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University of Denver Athletics

Summit League Champs

Women's Soccer Niko Blankenship

Denver Set to Take on [RV/24] Arizona in NCAA First Round

Pioneers set for third-straight NCAA First Round match against a Pac-12 school Friday at 7 p.m. MT

PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE         
• Denver outscored opponents 7-0 to extend its consecutive shutouts streak to five, capping the 2018 Summit League Tournament with a 4-0 victory over Omaha on Saturday afternoon in Brookings. 
• Summit League Tournament MVP Hannah Adler scored the game-winner in the Summit League Final, while freshman Camryn MacMillan added her second-career multi-goal game. 
• Three freshmen scored Denver's goals in the Pioneers 3-0 victory over No. 3 seed North Dakota State in the Summit League Semifinals. Natalie Beckman, Samantha Feller and MacMillan all three scored in their first postseason matches. 
• Denver drew a trip to Arizona for its 11th NCAA Tournament appearance, and its second in as many years. The match will kickoff at 7 p.m. MT on Friday, November 9th. Denver is 1-2 all-time against the Wildcats.
• The winner of Friday's first round match will take on the winner of No. 3 seed Tennessee and Louisville on Friday, November 16 at a campus site to be determined. 

HEAD COACH JEFF HOOKER        
• Denver's Jeff Hooker is in his 27th season in charge of the women's program. 
• Hooker recorded his 350th career women's win in the Pioneers Summit League Semifinal victory over North Dakota State on November 1. 
• Hooker coached both the men's and the women's programs during the 1996 and 1997 seasons, making this officially his 29th season as a head coach at DU.
• DU's head man enters this match with a 351-149-46 women's record, and a career record of 371-161-50.
• The 10-time conference coach of the year has been a part of each of Denver's 11 NCAA Tournament Division I appearances. 
• In league play in his career, Hooker is 171-38-13, including 166-34-13 with the women's program. 
• In the overall NCAA record books heading into this season, Hooker is the 16th winningest head coach by victories (338).

LEAGUE TITLES                
• With the victory against Oral Roberts on Oct. 27, 2018, Denver claimed a share of its ninth NCAA Division I regular season league title, and its third in the Summit League (2013 and 2016)...The Pioneers won the regular season in their only year in the WAC (2012) and won five regular season titles in the Sun Belt (2002, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2010).
• The Pioneers won their 10th league tournament title in their Division I history last weekend (Summit: 2013, 2017, 2018)...Denver won seven Sun Belt Conference Tournament Titles (2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009).

REACH THE SUMMIT
• Denver is 33-12-1 in Summit League regular season play since joining the league in 2013.
• The Pioneers are 7-0-2 (2 losses in pks) all-time in Summit League Tournament play. 
• DU is 18-5-0 in Summit League regular season home games. 

DEFENSIVE FORM                   
• Denver has not allowed a goal in the last 483 minutes and 3 seconds, outscoring opponents 14-0 in that span.
• Denver's defense allowed just 27 shots on goal in eight league contests, the best defensive record in the league this season. 
• Overall, Denver's defense has allowed 4.35 shots on goal per game in all matches, which leads the Summit League. 
• An All-Colorado Storm centerback pairing of Cheyenne Shorts and Taylor Parker have played 19 of the 20 matches together.

UNDERCLASSMEN CONTRIBUTIONS                                              
• 21 of Denver's goals this year have come from freshmen, including nine from Samantha Feller
• 27 of Denver's 38 goals in 2018 have come from underclassmen with Meg Halvorson's six goals. 

THE TWO Cs            
• 17 student-athletes from Denver's 2018 roster come from either Colorado or California, including 14 that opted to stay in their home state for their college careers. 
• Colorado and California are the only two states that more than two student-athletes call home.
• Of the two major club programs in the state of Colorado, Denver has seven players from the Colorado Storm and four from Real Colorado. 

COMEBACK KIDS      
• Denver's two-goal comeback on Oct. 4 at North Dakota State was its first since defeating Maryland 3-2 at Stanford in the 2012 NCAA Second Round en route to the program's first Round of 16 berth in program history.

CAREER MARKS         
• With a season still left in her collegiate career, junior captain and goalkeeper Brittany Wilson is fifth in Denver's Division I history in career saves with 189.
• Jen Simmons (1995-96) is fourth on the list with 207. 
• Lara Campbell, who led Denver to the program's first Round of 16 in program history in her senior year in 2012 is third on the list with 283. 
• Erica Izard holds the Denver record with 336. 

