A historic lacrosse game looked like it had all the makings of a thriller after three quarters. Unfortunately, the Villanova Wildcats were held scoreless in the 4th quarter and lost 13-10 to the Denver Pioneers in the first ever NCAA Tournament game west of the Mississippi.
The visitors controlled much of the tempo throughout the first half, leading by 2 goals on numerous occasions. Trailing 5-4 midway through the 2nd quarter, Villanova reeled off 3 scores before halftime to take a 7-5 lead. Nova fans had to be feeling good with that halftime score, as the Cats were 7-0 this year when leading at intermission. The third quarter ended deadlocked at 10, but Villanova ran out of gas in the fourth. Denver outscored the Wildcats 8 to 3 in the second half.
It was a courageous effort on the part of Villanova, considering they had to travel across the country 48 hours before a huge game. Nonetheless, the Cats fall to 0-2 all time in the NCAA Tournament and they say goodbye to one of the best players in program history in senior longstick midfielder Brian Karalunas.