DENVER – The University of Denver men's soccer team heads to the 2021 Summit League Men's Soccer Championship in Macomb, Ill., this week, and will take on Kansas City for the second time in five days after drawing 1-1 in the regular season finale on Saturday in KC. Thursday's first semifinal will kick off at 11 a.m. CT/ 10 a.m. MT. Omaha and Oral Roberts will play in the second semifinal set for 2 p.m. CT/1 p.m. MT. The winners will play in the Summit League Final Saturday at 12 p.m. MT. 

Denver (9-3-3, 4-1-1 Summit) vs. Kansas City (3-7-4, 2-2-2 Summit): 

Jack and Sheila Weinberg Head Men's Soccer Coach Jamie Franks:
Jamie Franks is in his seventh season as the bench boss for the Pioneers and his 10^th on the Denver campus overall. The head coach of the 2016 National Coaching Staff of the Year has put together an 82-29-16 record and has led Denver to all but two of the league trophies available (2019 regular season and 2017 postseason) since Denver joined the Summit League in 2013. 

Denver Summit League Tournament History
2021 – Macomb, Ill.
Semifinal: Denver vs. Kansas City – Thursday – 10 a.m. MT
2020 – No Tournament – regular season double round robin
2019 – Denver, Colo.
Semifinal: Denver 2-0 Oral Roberts (Drack 25' (pen), Stensson 90' (pen))
Final: Denver 1-0 Omaha (Judd 29')
2018 – Denver, Colo.
Semifinal: Denver 1-0 Eastern Illinois (Shinyashiki 12')
Final: Denver 1-0 Omaha (Akamatsu 15')
2017 – Omaha, Neb.
Semifinal: Denver 1-0 Eastern Illinois (Elder 39')
Final: Omaha 1-1 Denver – OMA 9-8 pens (Devoss 26', Gomez 28')
2016 – Denver, Colo.
Semifinal: Denver 1-0 Western Illinois (Hanlin 81')
Final: Denver 2-1 Omaha (Weiler 58', Shinyashiki 75', 90')
2015 – Denver, Colo.
Semifinal: Denver 4-0 Western Illinois (Devoss 2', Crosswait 25', Stevenson 53', Akamatsu 82')
Final: Denver 2-0 Oral Roberts (Hanlin 48', Underwood 70')
2014 – Denver, Colo.
Semifinal: Denver 3-0 Purdue Fort Wayne (Kordistos 30', Emerson 50', Hoyt 65')
Final: Denver 1-0 Western Illinois (Kordistos 104')
2013 – Macomb, Ill.
Semifinal: Denver 5-0 IUPUI (Bolden 16' (pen), 21', 55', Hanlin 26', Abdulgasem 80' (pen))
Final: Western Illinois 0-1 Denver (Hukari 51') 

Series History: Denver vs. Kansas City:
The Pioneers are 6-2-1 in their Division I history against Kansas City, including 2-0-1 in Summit League play. KC won the first meeting in 1999. The Pioneers then won six of the next seven. Denver swept the Summit League regular season series in Missouri a season ago, taking the opener 4-1 and the final 1-0. The two meetings this spring were the first two since 2009.

Last Time Out:
The Pioneers and Roos played to a 1-1 draw in Kansas City on Saturday night in the regular season finale. With the result, the Pioneers clinched their eighth Summit League regular season crown in their nine years in the league and won their 10^th NCAA Division I regular season title since joining college soccer's top division in 1998. 

Notes:

-          Two-time captain Liam Johnson was named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List.

-          Denver's freshman class was ranked the seventh-best recruiting class in the country according to Top Drawer Soccer.

-          Denver is 73-9-7 at home since Jamie Franks joined the staff in 2012.

-          The Pioneers are 40-7-6 in Summit League play since joining the league in 2013.

-          Denver is 20^th in the country in goals against average entering the week with a 0.827 mark.

 Up Next:
The winner of the two semifinals will meet in the Summit League Final on Saturday at 12 p.m. MT.

Coronavirus Updates
For the latest University of Denver updates on the coronavirus, click here.
 
DONATE:
Fans interested in making a donation to the Pioneers Athletic Fund can do so by clicking here. Your gift will transform the lives of our student-athletes by giving them the first-class resources needed to excel in the classroom, in the classroom and beyond. Thank you for Building Pioneers for Life!