MACOMB, Ill. – Redshirt senior penalty-kick stopping specialist and Summit League Tournament MVP Kobe Gray (Parker, Colo.) made four saves in six rounds of Saturday's penalty kick shootout to take Denver to its seventh Summit League Tournament title with a 3-2 shootout win after a 1-1 draw on Saturday afternoon in the 2021 Summit League Final.
 
Quotable – Jack and Sheila Weinberg Head Men's Soccer Coach Jamie Franks:
"I'm really happy for the team. Finals are won in the margins, and I thought that we played really well today. Give credit to Oral Roberts, they are a great team, and I thought that this was a great final to showcase the talent in this league.
 
"I'm really happy for Kobe Gray. He's resilient and has stayed focused all season when he hasn't been playing. This was his moment, and he would not be denied. The whole team knew what Kobe was capable of, and to watch him stop four penalties today was simply amazing.
 
"Winning 15 of 17 trophies, there are so many student-athletes that have poured their hearts and souls into this program. We've had so much different adversity and have been all over the country this season. We're prepared and excited to keep playing knockout football, and I'm excited to see where we play next."
 
2021 #SummitMSOC All-Tournament Team
Kobe Gray, Denver (MVP)
Destan Norman, Denver
Trevor Wright, Denver
Liam Johnson, Denver
Dante Brigida, Oral Roberts
Juan Arias, Oral Roberts
Joe Ruiz, Oral Roberts
Cooper Clark, Kansas City
Mario Sandoval, Kansas City
Kenji Mboma Dem, Omaha
Ed Gordon, Omaha
 
Penalty Kick Shootout:
Sam Bassett led off for Denver, taking a well-struck penalty but after converting Thursday, he had his spot kick stopped by Miles Motakef. Gray answered in the bottom of the first to stop Dante Brigida's spot kick down to the keeper's left.
 
Eli Mereness stepped up next and stuck his penalty sweetly, beating the keeper but striking the left post and out. Oral Roberts got on the board in the bottom of the second to take the early advantage.
 
Griffin Meyer went for pace in the top of the third round and got Denver on the board, and then Gray got Denver back on level terms through the third round with a diving stop to his right.
 
After Aidan O'Toole was kept off the board in the top of the fourth, Juan Arias buried his spot kick to give the Golden Eagles the advantage back at 2-1 through four.
 
Lucas Russo calmly buried his second penalty in 48 hours from Denver's fifth spot in the order, and Gray stopped Motakef's penalty to send the shootout to sudden death.
 
Destan Norman found the side netting to his left to put Denver up 3-2, and then Gray sprawled out to his right made the save to send Denver back to the NCAA Tournament.
 
First Half:
After spending 110 minutes on the front foot in a 0-0 draw in Thursday's Summit League Semifinal, the Pioneers picked up right where they left off in the opening minutes of the final on Saturday.
 
With a free kick 30 yards off the end line in the right flank, the Pioneers free kick was partially cleared, but the Pioneers kept possession, and Mereness picked it back up down the Denver right once again. Mereness played a cross 15 yards out in the center of the area, and Wright out-jumped the Golden Eagles defense and played a looping header inside the top corner of the far post to give the Pioneers the early advantage in the third minute.
 
Oral Roberts got a foot hold into the game after the goal, but it was the Pioneers that produced the next clear-cut scoring chance. In the 14^th minute, Stefan DeLeone made an intelligent run across the goal mouth and got free eight yards from goal, but his shot rose over the bar and out for a goal kick.
 
The Golden Eagles got the second goal of the afternoon to level the scoring in the 21^st minute when Dante Brigida converted from the penalty spot for his Summit League-leading ninth goal of the campaign.
 
ORU had a chance to get in-front just shy of the half hour but after conceding the penalty minutes prior, starting goalkeeper Will DeSantis made a big save on a point-blank header to keep things level.
 
In the final quarter hour of the first half, Denver created several set piece opportunities looking for a second including three-successive corners that resulted in a 12-yard header by Wright that was tipped over the bar by the Golden Eagles keeper.
 
ORU had a 6-5 shot advantage in the first half including 4-2 on target. Denver took five of the eight corners in the opening 45 minutes.
 
Second Half:
Neither team had a clear-cut chance in the opening 20 minutes of the half, but it was set piece chances for Denver once again that turned up the momentum of the half.
 
Griffin Meyer took Denver's first shot on goal of the half in the 70^th minute. It took a couple of awkward bounces, but Miles Motakef got his body behind the ball and made the save.
 
After ending the first half with a trilogy of corner kicks, the Pioneers took three more in quick succession in the final 10 minutes. Liam Johnson got a head on one of the corner kicks from just inside the penalty spot, but Motakef saved it nicely and pushed it for another corner.
 
Mereness was stepped on in the build-up of a corner that stopped the clock with three seconds to go in regulation. The Pioneers corner by Lukas Fisher was played into a good position, but the ball hit a couple bodies from both teams in the box and was cleared off the line to end regulation.
 
Denver had a 13-10 edge in shots in the 90 minutes, and the Pioneers put the only two shots on target in the second 45. The Pioneers took 10 corners in the first 90.
 
Extra Time:
The first period of extra time had three chances in the 10-minute frame. Wright made a sliding tackle to break-up a dangerous cross from Brigida and out for a throw-in 30 seconds into the first extra session.
 
Kengo Ohira got the first shot on goal of the first overtime, but his 25-yard strike was spilled briefly but picked back up by Motakef. Reed Berry had a look for ORU 40 seconds later, but it rose over DeSantis' crossbar and out for a goal kick.
 
Denver had a 2-1 edge in shots in the second period of extra time, putting two shots from distance on Motakef's goal, and the match went to penalties.
 
Notes:

• The Pioneers are 13-0-3 all-time in the Summit League Tournament (seven tournament titles, fell in penalty kicks at Omaha in 2017).

 
Up Next:
Denver will await its draw in the 2021 NCAA Men's Soccer Selection Show scheduled for Monday at 11 a.m. MT on NCAA.com.
 
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