrosse Championship Presented by Jeep, was solidified on Saturday as Denver locked up its sixth-straight regular season title. Georgetown locked in the No. 2 seed and Providence will be the No. 3 seed, defeating Villanova, 9-8, in overtime in the regular-season finale. The Wildcats will be the No. 4 seed.
Georgetown, Providence and Villanova all finished 3-2 in the conference standings, essentially tying for second. The Hoyas earned the No. 2 seed by gaining the advantage in the mini-conference tie-breaker with a 16-13 victory over Villanova on April 14 and a 17-15 win over Providence on April 6. The Friars owned the head-to-head tie-breaker over the Wildcats with the win on Saturday, clinching the No. 3 seed.
Second-seeded Georgetown and No. 3 Providence will faceoff at 6:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. local at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium in the first semifinal. The last time the championship was in Denver in 2016, Georgetown was not in the field. The Hoyas are the defending tournament champions. Providence missed the 2018 tournament but finished as runner-up in 2017.
The Pioneers, who will host the league tournament for the second time, are the No. 1 seed in the tournament for the sixth-straight year. Denver is 30-1 during the regular season since joining the league in 2014. The Pioneers, ranked 12th nationally, lost their first league match this season to Villanova, 12-11. Thursday’s second semifinal will be a rematch of that contest. Denver and Villanova will play each other at approximately 9 p.m. ET/7 p.m. local. The last time these two teams played each other in a BIG EAST Championship was in 2015, ironically on Villanova’s home field. The Pios won 16-9 in the semifinal en route to their last championship title. Denver finished the regular season 9-4 overall, 4-1 in league play.
All tournament games will air on the CBS Sports Network.
Providence earned the No. 3 seed over Villanova with Saturday’s come-from-behind golden goal victory at home. The Friars trailed 8-6 with 12:51 left. Dan Axelson scored with less than five minutes on the clock to bring it within one, 8-7. In the waning moments of regulation, Villanova forced a Providence turnover and attempted a clear with a field-length pass. Friar goalkeeper Tate Boyce cut off the pass with four-seconds left and quickly cleared the ball back into the offensive box to Nick Hatzipetrakos, who forced overtime as the game clock expired. Colin Keating won the overtime opening faceoff for Providence and took the ball directly to the cage scoring his first-career goal to lift Providence to victory (9-8). The play took just five-seconds off the clock. Hatzipetrakos had two goals to lead Providence. The Friars go into the tournament with a 7-8 overall record. Villanova’s Keegan Khan led the Wildcats in points with four, two goals, two assists. Villanova is ranked 17th in the country with a 8-6 overall record.
Georgetown, ranked 19th nationally, defeated St. John’s 14-10 in the regular season finale on Saturday. The Hoyas were led in points by Lucas Wittenberg who had hat trick and three assists. Robert Clark had five points with four goals and an assist. The Hoyas finished with an 11-4 overall record. The Red Storm finished up the 2019 season facing three consecutive top 20 opponents in Denver, Villanova and Georgetown. Joe Madsen led St. John’s with five goals.
Going into Saturday’s final two games Denver, Providence and Villanova had each clinched a playoff spot. Georgetown’s win over St. John’s earned the Hoyas the fourth and final spot.
Marquette finished the regular season on Friday with a 9-8 loss to Denver. The Golden Eagles finished fifth in the standings with a 2-3 record, 6-8 overall. The Red Storm finished sixth at 0-5 in BIG EAST play, 4-10 overall.
BIG EAST Men’s Lacrosse Championship Presented by Jeep
Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium
Denver, Colo.
Semifinals - Thursday, May 2
No. 3 Providence vs. No. 2 Georgetown, 6:30 p.m. ^
No. 4 Villanova at No. 1 Denver, 9 p.m. ^
Final – Saturday, May 4
Semifinal Winners, 4:30 p.m. ^
All Times Eastern
^ CBSSN