Nov. 2, 2016 THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE • Denver earned at least a share of the 2016 Summit League regular season title with a 0-0 draw at Omaha on Oct. 29. The league title is Denver's fourth-straight in the Summit League.
• The Pioneers will wrap-up the 2016 regular season on Thursday when Denver welcomes Portland to CIBER Field.
• Denver will host the Summit League Men's Soccer Championship for the third-consecutive season beginning Thursday, November 10. The final is set for November 12 and the NCAA Selection Show will air on the 14th.
FOUR-YEAR CYCLE • Including 2016, Denver has a 53-12-11 record over the last four seasons.
• DU's 53 wins are good for fourth in the country in that span (thru 10/30).
• Maryland leads the country with 57 wins.
DENVER'S UNBEATEN STRETCHES • Denver is currently on a 34-match regular season unbeaten streak dating back to Halloween Night, 2014.
• The Pioneers went unbeaten through the first 18 matches in 2015 for the first time since 1989 when the Pioneers started 20 matches unbeaten (19-0-1)...2015 marked the first time the Pioneers finished a Division I regular season unbeaten.
DENVER IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS • The Pioneers are currently sixth in the NSCAA Poll...Earlier this season, Denver reached the No. 4 spot in the poll, the program's highest coaches' poll ranking in its history. Denver is also third in the College Soccer News Poll and was as high as third in the Top Drawer Soccer Poll, the Pioneers highest ranking in any poll in program history.
• Entering the season, Denver's previous high was seventh.
CIBER FIELD • CIBER Field at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium opened in 2009.
• The 2,000 seat stadium hosts both the men's and women's soccer programs, and sits above the 10,000 square-foot Pat Bowlen Strength and Conditioning Complex.
• The stadium has hosted the 2009 MPSF Men's Tournament, 2014 Summit League Men's and Women's Championships and 2015 Summit League Men's Championship.
• CIBER Field has also hosted the 2012 NCAA Women's Soccer First Round and 2015 NCAA Men's Soccer Second Round.
• Denver's men's program is 42-3-4 at home since
Jamie Franks joined the staff as an assistant in 2012 and 52-14-10 since CIBER Field opened.
BREAKING DOWN DENVER'S 2016 SCHEDULE • Denver claimed at least a share of its fourth straight Summit League title on Saturday afternoon at Omaha..IUPUI was the only Summit League team to take a point off the Pioneers in 2015 (1-1 draw).
• The Pioneers 12 match non-league slate includes nine teams that finished in the top-100 of the RPI a year ago, including three teams in the top-50...Each of the four opponents in Denver's season opening road trip were in the top-76.
• DU will played eight multiple-game weeks in 2016, compared to just five in 2015 (18 compared to 16 regular season matches).
A NEW ROAD FORM • Denver had nine away games on the docket in 2016, including the season-opening four-match road swing. Denver took 21 points from its away matches this season.
• The Pioneers earned 20 points from their eight matches away from CIBER Field in the 2015 campaign, including seven points against three opponents that were in the NSCAA poll at the time.
• Denver earned just one point away from home in the 2014 campaign (0-7-1) to go along with its 11-0-0 home record.
• DU inked 18 of its 30 possible points away from home in the 2013 campaign, going 5-2-3 in the side's first season in The Summit League.
GOAL SCORING FORM • Redshirt-junior
Blake Elder scored in four-straight games in Denver's first homestand, his first four goals with the Crimson and Gold after transferring from Air Force after the 2014 season...Elder is the first Denver player to score in four-consecutive matches in its Division I history. Elder was named to the College Soccer News and Top Drawer Soccer National Teams of the Week (9/19)...Elder's current goal scoring form has seen the junior score in seven of 13 matches.
• Junior centerback
Kortne Ford scored three goals in four matches off set pieces from 9/4 (UIC) to 9/15 (Saint Louis). Ford has headed corner kicks home from three different kick takers (Hanlin, Underwood and Akamatsu). Ford was named the NSCAA National Player of the Week on Sept. 20.
•
Sam Hamilton,
Andre Shinyashiki,
Reagan Dunk and
Karsten Hanlin have been setting up goals with seven assists, five, five and five, respectively in 2016.
DENVER'S DEFENSIVE SURGE • Denver has kept 11 cleansheets in the first 17, including 10 of 12.
• The Pioneers did not allow a shot in their 2-0 win over [-/RV] Saint Louis on Sept. 15, the first time the Pioneers have kept that defensive record in their Division I history.
