PITTSBURGH– The [10/12] University of Denver men's soccer team took the lead twice, but a late [25/26] Pittsburgh penalty saw the match end in a 2-2 draw on Monday night at Ambrose Urbanic Field.
JACK AND SHEILA WEINBERG HEAD MEN'S SOCCER COACH JAMIE FRANKS:
"I'm really proud of my team. We've been all over the country in all different venues against all different opponents and have encountered some crazy adversity along the way. On a day shorter rest, I thought we were fantastic in our positioning, possession and our approach to the game. I know soccer can be a cruel sport, and we've just been on the wrong side of luck of late. We're firm believers that as long as we can stick to our processes, we can turn that luck in our favor down the line.
"There's a famous John Wooden quote about how a coach can change a man's life. I couldn't be more thankful for my experience as a student-athlete at Wake with (current Pitt head coach) Jay (Vidovich). Jay was the first to ask me for more. He challenged me, he showed me how to face adversity and he made me a better person. I take a lot of character skills into my everyday life now from what I learned from Jay, and I know that my friends and I are contributing members of whatever communities we belong to now."
SIGNIFICANT STATS:
- Denver outshot Pitt 7-1 in the opening 45 minutes, including 4-1 on target. The Pioneers took the only corner of the first half as well.
- Coming into Monday's game, Denver hadn't scored a first half goal since September 9 (UC San Diego), and hadn't allowed a first-half goal since a trip to Georgetown on September 5. Both streaks were broken on Monday.
- Pitt's first-half tally broke a stretch of 405-consecutive minutes in which Denver hadn't allowed a goal.
- Sam Bassett's first-half goal was his fifth of the season which is good for the team lead.
- Ben Smith's goal to put Denver back in-front in the 73rd minute was his second of the season and the third of his career.
- Tonight was Denver's ninth and final match of the regular season against a team that finished in the top-100 of the RPI a year ago. Denver was 4-2-3 in those matches, including 3-1-2 on the road.
- Denver finished 2-0-3 against ranked opponents in the non-conference, with four of those five matches being played away from home (2-0-2).
KEY MOMENTS:
21' Denver controlled most of the possession early and got a few crosses in before Sam Bassett uncorked the first shot of the match, but his attempt bounced just outside the six-yard box and right into the chest of the Pitt goalkeeper.
28' Bassett turned Pitt over in its defensive third, and had a hit from 40 yards out with the keeper out of his net in the build-up, burying his first goal since September 9th.
34' Kengo Ohira had a chance to double the Denver lead, beating his defender, before missing his attempt just wide of the post.
36' Pitt equalized when Filip Mirkovic found the side netting from the corner of the box to beat Isaac Nehme and level things at 1-1.
41' Dylan Akau had the best chance for the third goal of the opening 45 minutes, but after chesting a ball down in the box, his shot was deflected by a diving Pitt keeper, getting the bottom of his foot and going away from his goal.
Halftime
58' Aidan O'Toole got the best opportunity in the opening 15 minutes of the second half. Jake Mecham got another dangerous cross off from down the Denver left. O'Toole got on the end of the Mecham ball and struck it first time, hitting the outside of the woodwork and out for a goal kick.
61' After playing a dangerous cross on one end, Mecham was in the center of the action again on the other end, heading a ball away from 8-yards out to keep a Guilherme Feitosa shot away from Isaac Nehme's goal.
73' Ben Smith gave Denver the much-deserved lead back with just under 18 minutes to go in the game. AJ Francois played a ball in to Griffin Meyer at the penalty spot. Meyer took a touch, but Pitt's defender won the tackle, breaking up the play and watching the ball roll out to the top of the box. Smith ran right onto the rolling ball and smashed it into the right half of the goal to put the Pios back in-front.
78' Pitt equalized again, this time from the penalty spot after Jason Belloli was whistled for handling. Ben Smith was the first to a Pitt cross in the box, but couldn't get all of the clearance. Belloli, who was diving to break up the cross himself, had has hands under his body on the ground and Smith's clearance hit Belloli's arm. Luis Sahmkow calmly took the penalty to level the match.
Fulltime
WHAT'S NEXT:
Denver, which will close out its regular season with five-straight Summit League matches, including three at home, will host Kansas City on Saturday at 7 p.m. MT. The match will cap off Denver's annual Alumni Weekend.
TICKETS:
Single-game tickets are on sale now for all men's and women's soccer matches for the 2022 season. Click here to purchase today.
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