THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE
• Denver winger
Kenny Akamatsu fired home his fourth goal of the season from outside the penalty area to send the Pioneers to their fifth Summit League Tournament title in six years, defeating Omaha 1-0 in the Summit League Final.
• The trophy was the Pioneers 11th in six years in the Summit League.
• Denver earned the No. 15 seed and its third bye in four years in the NCAA Tournament draw on Monday.
• The Pioneers will make their eighth overall appearance in the tournament on Sunday, entering play at 4-6-1 all-time in the competition, including three wins en route to Denver's first College Cup appearance in 2016.
• Denver and Air Force will meet for the first time in an official match since the two were last Mountain Pacific Sports Federation foes in 2012. The Pioneers and Air Force have scrimmaged in both the fall and spring seasons the last few years.
• Air Force advanced to Sunday's second round with a 4-0 win over Central Arkansas.
• The winner of the NCAA Second Round match will take on the winner of No. 2 Indiana and Connecticut in the NCAA Round of 16 either Saturday or Sunday.
HEAD COACH JAMIE FRANKS
• Former DU assistant and Wake Forest alum
Jamie Franks took over the reins, officially inking his name as Denver's 10th head coach, on Aug. 29, 2015.
• Franks is 61-11-10 as a head coach through his first 3+ seasons with the Pioneers.
• The Pioneers are 96-28-18 since Franks' arrival as an assistant coach prior to the start of the 2012 season.
• Combined as a college player and coach, Franks is 195-55-35, reaching five College Cups and winning a National Championship with the Deacs (07).
• According to information submitted to the NCAA in 2015, Franks was the youngest DI head coach (29) three seasons ago and was the second youngest in 2016.
GET ON THE BOARD FIRST
• The Pioneers were 11-1-1 in 2014, 14-0-1 in 2015, 18-0-0 in 2016, 10-1-1 in 2017 and are 13-0-1 in 2018 when scoring the first goal.
• Since Franks' arrival in 2012, the Pioneers are 87-3-8 when scoring the first goal.
• Denver lost 2-1 in extra time at Gonzaga on Sept. 30, 2017, Denver's first setback from a winning position since the 2014 campaign (October 6, 2014 - at Bradley).
• DU hasn't lost at home after scoring the first goal since a 2-1 loss to UMKC on Oct. 10, 2009.
• Denver trailed 2-1 against No. 3 Washington after scoring the opening goal, before coming from behind to win the match 3-2 in Denver.
• The Pioneers have outscored opponents 13-3 in the opening half hour of matches this season.
LEAGUE TITLES
• With the Pioneers regular season win over Oral Roberts on November 3, Denver clinched at least a share of its sixth-straight Summit League regular season title. Since joining the league in 2013, Denver has gone 28-2-4 in the conference regular season, including 19-0-3 in the regular season since Franks took over.
• The 2017 regular season title was Denver's eighth since 2008 (won the MPSF in both 2008 and 2010).
• Denver is 11-0-1 all-time in the Summit League Tournament, winning four league championships before falling in penalties in 2017 at Omaha. The Pioneers then won the 2018 Summit League Tournament in Denver this November.
OH CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN
• Shinyashiki has made 82 appearances in the last 3+ seasons for Franks' Pioneers, netting 51 goals and adding 15 assists for 117 career points. Of his 51 goals, 19 have been game-winners, including five game-winning tallies in the Pioneers College Cup run in 2016 and 11 this season.
• Shinyashiki broke Denver's Division I goals record on Sept. 3 at SMU, a match after cracking the points and game-winners record with the game-winner against No. 3 Washington.
• DeVoss has played and started in 82 matches at centerback in the last 3+ seasons for the Crimson and Gold. He's scored six goals off set-pieces, including two game-winners, and added an assist to his scoresheet, while leading one of the best defenses in the country during his career in the center of the park.
• On October 20 vs. Western Illinois, DeVoss set the new Denver Division I record for career starts with his 77th, passing former Pioneer Nat Borchers who earned 444 professional CAPS from 2003-16.