GET ON THE BOARD FIRST       
• Since the start of the 2006 season, Denver is 166-14-7 when scoring the first goal.
• Five of the 14 losses came in the 2017 campaign, including at Colorado in the 2017 NCAA Tournament. 
• Since the start of the 2002 season, Denver has outscored opponents 212-83 in the opening half hour of matches, including 11-3 this season.

DEWALT TO RETURN IN 2019             
• Senior outside back Mary DeWalt was selected as a captain with junior goalkeeper Brittany Wilson to begin the season for Jeff Hooker's side for the second-straight year. DeWalt has earned 55 CAPS for the Crimson and Gold, making 46 starts. DeWalt has nine career points on a goal and seven assists. DeWalt will return for her redshirt-senior season in 2019 after missing the entire 2018 campaign with a lower body injury. 
• Junior centerback Cheyenne Shorts was picked as the second on-field captain in her place.

2018 SUMMIT LEAGUE AWARDS             
Samantha Feller was named the Summit League Freshman of the Year, while head coach Jeff Hooker earned his 10th conference coach of the year honor.
• Denver had a league-high four players on the first team: Feller, Hannah Adler, Meg Halvorson, Cheyenne Shorts
• The Pioneers tied for a league-high on the second team: Brittany Wilson, Taylor Parker, Brittney Lewis, Natalie Beckman.
• Denver had a league-high three players on the All-Newcomer Team: Feller, Hannah Hiatt, Esther Malers.
• The Pioneers had four players named to the 2018 Summit League All-Tournament Team: Adler, Feller, Shorts and freshman Camryn MacMillan
• Adler was named the 2018 Summit League Tournament MVP.

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 Soccer Tournament, 2014 Summit League Men's and Women's Championships and 2015 and 2016 Summit League men's tourn.
• DU Soccer Stadium has also hosted the 2012 and 2013 NCAA Women's Soccer First Round and the 2015 and 2016 NCAA Men's Soccer Second Round.
• Denver's women's program is 66-17-6 since the stadium opened. 

LEAGUE TOURNAMENT HISTORY                   
• Denver is 33-5-4 all-time in league tournaments, including 7-0-2 in the Summit League.
• The Pioneers have lost three of four penalty kick shootouts all-time, including two in the Summit League, with the one victory coming against FIU in the 2001 SBC Semifinals.
• Denver is 12-3-2 all-time in league semifinals and 10-1-2 in finals. 
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Players Mentioned

Hannah Adler

#19 Hannah Adler

Midfielder
5' 5"
Junior
Real So Cal
Natalie Beckman

#12 Natalie Beckman

Forward
5' 2"
Freshman
Colorado Storm
Mary DeWalt

#13 Mary DeWalt

Defender
5' 7"
Senior
FC Wisconsin Eclipse
Sami Feller

#18 Sami Feller

Forward
5' 10"
Freshman
Fire FC
Meg Halvorson

#21 Meg Halvorson

Midfielder
5' 3"
Sophomore
Colorado Storm
Hannah Hiatt

#8 Hannah Hiatt

Midfielder
5' 10"
Freshman
Real Colorado
Brittney Lewis

#2 Brittney Lewis

Midfielder
5' 5"
Sophomore
Colorado Storm
Camryn MacMillan

#9 Camryn MacMillan

Forward
5' 9"
Freshman
Colorado Storm
Esther Malers

#4 Esther Malers

Defender
5' 9"
Freshman
Arsenal Colorado
Taylor Parker

#10 Taylor Parker

Defender
5' 4"
Sophomore
Colorado Storm

Players Mentioned

Hannah Adler

#19 Hannah Adler

5' 5"
Junior
Real So Cal
Midfielder
Natalie Beckman

#12 Natalie Beckman

5' 2"
Freshman
Colorado Storm
Forward
Mary DeWalt

#13 Mary DeWalt

5' 7"
Senior
FC Wisconsin Eclipse
Defender
Sami Feller

#18 Sami Feller

5' 10"
Freshman
Fire FC
Forward
Meg Halvorson

#21 Meg Halvorson

5' 3"
Sophomore
Colorado Storm
Midfielder
Hannah Hiatt

#8 Hannah Hiatt

5' 10"
Freshman
Real Colorado
Midfielder
Brittney Lewis

#2 Brittney Lewis

5' 5"
Sophomore
Colorado Storm
Midfielder
Camryn MacMillan

#9 Camryn MacMillan

5' 9"
Freshman
Colorado Storm
Forward
Esther Malers

#4 Esther Malers

5' 9"
Freshman
Arsenal Colorado
Defender
Taylor Parker

#10 Taylor Parker

5' 4"
Sophomore
Colorado Storm
Defender