DALLAS – The University of Denver men's soccer team earned an important result on the road, sharing a 1-1 draw with [9/26] SMU on Monday night at Washburne Soccer and Track Stadium.
Denver's result was its first on the road against a top-10 team since defeating Clemson in the 2016 NCAA Quarterfinals to book the program's first ever ticket to the College Cup. The draw was Denver's third regular season result on the road against a top-10 team in its Division I history, having previously beaten No. 9 Butler in 2016 and No. 8 Creighton in extra time in 2018.
Scoring Summary:
DEN: Norman 24'
SMU: Ndoye 77'
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Jack and Sheila Weinberg Head Men's Soccer Coach Jamie Franks:
"Overall, it was a very high level college soccer game. When both teams play a system and have technical and tactical players, the margins in these matches are very small. In the first half, I thought we created a lot of chances, and disrupted them from getting into the spaces they wanted. In the second half, I thought we were disconnected. I think we'll be able to watch the film and clean up a lot of those mistakes from the second half. When you get points on the road and can learn lessons to help your team grow, it's a total win. At the end of the day, we got a result on the road, and we'll take it and turn our focus to Friday night at home.
"It's a little bit of home cooking if you just go by the box score, but I thought we created a lot of chances going forward and outside their goal, defended well enough to limit the quality of their chances."
First Half:
Controlling the play in the opening half hour of proceedings, Denver got a goal off its press as Destan Norman was the first to a poor touch by an SMU defender and had a shot from the top of the D that was deflected in-front, sending the keeper the wrong way and the ball into the middle of the net. Norman's goal in his season debut is the second of the graduate student's career.
SMU held an 8-5 advantage in shots, but Denver had a 3-2 edge in shots on goal, with the Pioneers limiting SMU's chances on target to comfortable saves for goalkeeper William DeSantis.
Second Half:
SMU's first clear chance in the second half came in the 69th minute, but Trevor Wright cleared a deflected shot off the goal line to keep Denver ahead heading into the final 20 minutes.
The Mustangs found the equalizer on a nifty piece of play at the top of the box in the 77th minute. Ahlander Knut got the ball to the D to Skage Simonsen, who back-heeled it to Papa Ndoye, who curled it first time into the side netting at the far post.
Denver nearly got it back in the next minute when Stefan DeLeone got a shot on target, but it was saved comfortably by the SMU keeper, having had it blocked in-front by one of his defenders but not changing direction this time around.
Neither team had a great chance in the final 10 minutes and for the first time this year the Pioneers and Mustangs went into extra time.
There wasn't much to speak of in the opening 10 minutes of extra time, but the Pioneers were the first to create an opportunity in the second, earning a set piece 70 seconds into the second half of overtime. Yellow cards nine and 10 of the match were dished out late in the period, but neither team was able to find the winner and the two teams settled for a 1-1 draw.
Up Next:
Denver returns home for the first time in 2021 when the Pioneers host Evansville on Friday at 7 p.m. MT. The Pioneers will close out the mini-two-match homestand on Sunday when Denver takes on Cal State Fullerton at 2 p.m. MT.
Tickets:
Denver men's and women's soccer season tickets and single game tickets for the 2021 campaign are on sale now, and can be purchased here.
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