After notching back-to-back victories against ranked opponents last week, the No. 14 Georgetown men’s lacrosse team (6-3, 1-0 Big East) is looking for a third consecutive upset when it takes the road this weekend to face off against No. 5 Denver (6-2).

Georgetown upset then-No. 14 Loyola Maryland (5-4, 3-1 Patriot League) on Wednesday and began conference play against then-No. 9 Marquette (7-1, 0-1 Big East) on Saturday. The Hoyas ended Marquette’s seven-game winning streak, handing the Golden Eagles their first loss of the season.

Georgetown’s efforts against Loyola and Marquette helped it break into the top 20 on Monday, a feat that the team sees as an additional sign of progress more than anything else.

“I don’t think the ranking really means that much to us,” senior midfielder Anthony Heaton said. “We just think that other people are starting to notice the work that we’ve been putting in since September.”

The Marquette game ended a stretch of matches in which Georgetown played seven games in just 21 days and went 6-1. This is the first time that Georgetown has had a full week to prepare between games since late February, and the Hoyas are welcoming the opportunity to regroup before flying out to Denver on Saturday.

Though Denver is a formidable opponent, Georgetown’s priority is to get healthy and be well-rested before delving into game strategies.

“Playing seven games in 21 days has been a little tough on some of the guys, especially some of the more physical positions,” Head Coach Kevin Warne said. “[We want to] get back to corpast three weeks. It gives us a chance to take a step back and get better as a team. And then, we’ll start moving on to Denver later on in the week.”

Denver will take the field Saturday for its first conference game of 2015. From the moment it entered the Big East last season, Denver established itself as the team to beat. The Pioneers swept the Big East in 2014 with a perfect 6-0 conference record, claiming the Big East Championship in the process. Denver went on to advance to the NCAA tournament before falling in the semifinals to No. 1 Duke, the eventual national champion.

Denver boasts several prolific offensive players that have established the program as a powerhouse in both the Big East and the national polls. Last season, then-freshman attack Zach Miller recorded 57 points for the Pioneers and posted a .712 shot-on-goal percentage. As a sophomore this season, Miller continues to generate much of the Pioneer offense; he has 11 goals and 16 assists so far in 2015.

Senior attack Wesley Berg returns as another key contributor. Berg led the Pioneers last season with 48 goals and 20 assists for 68 points. In the 2014 Denver-Georgetown matchup, which Denver won 17-9, scored six goals, tying his career record.

Though Denver returns with most of its experienced contributors, a new addition to its roster gives it an even greater edge. Maryland transfer student and sophomore attack Connor Cannizzaro, younger brother of Pioneers’ senior midfielder Sean Cannizzaro, has already established himself as a pillar of the Pioneer offense. He currently leads the team this season in goals and points with 23 and 36, respectively.

Despite Denver’s ongoing success and the challenges it will present to Georgetown in the very near future, the Hoyas’ focus remains on the present.

“Based on last year when Denver came into the conference, they are the top dog, and they’ll be the top dog until someone knocks them off,” Warne said. “They’re very good, and there’s a reason why they have a high ranking. But at the end of the day, if we’re going to be successful on Saturday, we’ve got to make sure that Georgetown is in a good place and make sure that we understand our game plan and not focus so much on Denver, but focus on the things that have made us successful.”

Heaton agrees that the team’s primary concern is always the task at hand.

“I think it’s our biggest game because it’s our next one,” Heaton said.

Opening faceoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium in Denver, Colo.