ANDRE HITS THE CENTURY MARK
• With his 13th career multi-goal game in Denver's win against Purdue Fort Wayne on October 5, senior captain
Andre Shinyashiki reached the century mark in points with goals 43 and 44 of his career.
• Shinyashiki completed the first hat trick of his career inside the opening 26 minutes of Denver's season-opening win against Monmouth on Aug. 24.
• The hat trick was the fastest in Denver's NCAA DI history, and the Pioneers first hat trick since Zach Bolden scored three times in the 2013 Summit League Semifinal against IUPUI.
• Shinyashiki also added an assist to his hat trick on opening night to tie Denver's single-game record at that point with seven points in a match.
• The 9:04 between the first and third goals on opening night for Shinyashiki was the 15th-fastest three-consecutive goals by the same player in NCAA DI history.
• Shinyashiki scored multiple goals in three season openers in his career, scoring twice in both the 2015 opener against Bakersfield and the 2017 opener against Florida Gulf Coast.
• Shinyashiki waited just four matches for his second career hat trick, scoring three times against North Florida on September 9.
• Andre made it three hat tricks in seven matches, scoring all three goals in Denver's win over No. 22 San Francisco on Sept. 16. The Denver senior's fourth hat trick of the season came in the Summit League opener at Omaha on Sept. 23.
• Shinyashiki became the program's first Division I Pioneer to score four times in a match in the win at Omaha on Sept. 23. The first three goals came 3:51 apart, the eighth fastest three-consecutive goals by the same player in NCAA Division I history.
• Shinyashiki has 28 goals to currently lead the Golden Boot race in the NCAA by eight. The Denver captain scored each of the Pioneers last 10 goals in September. Shinyashiki also has 11 game-winning goals in Denver's 15 wins to lead the country in that category by four, and has scored in 13 of the Pioneers 20 matches this season.
• Shinyashiki was named a Senior CLASS Award Finalist on October 17th, one of 10 men's soccer student-athletes remaining for the prestigious award.
• Shinyashiki netted his fifth hat trick on Nov. 3 against Oral Roberts.
• Shinyashiki's goal total this season has exceeded Denver's previous career goals record (27).
• Shinyashiki's next goal would move the Pioneer senior into a tie for 15th for most goals in a season in NCAA history.
• The last player to score at least 29 goals in an NCAA DI season was Wojtek Krakowiak (Clemson) in 1998.
DEFENSIVE FORM
• The Pioneers allowed just one total shot in Denver's 4-0 win over Monmouth in the season opener on August 24. The single shot was a first-half header that drifted wide. Denver also didn't allow a shot on goal on Oct. 20 vs. Western Illinois.
• DU held its opponent to one shot or less vs. Monmouth for the first time since October 2, 2016 in a match against Eastern Illinois.
• The Pioneers held [-/RV] Saint Louis without a single shot in September of 2016.
• Denver allowed two shots on goal or less in eight matches in 2017, and have already done so in nine matches in 2018.
• DU allowed just nine shots on goal combined in the 2017 Summit League regular season.
• Denver held Omaha without a shot on goal in the Summit League Final, giving up just one shot on goal in the entire tournament.
• In 2017, Denver allowed just 54 shots on goal, for an average of 2.84/game.
• The 2018 Pioneers have allowed 60 shots on goal, an average of 3.0/game.
UNIVERSITY OF DENVER SOCCER STADIUM
• 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, 2016 and 2018 Summit League Men's Championship.
• DU Soccer Stadium has also hosted the 2012 NCAA Women's Soccer First Round, the 2015, 2016 and 2018 NCAA Men's Soccer Second Round and the 2016 NCAA Round of 16.
• Denver's men's program is 65-5-5 at home since
Jamie Franks joined the staff as an assistant in 2012 and 75-16-11 since the stadium opened.
GET IT EARLY OR LEAVE IT LATE • The Pioneers scored 78 seconds into their 4-0 win against North Florida on September 9, the fastest goal Denver has scored to start a game in their Division I history.
• Denver got an own goal off a
Moshe Perez free kick in the sixth minute and eventually won the match on an
Andre Shinyashiki strike from the top of the box in the 103rd minute to knock off No. 3 Washington (8/30) for the Pioneers first extra time win in 2018.
