2018 NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Tournament: Denver Moves Onto The Quarterfinals After Defeating Notre Dame 9-7

It looked like it was going to be all Denver today as the Pioneers jumped out to an early 4-1 lead after a quarter and a half of action, but Notre Dame was able to claw back into the game by way of a 5-2 run stretching from midway in the second to the end of the third quarter. The Fighting Irish were able to tie the game with 1:13 left in the third quarter and even managed to get the lead after Byran Costabile scored to push Notre Dame ahead 7-6 with 11:38 to play in the 4th quarter. However, that would be it for Notre Dame, as the Pioneers would score the final three goals of the game to defeat the Irish 9-7. The win punched Denver’s ticket to the Quarterfinals, the team’s 7th trip in the last eight years.

Denver got a huge game out of Alex Ready this afternoon, who jumped up off the bench after nearly two and a half months to help lead his quad to victory. Ready had 10 saves on the afternoon, including a huge one late in the 4th quarter with Denver up two goals, a little over a minute remaining, and Notre Dame on an EMO. Austin French had a big game today as well, finishing the afternoon with six points (3 Gs & 3 As). Additionally, Ethan Walker also had a nice game with four points (3 Gs & 1 A).

Notre Dame should be commended for not giving up after their slow start. It would’ve been easy to pack it in but they fought back and were in the thick of it with a quarter to play. Ryder Garnsey was his usual brilliant self, leading the team in points with four goals. Bryan Costabile also played tough today and contributed in with a pair of goals on the afternoon.

Here’s the Denver recap and here is the box score for the game. Notre Dame finishes the 2018 season with a 9-6 record. Denver now moves to 13-3 on the season and has a date with Albany next weekend in the Quarterfinals in Long Island.