The No. 15 University of Denver women's lacrosse team defeated Villanova 15-5 on a rainy Thursday afternoon to advance to the BIG EAST Tournament Championship, set for 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 2. The Pioneers remain undefeated against BIG EAST opponents and improved their record to 14-2 on the year. Quintin Hoch-Bullen, the BIG EAST Attacker of the Year, and Bea Behrins led the Pioneers to victory with four goals apiece. "I thought we did a nice job today of really making [Villanova] play defense, and pushing them outside their comfort zone," said head coach Liza Kelly. "By no means did we play perfectly, and there were some mistakes that we'll watch film to make sure that we correct for Saturday, but I'm still very happy with the outcome of today's game." Pioneer Performers: Alongside Hoch-Bullen and Bea Behrins' four goals, Julia Feiss posted three and Elizabeth Behrins, Kendra Lanuza, Hannah Liddy and Eliza Radochonski all tallied one to boost the Pioneers past the Wildcats. Defense was a team effort for the Crimson and Gold, with 12 athletes posting one or more ground ball and six causing at least one turnover. Elizabeth Behrins and Liddy led the Pioneers with four ground balls each while Bea Behrins led the team with three caused turnovers. Carson Gregg spent all 60 minutes in net and totaled four saves for Denver, improving to a winning record of 12-1 this season. By The Numbers: The Pioneers totaled 31 shots, 24 ground balls, nine draw controls, nine caused turnovers and went 2-7 on the free position opportunities. Villanova posted 18 shots, 25 ground balls, 13 draws, nine caused turnovers and went 0-1 on FPS. The Wildcat goalie, Alexa Moro, spent 56 minutes in net and totaled 12 saves. Hoch-Bullen Shows Consistent Success: Hoch-Bullen posted her 10th hat trick of the season against the Wildcats, scoring four goals against Villanova and 11 in her last three games. The Ontario native leads the team with 49 goals and 90 shots on the year, she needs only three more goals to rank No. 9 in the Denver individual season record book. Career Milestone for Milburn: Senior Kennedy Milburn posted her 100th career ground ball against the Wildcats, a feat accomplished over five seasons and 71 games. BIG EAST Championship History: The Pioneers advance to the BIG EAST Tournament Championship for the third-consecutive season, every single year since joining the conference in 2017. Their first year as a member of the league, the Pioneers defeated Georgetown in the semifinal game (9-8) but fell to Florida in the championship (18-12). As history repeated itself, Denver defeated Georgetown 12-7 in 2018, but lost to Florida 18-6 in the finals. This season the Crimson and Gold have the opportunity to win their first ever BIG EAST Tournament Championship, and will play the winner of Marquette/Georgetown. Timeline: Looking for redemption from last week's loss against the Pioneers, Villanova posted the first goal of the day just two minutes into the contest. The goal kicked off a frenzy of scoring from both sides, resulting in Denver up 4-2 with 14:50 remaining in the game. Lanuza slid a beautiful back pass to the bottom of the net to increase the Crimson and Gold's lead, while Hoch-Bullen, Feiss and Bea Behrins posted the final three of the half. Denver ended the first 30 minutes leading 7-3, the same margin at halftime when they played the Wildcats on April 26, going on to win the game 14-8. The Pioneers went on a four-goal scoring run to open the second half, two of the first three coming from Hoch-Bullen. Villanova knocked in its first of the second half with 12:07 left in the game. Bea Behrins responded less than a minute later, scoring her second of the day and boosting the Pioneers to a 12-4 lead. Bea Behrins went on to score two more, alongside one more from Feiss, while the Wildcats tallied their last goal of the game. Win the victory, Denver improved to 4-0 all-time against Villanova. What's Next: The Pioneers will play in the BIG EAST Tournament Championship game for the third-consecutive year, facing the winner of the Marquette/Georgetown semifinal match. The game is set for 12:30 p.m. MT on Saturday, May 4. and will be streamed by the BIG EAST Network. PIONEER MOVEMENT: Fans interested in making a donation to the women's lacrosse program can do so by clicking here. Your contribution will make a direct impact on the success of YOUR Pioneers. Thank you in advance for your unwavering support of our student-athletes and their quest for excellence.