The University of Denver men’s lacrosse team will continue its early-season schedule at home, facing Air Force on Saturday at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium. The game is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. Mountain Time and will be available for streaming on Midco Sports Plus and 104.3 the Fan HD3.
Denver has a strong record against Air Force, holding a 26-3 advantage since joining Division I in 1999. The Pioneers have won 17 of the last 18 meetings, including a 14-8 victory in Colorado Springs last season.
In their season opener on January 31, Denver defeated Cleveland State with a score of 20-1. This win marked one of the largest margins in program history and tied records for goals and assists at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium. The Pioneers allowed only one goal, something they have achieved just five times in their Division I history.
The team’s offense was spread across the roster in the opening match, with 12 different players scoring goals and 16 recording points. Head coach Matt Brown said this kind of balanced scoring has been common since he joined the staff: “Since Matt Brown was named a full time assistant in 2008, the Pioneers have had 10 or more players score goals in a game 32 times.”
Denver’s defense has also shown strength recently. Since the start of the 2024 season, Denver has allowed just 15 man-up goals on opponents’ 73 opportunities for a man-down kill percentage of nearly 80 percent—the best rate nationally during that period.
Matt Brown is now in his third season as head coach after serving as offensive coordinator under former head coach Bill Tierney for more than a decade. Brown led Denver to an NCAA Championship Weekend appearance last year and previously helped guide them to eleven tournament appearances as an assistant.
For this season, four captains were named: Russell Overly, Chris Caldwell, Cody Malawsky, and Joe Taraboletti. Malawsky was also selected for the BIG EAST Preseason Team after earning recognition last year for his performance.
Looking ahead, Denver’s schedule includes eight consecutive games against teams ranked or receiving votes in preseason polls by Inside Lacrosse. Home games feature top-ranked programs such as Syracuse and Georgetown.
After Saturday’s contest against Air Force, Denver will travel to Utah next weekend for its first road game of the year.
Tickets for upcoming games are currently available online through DenverPioneers.com.
