FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Junior
Preston Judd (Henderson, Nev.) scored twice inside the opening 21 minutes to pace the University of Denver men's soccer team past Purdue Fort Wayne 3-1 on Saturday night at Hefner Soccer Complex.
"I'm really proud of my group and how we came out and played today," head coach
Jamie Franks said. "When we are proactive, play with a sense of urgency and are focused on playing the next play as a collective, we're a very good team. We have a bunch of guys trending up and playing at a high level right now. For all the adversity, travel and high-level of competition we've faced this year, it has led us to a Summit League Tournament at home where we are 67-8-6. It's a brand new season of knockout football now. We have to focus on a Thursday game at home and see if we can play again on Saturday."
Judd's multi-goal match was the fourth of his collegiate career and his first as a Pioneer, while sophomore centerback
Callum Stretch (Los Angeles, Calif.) scored his first collegiate goal to help secure a vital three-points for the Pioneers.
The Crimson and Gold earned the third seed in next week's Summit League Tournament with the win, and will play in the 4 p.m. MT semifinal against Oral Roberts.
DU controlled play throughout the 90 minutes, outshooting Purdue Fort Wayne 34-9, including 20-5 on goal. The Pioneers also took eight of the 10 corner kicks in the 90 minutes.
Denver opened the scoring in the ninth minute on a strike from over 30 yards from Judd, knocking the ball into an open net after getting the first touch to the ball in a battle with Purdue Fort Wayne's centerback. After touching the ball by his defender, Judd looked up and saw the goalkeeper well out of his net before accurately passing the ball inside the far post to give Denver the lead.
Purdue Fort Wayne equalized in the 15
th minute from the penalty spot as Nemanja Gvozdic put his spot kick into the back of the net to level the score at 1-1.
Stretch quickly put the Pioneers back in-front in the 20
th minute, blasting a right-footed strike from outside of 30 yards into the upper-90 to restore Denver's one-goal advantage.
Judd's second doubled Denver's advantage at 3-1 in the 21
st minute, a curled effort from outside the box that was assisted by freshman
Aidan O'Toole (The Hills, Texas) and sophomore winger
Stefan DeLeone (Fort Collins, Colo.). O'Toole's assist marked the first point of his collegiate career, while DeLeone earned his first helper of the campaign and the fourth of his two-year Pioneer career.
Denver's second and third goal came just 1:42 apart, the 15th fastest consecutive goals in Denver's Division I history. The WAC's leader in goals a year ago, Judd, now has six goals in the 2019 campaign and 28 for his career.
UP NEXT:
The Pioneers will host the 2019 Summit League Men's Soccer Championship, presented by U.S. Air Force Special Warfare. Third-seeded Denver will play in the second semifinal, scheduled to kickoff at 4 p.m. MT, against Oral Roberts. Tickets are on
sale here.
SHOP PIONEERS:
Get dressed for Game Day! Get your Pioneers gear at
ShopPioneers.com, the official online store of University of Denver Athletics.
SEASON TICKET RENEWALS:
Renewals for 2020 men's and women's soccer season tickets are on sale. Current season ticket holders can call the box office at 303-871-4625 starting on Friday to renew their season tickets.
OUTSIDE FOOD/DRINK/PETS:
The University of Denver does not allow fans to bring outside food, drink or pets (with the exception of Bark in the Park Days) to the University of Denver Soccer Stadium.
Fans interested in making a donation to the men's soccer program can do so by clicking here. Your contribution will make a direct impact on the success of YOUR Pioneers. Thank you in advance for your unwavering support of our student-athletes and their quest for excellence.
- Our Journey, Our Time –
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