DENVER - After leading for the first three quarters, the University of Denver men's lacrosse team gave up three fourth quarter goals to the Denver Outlaws, losing the inaugural Colorado Lacrosse Showcase 15-13 on Saturday afternoon at the Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium.

Junior Todd Baxter (Eden Prairie, Minn.) and sophomore Mark Matthews (Oshawa, Ontario) each had a hat trick and an assist in the contest, while sophomore Alex Demopoulos (Canton, Conn.) scored two goals with five assists.

Senior Charley Dickenson (Dallas, Texas) and junior Andrew Lay (Denver, Colo.) also tallied a goal and an assist a piece, while freshman Chase Carraro (Louisville, Ky.), sophomore Patrick Rogers (Portland, Ore.) and senior Deke Jackson (Boise, Idaho) each scored one goal.

"If you had told me coming into this game that we would only lose by two to the Denver Outlaws, I would have been happy, but of course with the way that we played today we were disappointed with the loss," said head coach Bill Tierney. "I am so proud of the way our guys performed and with the way they answered to the pressure of playing against one of the best professional lacrosse teams."

Drew Westervelt led the Outlaws with seven goals and Brendan Mundorf added three goals and an assist, while Lou Braun, Shane Koppens, Dan Hardy, Jeff Sonke and Matt Brown all found the back of the net as well.

Serving as the defensive coach during the first two periods of action, Brown then came out of the intermission dressed in his No. 16 Outlaws jersey, providing fresh legs and a another scoring option.

The Pioneers will enter the Carrier Dome on Friday, Feb. 19 to face an Orange team that posted a 16-2 overall record last season and a dramatic 10-9 come-from-behind win in overtime against Cornell at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass., to capture the program's 11th National Championship.

Photos: Tim Head