DENVER, Colo. – Led by two goals from senior midfielder Joey Murray, the 16th-ranked University of Denver (3-1) jumped out to a 4-0 lead and never looked back, handing the Tigers (1-2) a 9-4 non-conference loss in the final game of the ninth annual Harrow Sports Face-Off Classic at Barton Lacrosse Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Murray was one of eight Denver players to score a goal as the Pioneers won their third straight game after a season-opening loss at North Carolina.

“Our offense didn’t execute today and our shot selection was very poor,” Towson Coach Tony Seaman said. “We had as many shots as they did today, but our selection was not good at times. There were shots we should have finished and didn’t.”

Murray gave the Pioneers a 1-0 lead with 3:57 remaining in the first quarter on an unassisted marker past junior goalkeeper Rob Wheeler. After he scored his second goal to give Denver a 2-0 edge, the Pioneers added two more goals to take a 4-0 lead.

Senior attackman Randall Cooper ended a nearly 30-minute scoring drought with his first goal of the season by converting a feed from senior Justin Schneider with 19 seconds remaining in the first half.

Just 14 seconds into the third quarter, the Tigers narrowed the deficit to 4-2 when sophomore midfielder Peter Mezzanotte scored the first goal of his college career, an unassisted marker past goalkeeper Peter Lowell.

After Todd Baxter scored to give Denver a 5-2 advantage with 13:20 remaining in the third period, senior attackman Bill McCutcheon scored an unassisted goal to cut the deficit to 5-3.

The Pioneers used goals from junior midfielders Charley Dickenson and John Dickenson to extend their advantage to 7-4 with 2:15 left in the third quarter.

Junior midfielder Will Harrington narrowed the Tigers’ deficit to 7-4 with 12:50 remaining in the fourth quarter off a Cooper feed, but the Pioneers followed with two goals for a 9-4 cushion they did not relinquish.

Cooper led the Tigers with one goal and one assist while four other Tigers scored a goal. Wheeler made seven saves in a losing effort as Towson outshot the Pioneers by a 35-31 margin.

McCutcheon and junior defenseman Joe Wascavage were named to the All-Tournament Team for the Tigers. The Tigers’ leading scorer with seven goals and four assists, McCutcheon scored six goals with two assists in the two games.

Lowell made 14 saves for the Pioneers while Charley Dickenson tallied one goal and two assists. Junior defenseman Dillon Roy was named as the Face-Off Classic MVP after leading a Denver defense which allowed just 12 goals in the two games.

The Tigers will return home on Saturday afternoon to host 11th-ranked Maryland at Johnny Unitasฎ Stadium in the first game of a doubleheader at 2 p.m.

Men’s College Lacrosse: #16 Denver 9, Towson 4

Towson (1-2)  0-1-2-1 / 4

Denver (3-1)  1-3-3-2 / 9

Goals: TOW – Randall Cooper 1, Will Harrington 1, Bill McCutcheon 1, Peter Mezzanotte 1; DEN – Joey Murray 2, Charley Dickenson 1, Cliff Smith 1, Alex Gajic 1, Todd Baxter 1, Alex Dempoulos 1, John Dickenson 1, Patrick Rogers 1. Assists: TOW – Randall Cooper 1, Justin Schneider 1; DEN – Charley Dickenson 2, Alex Gajic 1, Deke Jackson 1, Mark Matthews 1, Cliff Smith 1. Saves: TOW – Rob Wheeler 7 (60:00, 9 goals allowed); DEN – Peter Lowell 14 (60:00, 4 goals allowed). Shots: TOW – 35; DEN – 31. Extra-Man Opportunities: TOW – 1 for 5; DEN – 1 for 2. Attendance: 1098.