DENVER – The University of Denver men's soccer team will open its 10th NCAA Tournament in the last 11 seasons on Thursday when the Pioneers welcome LIU to the University of Denver Soccer Stadium. Kickoff on ESPN+ is set for 3 p.m. MT.
Last Time Out:
Oje Ofunrein netted his second hat trick of the season, but it wasn't enough, as the Pioneers drew Kansas City 3-3 on Thursday and fell in a penalty shootout by a count of 5-4. FULL RECAP
The Series:
Thursday marks the first meeting between the two programs.
The Franks Foundation:
Jack and Sheila Weinberg Head Men's Soccer Coach Jamie Franks is 108-35-28 as a head coach at Denver, 143-52-36 in his 12 years overall with the Pioneers and 242-79-53 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.
In the NCAA Tournament, Franks is 5-7-1 at Denver, 5-6-0 as a head coach and 21-11-3 as a player of coach in the NCAA postseason.
Top-10 Program in Franks' Tenure:
Since Franks took over at the start of the 2015 season, the Pioneers have 108 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 96 wins, Denver has the sixth-fewest losses at 35.
Up Next:
The winner of Thursday's first round meeting will take on No. 6 SMU in the second round on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT/6 p.m. MT.
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