We’ve reached one of the best transitional times of the sports year: football to lacrosse. The Super Bowl is over and Lehigh University (Bethlehem, PA) just opened the NCAA lacrosse season with a highlighted behind-the-back goal on NJIT. The DU Pioneers play their match up of 2016 this Saturday against Air Force.
Being the only two NCAA Division-I programs in Colorado, the game almost carries a subtle weight to it. Air Force Falcons will host the history writing Pioneers at the US. Air Force Academy just over an hour south of Denver.
Air Force has an interesting advantage this year in that Denver is young squad again. The infamous Wes Berg and Senior Class Co. have graduated, leaving freshmen to fill voids at both attack and goaltender.
On the other hand, heavy hammer Trevor Baptiste returns for his sophomore year and already showed continued talent in the last match up against Johns Hopkins. Denver burst out to an early lead in that game of 8-0 and much of the offensive thrust comes from Baptiste’s abilities and the face off X.
Denver sits in the preseason rankings at No.2 for 2016, right behind their semifinal foes Notre Dame. Air Force comes in at No.38 on the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse RPI Rankings, and those same standards have Denver dropped in the No.5 position.
The match up this weekend between Air Force and DU is going to be a stage setter for 2016: Has Air Force made improvements in their program? Are the Pios primed for a repeat Tournament run?
Air Force has shown inconsistency in their playing style. They have the ability to come out strong like in their 3-0 lead over Navy that killed an entire game quarter, but sometimes the sloppiness comes back at them, like watching Navy have a heavy scoring third quarter and spending penalty box time over small offsides and pushing penalties.
DU has shown a strong sense of consistency and discipline under the leadership of Bill Tierney. He’s brought stability to the Pioneer program, grown the awareness of lacrosse throughout the region, and always played a consistency game. If DU plays their game great, Air Force will only present winning opportunities to the Pios.
Alex Ready (Freshman) starts in the goal for the Pioneers this season. He performed in the Hopkins game at a .500 (saved 8, missed 8) but didn’t see too many shots early in the game. Tierney has confidence in the Lancaster, Pa. native’s abilities to mind the cage and command the DU defense.
Baptiste finished 19-for-23 and freshman breakout Nate Marano (Calif.) secured a hat trick barely into the second quarter.
Air Force still looks for its leaders which most certainly can be found if the right people step up in this weekend’s Clash in Colorado.
