March 7, 2015
DENVER, Colo. – Zach Miller’s fourth goal of the day was the game winner as No. 4 Denver topped the No. 3 University of Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team 11-10 in overtime on Saturday afternoon in front of a sellout crowd at Barton Stadium.
Notre Dame (3-1) led 10-7 at the end of the third quarter, but Denver scored three times in the final period to force overtime. The quarter’s first goal was a man-up deposit from Miller and Connor Cannizzaro made it 10-9 with 9:26 remaining. Another goal from Miller knotted the contest with 1:19 left on the clock.
Denver (4-1) had the final possession of regulation, yet Fighting Irish goalie Shane Doss saved a Cannizzaro shot in the waning seconds.
The Pioneers won the opening faceoff in overtime, and following a timeout, Miller netted the decisive goal 42 seconds into the extra session. The last five showdowns between Notre Dame and Denver have been decided by a combined seven goals. The Irish are 3-2 in those contests, including a 2-1 mark in the three games that went to overtime.
Jack Bobzien put Denver up 1-0 less than two minutes into Saturday’s game, but the Irish responded with five straight goals. Notre Dame midfielder Sergio Perkovic started the run and fellow midfielder Jim Marlatt followed with a man-up tally. Attackman Matt Kavanagh, who paced the Irish with four goals and two assists, pushed the lead to two (3-1) with just under five minutes left in the opening period. Goals from Perkovic (man-up) and Kavanagh made it 5-1 in favor of the Irish by the end of the first quarter.
Cannizzaro halted the surge in the first minute of the second quarter and he scored again six minutes later to make it 5-3. The Pioneers climbed back to within one with 5:36 left in the first half on a Tyler Pace goal.
Consecutive man-up goals from Kavanagh increased the Irish advantage back to three with just under three minutes remaining in the stanza. Cannizzaro answered quickly with a man-advantage goal of his own to make it 7-5, which was the halftime score.
Denver opened the second-half scoring with a goal from Wesley Berg. The Pioneer momentum was short-lived as Notre Dame attackman Mikey Wynne made it 8-6 three minutes into the period.
The two teams continued to alternate scores as a man-up goal from Denver’s Miller was followed by a deposit from Fighting Irish attackman Conor Doyle, which made it 9-7 at the four-minute mark of the third period. Jack Near rifled in a goal to give Notre Dame a three-goal edge (10-7) and the Irish led by that margin after three quarters of play.
Denver outshot Notre Dame 39-24 and the Pioneers also won the faceoff battle, 16-7. Notre Dame was 4-of-4 in extra-man opportunities, while Denver was 4-of-6. Doss finished with 12 saves and Ryan LaPlante had two stops for the Pioneers.
The Fighting Irish will open Atlantic Coast Conference play next Saturday at No. 7 Virginia. The contest is scheduled for noon (ET) at Klockner Stadium in Charlottesville, Va., and it will be broadcast on ESPNU.
March 7, 2015
Barton Stadium – Denver, Colo.
#3 Notre Dame (3-1) – 5 2 3 0 0 – 10
#4 Denver (4-1) – 1 4 2 3 1 – 11
— Sean Carroll, Assistant Athletic Media Relations Director
–ND–