DENVER – The [RV/RV] University of Denver men's soccer team returns to the road this weekend when the Pioneers head to Kansas City. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT/6 p.m. MT at Durwood Soccer Stadium, and will be broadcast live on the Summit League Network. Saturday's match rounds out the first meetings of the three Summit League programs Denver will play twice in the regular season.
Summit League Network:
New this year, fans can subscribe to the Summit League Network, the exclusive streaming home of all Denver men's and women's soccer home games and conference away games. For more information on the Summit League Network, click here.
Last Time Out:
David Biggers headed home his first career goal in the first half, but Oral Roberts responded with an equalizer in the final 10 minutes to secure a 1-1 draw between the top two teams in the league heading into the week. Following last weekend's results, Denver, Oral Roberts and Omaha are all level on four points. ORU has the goal difference advantage, sitting at +8.
The Series:
Denver holds a 7-2-3 lead in the series, outscoring the Roos 22-14 in the 12 previous meetings. Denver is unbeaten in the last six between the two teams, including a 3-0 victory in the Summit League Final at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium last November. The previous three meetings, the 2021 regular season, 2021 Summit League Semifinal and 2022 regular season, all three ended in draws. Prior to the Roos joining the Summit League in 2021, the two programs hadn't met since 2009.
O'Toole's Experience:
Graduate student Aidan O'Toole played in his 78th career match on Saturday night, joining 2016 alums Chandler Crosswait and Karsten Hanlin for ninth in Denver's career list. O'Toole's next appearance would tie Reagan Dunk and Liam Johnson for seventh in Denver's record book. O'Toole's next start would tie him with Liam Girard for ninth in Denver's DI history.
The Franks Foundation:
Jack and Sheila Weinberg Head Men's Soccer Coach Jamie Franks is 102-35-27 as a head coach at Denver, 137-52-35 in his 12 years overall with the Pioneers and 236-79-52 in his time as a player and a coach in college soccer. Franks became the second coach in program history to reach 100 career wins on Friday night, doing so in 158 career matches.
Top-10 Program in Franks' Tenure:
Since Franks took over at the start of the 2015 season, the Pioneers have 102 wins, sitting 10th in the country in that category heading into this weekend's matches. Of the 12 teams in the country that started the year with at least 95 wins, Denver has the sixth-fewest losses at 34.
Up Next:
Denver heads to Western Illinois next Saturday for a 12 p.m. MT kickoff on the Summit League Network. The Pioneers will play three of their final four matches at home in league play, beginning with a visit from Omaha on October 18 at 7 p.m. MT.
Tickets:
Single game tickets for Denver men's and women's soccer are on-sale now and can be purchased here.
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