DENVER
2012 RECORD: 9-7 (3-3 ECAC) COACH: BILL TIERNEY (4TH YEAR)
PIONEERS 6
Bill Tierney, the architect of slide-and- recover defense, knows his offensive coordinators have a tough task. So when Tierney became Denver’s head coach and met with Jamie Munro holdover Matt Brown about staying on staff, Tierney
recommended Brown call Dave Metzbower, who spent 20 years as Tierney’s top assistant at Princeton. “I said, ‘Matt, you know I’m a defensive guy. You might want to call coach Metzbower. It’s hard to be an offensive coach when the head guy is such a stickler for ‘perfect’ defense,’” said Tierney, who won six NCAA championships at Princeton. What happened next was a seminal occasion, “a very clear moment in time where my philosophy shifted,” Tierney said. “Matt said, ‘Coach, with these guys, you’ll never be able to play and win like that.’ And I said, ‘Well, tell me what we can do then.’ And he goes, ‘We can score goals — a lot of goals.’” Tierney swallowed his pride and forgot possession-oriented play. Welcome to the Canadian Road Show. “I was always obsessed with not giving up more than seven goals to win,” Tierney said. “Now I’m obsessed with scoring 13 to win.”
Feb 9 at Duke Feb 17 vs. Penn State* Feb 23 Lehigh Feb 24 Canisius Mar 2 Penn Mar 9 at Ohio State Mar 16 vs. Notre Dame** Mar 23 Air Force Mar 30 at Hobart Apr 5 Marquette Apr 7 Bellarmine Apr 13 at Loyola Apr 20 Fairfi eld Apr 27 Michigan * at EverBank Field, Jacksonville, Fla.
** at Sports Authority Field, Denver
Relying on an innovative, box-
fi eld hybrid style that integrates the Canadian and American games, the Pioneers were 7-1 when scoring 13 goals in 2012. The lone loss came
against eventual national champion Loyola, 14-13 — one of Denver’s six one-goal losses last year.
Mark Matthews, the Pioneers’ all-time leading scorer, graduated. But Brown, whom junior midfi elder Jeremy Noble called “a mastermind of the game,” won’t let the offense get stale. “You don’t really know how good of a coach he actually is until you’ve played for him, and you see the things that he draws up,” said Noble, Denver’s top returning scorer who missed the fall while recovering from a hamstring injury. “Some of the stuff you’d never think of, but it’s so intelligent.” Much of the offense will go through the Pioneers’ fi rst midfi eld — Noble, fellow Canadian Cam Flint and Chase Carraro, who also takes faceoffs. It’s their third straight season together. Without Matthews, there won’t be as big a target. “But now there’s six guys out there, and you have to cover us all,” Noble said.
Expect Noble to have the ball in his stick in the biggest moments. His wild 10-point performance against North Carolina in the NCAA tournament last year might just be a harbinger of things to come. — M.F.
A Publication of US Lacrosse
Jeremy Noble
RIVAL COACHES SAY “Best midfi eld in the country, including faceoff unit. Carraro should have been the fi rst- teamer after he beat R.G. Keenan easily in the NCAA fi rst round… The system Coach T has in place is sustainable at the highest level… They’ll fi gure it out in the cage. My gut is that it’ll be Ryan LaPlante.”
TOP RETURNER M Jeremy Noble (Jr.) Among the nation’s top scoring threats out of the midfi eld, Noble is a hyper- skilled, right-handed pitbull with dish-and-dump ability. He also contributes on the defensive end. “He’s one of the best competitors I’ve ever coached,” Tierney said.
X-FACTOR A Wes Berg (So.)
A big-time contributor on the second midfi eld line as a freshman, Berg should bump down to attack this year. The Canadian U19 teamer is too talented to keep off the fi eld. “Opponents have to pay attention to a kid like him, kind of like they did Mark
PROJECTED STARTERS
A Eric Law (Sr.)* G: 26 A: 16
A Wes Berg (So.) G: 26 A: 11
A Gordie Koerber (Fr.) G: 32 A: 7 (at Gilman School)
M Jeremy Noble (Jr.)* G: 25 A: 21
M Cam Flint (Sr.)* G: 16 A: 7
M Chase Carraro (Sr.)* G: 14 A: 16
FO Chase Carraro (Sr.)* FO%: 60.4 GB: 112
LSM: Mike Riis (So.)* GB: 17 CT: 36
D Carson Cannon (So.)* GB: 14 CT: 8
D Drew Babb (Jr.)* GB: 21 CT: 11
D Kyle Hercher (Sr.)* GB: 8 CT: 6
G Ryan LaPlante (So.)* GAA: 9.93 SV%: 53.5 *returning starters
TELLING NUMBER
Since bursting onto the scene as a freshman, Cam Flint has been beset by injuries. But look who’s healthy now.
33.5 Shooting
Brown’s box-hybrid system takes advantage of Canadians’ ability to finish in tight spaces. February 2013 >> LACROSSE MAGAZINE 35
percentage in 2012. Matt
©JOHN STROHSACKERI (JN, CF) ©DENVER (CC)
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