Seventh Annual Pioneer Face-Off Classic this Weekend

Seventh Annual Pioneer Face-Off Classic this Weekend
Denver set to take on Villanova and UMBC

DENVER – The No. 20 University of Denver men’s lacrosse team hosts the seventh annual Pioneer Face-off Classic this weekend. Three tradition rich lacrosse teams are coming to Denver, including Villanova, Air Force and UMBC. Both Villanova and UMBC are making their first-ever appearances in the Pioneer Face-off Classic.

Denver (1-2, 0-0 GWLL) will face Villanova at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday and No. 19 UMBC at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday. Air Force will square-off against UMBC on Saturday at 11 a.m. and Villanova on Sunday at 11 a.m.

The Pioneers are 8-4 all-time in the Pioneer Face-off Classic. DU is 2-3 against Villanova all-time. DU plays No. 19 UMBC for the second time in as many seasons, with UMBC winning the 2006 contest, 12-8.

The Pioneers enter the weekend 1-2 after back-to-back losses against No. 14 UNC, 11-8, and No. 6 Duke, 13-9. DU is led by senior captains Ryan Zordani (Littleton, Colo.) and David Hahn (Aurora, Colo.) and junior Rory Shepard (Riverside, Conn.), who were selected as Preseason All-American honorable mentions. Currently junior Brett Koll (Fort Collins, Colo.) leads DU with eight points on the season, while freshman Ilija Gajic (Burnaby, British Columbia) has seven.

Villanova (1-1) last faced DU in 2005 when the Wildcats fell to the Pioneers by a score of 9-4, the same score Villanova defeated Denver in 2001 when the Wildcats posted their last win over the Pioneers. As of this weekend, Nova holds a 3-2 advantage in the series record between the schools. Last season, the Wildcats notched the win with an 11-6 advantage over the Falcons. The trip to Colorado also marks a homecoming for senior Eric Webber and junior Eric Bloom. Both players claim Colorado as their home state with Webber being a native of Denver, and Bloom declaring Englewood his hometown. Webber has contributed four shots and one groundball during the course of two games this season, while Bloom has chipped in with a total of five groundballs.

UMBC (1-0) opened its season last weekend with a 12-11 overtime win over Brown. UMBC finished first in the America East conference in 2006 with a 10-5 overall record. Retrievers’ freshman Colin Bolling is a native of Centennial, Colo., and attended Cherry Creek H.S. Terry Kimener leads UMBC in scoring after one game with six points, three goals and three assists.
Closing out the field is Air Force, who is making its seventh consecutive appearance in the Classic. Air Force, now receiving votes in the latest Nike/Inside Lacrosse media poll, opened up the 2007 season last weekend with an 11-7 win over Siena. The Falcons were led against the Saints by senior attackman Conrad Lochocki, who tallied five goals and an assist, while captain Will Meister added one goal and four assists. In addition, senior goalkeeper Dan Bellissimo tallied 15 saves in the win for the Falcons. This weekend, Air Force and UMBC meet for the ninth time in the series, with the Retrievers holding an 8-1 advantage over the Falcons. UMBC won last year's contest, a 9-5 decision in Baltimore. Air Force and Villanova will meet for the 10th time in their series, with the Wildcats leading 7-2. Villanova won the last contest between the two teams, an 11-6 decision at Villanova.

DU’s games will be webcast on www.denverpioneers.com. Live gametracker action of each game will be available on www.denverpioneers.com as well.

Tickets for the event are on sale now at the Ritchie Center box office or can be purchased at 303-871-2336.