• Shinyashiki scored the equalizer vs. Omaha on October 28, 2017 with 16 seconds remaining in the 90th minute, a match the Pioneers eventually won on a
Graham Smith 93rd minute penalty. The leveler was Denver's latest equalizer/game-winner in its Division I history.
• Shinyashiki scored the game-winner in the 2016 Summit League Final vs. Omaha with 41 seconds left in regulation on Nov. 12, Denver's third goal in the 85th minute or later that season.
•
Graham Smith's 89th minute equalizer at Monmouth (8/26/16) in 2016 was Denver's latest equalizer/game-winner at the time 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, 2016 vs. North Florida to break a nil-nil deadlock and send Denver to its seventh-straight win.
•
Andre Shinyashiki's goal with eight seconds left in the second period of extra time against New Mexico (10/19/16) is Denver's latest goal on record in its Division I history.
• Shinyashiki scored with 94 seconds left in the second period of extra time to lift the Pioneers over Tulsa on Sept. 24.
• Freshman
Stefan DeLeone opened and ended the scoring in the 105th minute to send the Pioneers past eight-ranked Creighton in Omaha.
DENVER ATHLETICS SUCCESS • Denver Athletics has claimed the I-AAA Directors' Cup in 10 of the last 11 seasons, for the top finish in the Directors' Cup standings amongst schools without football.
• The Pioneers have claimed 33 National Championships in their history (Skiing 24, Hockey 8, Men's Lacrosse 1).
• Men's soccer's College Cup berth in 2016 is one of the athletic department's 21 National Semifinal appearances, including eight since 2011.
• Denver's 35th place overall Directors' Cup finish in 2016-17 is the department's best in its history.
SEVEN-STRAIGHT 10-WIN SEASONS
• The Pioneers have recorded double-digit wins in each of the seven seasons since Franks' arrival as an assistant, averaging 13.5 a season from 2012-17, and posting 10 wins already in 2018. The Pioneers reached double digits in 2018 with their win over Purdue Fort Wayne on October 5.
• Denver last recorded 5+-consecutive double digit win seasons from 1986-1990, producing a five-season record of 78-15-8 in that span. Prior to the current stretch, Denver had never completed six-straight seasons in double-digits. From 2012-17, Denver went 80-25-16.
DENVER'S UNBEATEN STRETCHES
• Furman knocked off fourth-ranked Denver on Sept. 1, 2017, to snap Denver's 37-match regular season unbeaten streak that dated back to Halloween Night, 2014.
• The setback was the first in the regular season in the head coaching career of
Jamie Franks.
• In 2015-2016, DU became the first program to go unbeaten in consecutive regular seasons since Clemson did so in 1977-78.
• 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.
• DU was 20-0-3 before falling to No. 2 Wake Forest in the 2016 National Semifinals.
• Following Maryland's loss in the 2016 NCAA Second Round, the Pioneers were the last unbeaten team in the NCAA for the second-consecutive season.
• The Pioneers hadn't lost at home in regulation in their last 48 matches at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium, prior to losing to Saint Mary's on Sept. 17. Prior to that, Denver last lost in regulation to No. 21 Charlotte in the 2013 season opener.
• Denver started the 2018 season on a 12-match unbeaten run.
WORK IN THE CLASSROOM
• The Denver men's soccer program topped the grade point average rankings according to the United Soccer Coaches' Association for the third-consecutive year in 2017-18. Denver finished with a 3.619 grade point average in 2016-17 and a 3.628 grade point average in 2017-18 to finish with the highest Division I GPA among the 205 NCAA men's soccer programs in the top division of college athletics.
• In 2015-16, the Pioneers turned in a 3.49 grade point average.
• The Pioneers roster is made up of individual players from six other states.
