DURHAM, N.C. – The [9/6] University of Denver men's soccer team dropped its NCAA Round of 32 match by a score of 3-1 to [4/4] Duke on Sunday afternoon at Koskinen Stadium.
JACK AND SHEILA WEINBERG HEAD MEN'S SOCCER COACH JAMIE FRANKS
"I'm proud of the team's effort for the entire year. These guys have faced adversity, done it with integrity, excellence, grit and most of all with passion. This is what separated this group from other teams I've had the pleasure to coach in the past. They didn't waste a day. Their passion was a full example of doing what they love to do every day. This one hurts cause we played so well, doubling them up at shots on the road. We gave up an early pk, and that's soccer sometimes. I'm really proud of their effort, and proud to be their coach."
SIGNIFICANT STATS:
- Freshman Holger Olsson scored his sixth goal of the season, this time from the penalty spot. All six of his goals have come since the Pioneers visit to Eastern Illinois on October 29.
- The Pioneers had a 6-3 edge in shots in the opening 45 minutes, including 5-2 on target. Denver finished with a 14-6 lead in shots including 9-3 on target.
- Denver fell to 6-10-1 in the NCAA Tournament, appearing in the NCAA Second Round for the fifth time in its Division I history on Sunday. All of Denver's second round appearances have come since 2015.
- Jack and Sheila Weinberg Head Men's Soccer Coach Jamie Franks is now 21-11-3 as a player or coach in the NCAA Tournament, including 5-7-1 as a coach at Denver and 5-6-0 as the Pioneers' head coach.
- Graduate student Stefan DeLeone set Denver's Division I record for matches played on Sunday, passing Pioneer greats Sam Hamilton, Scott DeVoss and Andre Shinyashiki with his 84th career appearance on Sunday.
KEY MOMENTS:
6' Duke converted from the penalty spot after captain Ben Smith was whistled for a hand ball in the area.
16' The Blue Devils doubled their lead in the 16th minute through a goal from Shakur Mohammed, who was the first to a bouncing ball off a deflected shot before he slotted it home into the lower right corner from just inside the penalty area.
34' Olsson got in behind the Duke back-four and drew a penalty kick for the Pioneers inside the left side of the box. Olsson stepped up and converted the spot kick he drew, his first penalty in his collegiate career and the sixth goal of his rookie season.
41' Ronan Wynne nearly caught the Duke keeper off his line, but his long-ranged effort was high and wide of the frame and out for a Duke goal kick.
42' Lukas Fisher chested the ball down and took a half turn down to his right before uncorking a long ranged effort, but his shot bounced twice and the keeper saved it comfortably.
Halftime
48' Denver turned over Duke in the press just out of halftime. Dylan Akau played Ian Smith in behind the Duke defense, but Smith's service just missed the head of DeLeone and fell into the goalkeeper's hands.
57' Ben Smith had Denver's best chance at an equalizer shy of the hour mark, dribbling through defenders inside DU's attacking half before having his shot from 20 yards out deflected by a defender in front and bounced towards the target, but the Duke keeper pushed it out to his right and out of danger.
65' The Blue Devils restored their two-goal advantage on a short-corner set-piece routine. Cameron Kerr took the corner short and ran around his teammate to get a better angle before finding Kamran Acito's run at the back post for the header from inside the six-yard box.
71' Ben Smith found Kengo Ohira checking back in the center of the park. Ohira turned and slipped in Akau behind the Duke backline, but Akau's shot was tipped over the bar and out for Denver's fourth corner of the afternoon.
Fulltime
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