University of Denver makes history in NCAA lacrosse title win over Maryland

· May 25, 2015, 7:38 pm

Photo: DU beats Maryland NCAA Lacrosse championship — Maryland's Bobby Gribbin (34) runs into Denver's Christian Thomas (43) during the first half of the NCAA Division I men's lacrosse championship, Saturday, May 25, 2015, Philadelphia.

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The No. 4 seed Pioneers beat the No. 6 seed Maryland Terrapins 10-5 in the title game at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Five of those goals came from senior Wesley Berg.

Here's more from The Associated Press:

Berg was chosen as the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. He ended the season with a team-record 58 goals.
Denver has won its first national title in men's lacrosse. Allen Kee/ESPN Images The victory gave coach Bill Tierney his record seventh title. He won six with Princeton.
Zach Miller added a goal and two assists for Denver. The fourth-seeded Pioneers (17-2) beat top-seeded Notre Dame in overtime in the semifinals Saturday.
Maryland made its third appearance in the past five national title games.

In a post-game interview on ESPN 2, Pioneers coach Bill Tierney said the win should show that lacrosse championships are no longer restricted to the East Coast. "It can happen anywhere," Tierney said.

Photo: University of Denver men's lacrosse coach Tierney, NCAA title — University of Denver Pioneers head coach Bill Tierney gets a hug after the team's 10-5 win over Maryland in the NCAA Division I men's lacrosse championship, Saturday, May 25, 2015, Philadelphia.

We spoke with Tierney in 2010, a year after he stunned the world of college lacrosse by leaving his job as head coach at Princeton to lead DU. In his 22 years at Princeton, Tierney'd won six national titles and 14 Ivy League championships. And in a sport dominated by eastern schools, Tierney’s move to Denver was seen as downright odd.

The Pioneers almost blew the semifinal game this year. They raced to a big lead against Notre Dame but needed overtime to win, 11-10, and advance to the final.

Here's some of our favorite tweets from the landmark win:

Recap: @DU_MLAX Brings First #NCAALAX Title West With 10-5 Win Over @TerpsMLax http://t.co/kNcgTWT42S pic.twitter.com/X5DSOEeEWF
— Lacrosse Magazine (@LacrosseMag) May 25, 2015

Truly, Pioneers. The #NCAALax title goes West. FINAL: @DU_MLAX 10, @TerpsMLax 5 pic.twitter.com/LRShW5Pr1y
— Inside Lacrosse (@Inside_Lacrosse) May 25, 2015

How many men's #ncaaLAX programs in the west besides @DU_MLAX? Search here: http://t.co/hFMKJjoYAM pic.twitter.com/wSlTYZeZcX
— NCAA Research (@NCAAResearch) May 25, 2015

May 25th, 2015. The day lacrosse moved west. @DU_MLAX #TruePioneers pic.twitter.com/FlQas0067k
— Vic Lombardi (@VicLombardi) May 25, 2015

CHAMPS pic.twitter.com/nCVxtTytmV
— Denver Mens Lacrosse (@DU_MLAX) May 25, 2015

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