• Denver has not allowed a shot on goal in five matches this season (IUPUI, Eastern Illinois, North Florida, Saint Louis and Oral Roberts), including a 267 minute and 27 second stint...DU gave up just one shot at Eastern Illinois on Oct. 2.
• Denver allowed three shots on goal in its entire four-game homestand in September, including zero shots on goal in the final two games...The Pioneers have allowed just 26 shots on goal in their first 10 matches (2.6 per game).
GET IT EARLY OR LEAVE IT LATE •
Graham Smith's 89th minute equalizer at Monmouth (8/26) was Denver's latest equalizer/game-winner in regulation since Alex Tarnoczi scored a 90th minute leveler (89:33) in Denver's 5-4 extra time win at UNLV on Oct. 16, 2011.
•
Blake Elder scored an 87th minute winner on Sept. 17 vs. North Florida to break a nil-nil deadlock and send Denver to its seventh-straight win.
• Underwood's breakthrough (1:38) at No. 25 Rutgers (8/28) was Denver's second-fastest goal since 2004, behind a
Scott DeVoss opener against Western Illinois in the 2015 Summit League Semifinals (1:20).
•
Andre Shinyashiki's goal with eight seconds in the second period of extra time against New Mexico (10/19) is Denver's latest goal on record in its Division I history.
FRANKS SET FOR SECOND SEASON IN CHARGE • Former DU assistant and Wake Forest alum
Jamie Franks took over the reins, offi- cially inking his name as Denver's 10th head coach on Aug. 29, 2015.
• The Pioneers are 64-18-14 since Franks' arrival as an assistant coach prior to the start of the 2012 season.
• Combined as a college player and coach, Franks is 162-45-31, reaching four college cups and winning a National Championship in that span.
• Franks picked up his 150th collegiate win as a player/assistant/head coach on August 30, doing so prior to his 30th birthday (Sept. 25).
• According to information submitted to the NCAA in 2015, Franks was the youngest DI head coach (29) a season ago and is now the second youngest head coach.
2015 SHUTOUT STREAK • Prior to conceding the goal vs. SMU in the 2015 NCAA Tournament, Denver had a shutout streak of 795:58 and kept seven-straight clean sheets in that span.
• The shutout streak was the longest in Denver's Division I history (since 1998).
• DU's longest match stretch without allowing a goal is eight, a feat the Pioneers accomplished in the 1988 campaign.
• Denver has kept 10 shutouts in its last 12 matches this season.
COLORADO PROUD • Denver has 11 players from the state of Colorado, including five that started games for Denver a year ago...DU's Colorado players have combined for 387 CAPS (8 players).
GET ON THE BOARD FIRST • The Pioneers were 11-1-1 in 2014 and 14-0-1 in 2015 and are 14-0-0 in 2016 when scoring the first goal.
• Since Franks' arrival in 2012, the Pioneers are 60-2-6 when scoring the first goal.
MLS ACADEMY TEAMMATES • Denver's 2015 roster has 10 players from five different MLS academies, including four from the local Colorado Rapids in
Kortne Ford,
Karsten Hanlin,
Eric Kronenberg and
Blake Moncur.
• The Pioneers also have three Seattle Sounders Academy products, and players from Chicago, Columbus and FC Dallas' academies.
FOUR SENIORS READY TO TAKE DENVER TO NEXT STEP • Denver has four senior midfielders on its 2016 roster: Captain
Sam Hamilton, and three fifth-year seniors in
Chandler Crosswait,
Karsten Hanlin and All-American
Reagan Dunk.
• The four players have combined for 290 CAPS, 24 goals, 52 assists (100 points).
FIVE-STRAIGHT 10-WIN SEASONS • The Pioneers have recorded double-digit wins in each of the five seasons since Franks' arrival as an assistant, averaging 12.5 a season from 2012-15. The Pioneers reached double digits in 2016 with their win Oct. 7 at IUPUI.
• Denver last recorded 5+-consecutive double digit win seasons from 1986-1990, producing a five-season record of 78-15-8 in that span. From 2012-16, Denver has gone 64-18-14.
• DU has tallied 10 wins in three-straight seasons five times since the program's inception in 1961.
PIONEERS FROM ALL OVER • DU's 2015 roster has student-athletes from nine different states, Brazil and Japan.
• Both of Denver's international players are entering their sophomore seasons in 2016 (Akamatsu and Shinyashiki).
• The Pioneers have 11 players on the roster from Colorado and five from the state of Texas.
