TULSA – In a second regular season battle between the two top teams in the Summit League, the [RV/23] University of Denver men's soccer team clinched the regular season title with a 1-0 win at [RV/RV] Oral Roberts on Saturday night at the Case Soccer Complex. 

Significant Stats:

• Denver's win secured the Pioneers their ninth Summit League regular season title in their 11 years in the league (2019 and 2022). The Pios have won 17 of the 20 trophies available since joining the conference in 2013.
• The Pioneers improved to 10-8-3 against teams receiving votes in their Division I history, including 4-3-1 on the road.
• Bryce Willoughby netted his third goal of the season and his second of Summit League play to open up the scoring on Saturday night. The game-winner was the second of his career.
• Denver scored in the first half for the seventh-straight match, having not allowed a goal on the other end in the first half in six of those matches.
• DU has outscored teams 20-5 in the first half of matches this season.
• The Pioneers have outscored their opponents 8-1 in the middle 15 minutes of the first half this season.
• Denver held the fourth-best scoring offense in the country without a goal for the first time in Summit League play this season.
• The Pioneers improved to 14-3-2 all-time against Oral Roberts, including 6-1 in Tulsa.
• Denver is now 5-2-4 against teams that finished last season in the RPI top-100.
• The Pioneers are 131-10-16 when scoring first since Jamie Franks arrived on campus in 2012 and 97-8-10 since he was named the head coach in 2015 (10-1-2 this season).
• With the victory on Saturday, Denver earned its 10^th regular season win for the 15^th time in the DI era.
• Denver kept its 10^th cleansheet of the season on Saturday, the seventh time Denver has had double-digit cleansheets in the DI era.
• Isaac Nehme earned the 10^th cleansheet in a season ties for third in Denver's DI history.
• Nehme's 20^th career shutout moves him one shy of second on Denver's DI career list.
• Nehme's 24^th career dwin gives him sole possession of fourth on Denver's career list.

First Half:
7' Oral Roberts had the best look of the opening 10 minutes, but Juan Moreno pulled the first chance of the game wide of the post.
12' Willoughby got in behind the ORU defense for the first time in the opening quarter hour Saturday, but the wet field conditions made it hard to control his touch and his shot dribbled well-wide of the near post.
16' Willougby got his deserved opener minutes later to put the Pioneers a goal ahead. Holger Olsson got free down the right channel, and made it to the endline before sliding his cross on the wet turf to the wide-open Willoughby for the tap-in.
37' Thiago Patto was the beneficiary of a poorly placed clearance at the top of the box. Patto tried to curl an attempt inside the far post, but Nehme read it well to make this second save of the night.

Second Half:
55' Baptiste Boit took the first shot of the second half for the home side, but Denver's backline provided its fourth block of the night to go along with a myriad of blocked crosses.
78' Nehme came out to control his box and had the ball momentarily slip out of his hands as Oral Roberts hunted the equalizer, but Jason Belloli was in the right place at the right time, and cleared the danger for a throw-in.
82' Oral Roberts earned a free kick from 28 yards out right of center, but Nehme got his right hand on his fifth save of the day to stop Luis Flores' shot and send it over the crossbar for a corner.
88' Flores next attempt at the leveler was from just inside the box, but it bounced just wide of Nehme's right post after it was deflected by a Denver defender, and went out for a corner.

Up Next:
Denver closes out the regular season on Senior Saturday when it welcomes Kansas City to the University of Denver Soccer Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. MT. 

Tickets:
Single game tickets for Saturday's match can be purchased here.  

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