• The Pioneers played nine teams that appeared in the 2018 United Soccer Coaches' Preseason Poll.
at No. 4 Akron (Exhibition/Aug. 11) - W, 1-0
vs. No. 24 Washington (Aug. 30/7 p.m.) - W, 3-2 (a.e.t.)
at No. 8 SMU (Sept. 3/6 p.m.) - W, 1-0
vs. No. 25 Colgate (Sept. 7/7 p.m.) - T, 1-1
vs. [RV] San Francisco (Sept. 16/1 p.m.) - W, 3-0
at [RV] Creighton (Oct. 2/6 p.m.) - W, 1-0 (a.e.t.)
at No. 15 Virginia (Oct. 8/4 p.m.) - L, 3-0
at [RV] Maryland (Oct. 16/5 p.m) - L, 1-0
at No. 1 Stanford (Oct. 26/8 p.m.) - L, 1-0 (a.e.t.)
• The Pioneers played six teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2018, earning results against Colgate (1-1), SMU (1-0) and Washington (3-2).
SUMMIT LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL
• Denver was picked to win its sixth-straight Summit League Regular Season title in a vote of the league's head coaches in August.
• Denver is the preseason favorite in the Summit League for the fifth-straight season.
2018 Summit League Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll
Points (1st) 2017 Record (Summit Record)
1. Denver 24 (4) 11-6-2 (5-0, 15 pts.)
2. Omaha 22 (2) 10-6-3 (2-1-2, 8 pts.)
3. Western Illinois 17 5-10-1 (3-2, 9 pts.)
4. Eastern Illinois 11 4-9-6 (2-2-1, 7 pts.)
5. Oral Roberts 9 4-11-1 (1-4, 3 pts.)
6. Purdue Fort Wayne 7 5-9-4 (0-4-1, 1 pts.)
SENIOR LEADERSHIP
• This year's senior class helped lead the program to its first College Cup in program history in 2016, back-to-back undefeated regular seasons (2015-16), the first program to do that since 1977-78 (Clemson), a 37-match unbeaten streak, three NCAA Tournament appearances, four Summit League regular season titles, three Summit League Tournament titles.
• The senior class enters the match fourth in the country in wins with 61 (61-11-10). Denver has claimed 78.5-percent of its possible points since the start of the 2015 season, the second-highest rate in the country.
DENVER'S GOALIES AGAINST SPOT KICKS
•
Nick Gardner has saved two of nine penalty kicks against him in his career, including saving an extra time spot kick in Denver's 1-1 draw with Colgate on September 7.
• Gardner's other save came in the 2016 campaign.
•
Will Palmquist saved two of 11 penalty kicks against him in the shootout during the 2017 Summit League Final against Omaha.
NUMBER 1 IN THE COUNTRY • Less than a week after winning the top grade point average in the country for the third-consecutive year, Denver stood all alone atop the Top Drawer Soccer Top 25 on October 8, the program's first No. 1 ranking in a national poll.
• Prior to October 8, 2018, Denver's previous high was third in the country in all four major polls.
• Denver received votes in the United Soccer Coaches Poll on October 9th, but were ranked third in the poll.
2018 HONORS AND AWARDS
Sept. 4, 2018 -
Moshe Perez - TDS National Team of the Week
Sept. 10, 2018 -
Scott DeVoss - Summit League Defensive Player of the Week
October 9, 2018 -
Scott DeVoss - TDS National Team of the Week
October 12, 2018 -
Callum Stretch - #2 - TDS Midseason Freshman Top-100
October 12, 2018 -
Gideon Davis - #62 - TDS Midseason Freshman Top-100
October 12, 2018 -
Stefan DeLeone - #85- TDS Midseason Freshman Top-100
October 29, 2018 -
Will Palmquist - Summit League Defensive Player of the Week
November 7, 2018 -
Scott DeVoss - Summit League Defensive Player of the Year
November 7, 2018 -
Will Palmquist - Summit League Goalkeeper of the Year
November 7, 2018 -
Callum Stretch - Summit League Newcomer of the Year
November 7, 2018 -
Jamie Franks - Summit League Coach of the Year
November 8, 2018 -
Destan Norman - CoSIDA Academic All-District VII
November 10, 2018 -
Scott DeVoss - Summit League Tournament MVP
November 10, 2018 -
Jacob Stensson - Summit League All-Tournament Team
November 10, 2018 -
Kenny Akamatsu - Summit League All-Tournament Team
November 10, 2018 -
Moshe Perez - Summit League All-Tournament Team
