DENVER – The [RV/23] University of Denver men's soccer team got a goal on either side of halftime and extended its shutout streak to six-straight matches in a 2-0 win over Kansas City on Senior Saturday at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium.
Significant Stats:
- Aidan O'Toole made his 84th career appearance on Saturday afternoon, setting the new DU career record for matches played. O'Toole also made his 77th start on Saturday, good for second all-time.
- Denver improved to 6-2-4 this season against teams that finished in the Top-100 of the RPI a year ago.
- Bryce Willoughby scored his fourth goal of the season, including his third in Summit League play. All three of Willoughby's goals in the league were game-winners.
- With Willoughby's goal, Denver has scored in the first half of each of its last eight matches, carrying a 1-0 lead into halftime in six of those eight. The Pioneers have outscored their opponents 21-5 in the first half this year.
- Denver improved to 87-10-12 at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium, including 87-10-12 since Jack and Sheila Weinberg head men's soccer coach Jamie Franks joined the staff in 2012 and 62-8-9 since he took over as head coach in 2015.
- The Pioneers are 132-10-16 when scoring first with Franks on staff, including 11-1-2 this season.
- Denver honored seniors Ruaridh Fraser and Liam Fitzgerald following the match.
- O'Toole's goal was his third of the season and the fifth of his Pioneer career.
- Ian Smith's assist on the O'Toole marker was his fifth of the season and the eighth of his Pioneer career.
- Isaac Nehme and Denver's defensive shutout streak was extended to 546:58 with the Pioneers 11th shutout of the season.
- Nehme's 11th shutout is a career-high and moved him into third all-time for a single season in Denver's DI history.
- Nehme's 21 career shutouts ties him with Matt Bredehoft (2004-07) for second on Denver's all-time list.
First Half:
4' Isaac Nehme was the first keeper tested on Saturday, diving to his right to push Eliott Labeth's early shot from distance wide of the near post.
30' Denver's first shot on target came from Oje Ofunrein, but Robin Balters got to the lower-right part of his goal to make the save.
43' Bryce Willoughby got on the scoresheet for the third time in the league campaign just before halftime. Dominic Kallay started the opportunity with a switch-ball down the Denver right. Dylan Akau ran onto Kallay's ball and pinged a cross into the near post. Willoughby got on the end of the cross to the near post to bury his fourth of the campaign.
Second Half:
49' Nehme made another strong save in the opening minutes of the second half to keep Denver's lead intact.
70' Ian Smith hit a screamer from outside the penalty area that the KC keeper was able to just get enough on to tap off the top of the crossbar and out for a Denver corner.
71' O'Toole's goal to double Denver's lead came off a quick-thinking feed from Smith. Smith touched-it off to his teammate after absorbing a bouncing ball in the box, and O'Toole drilled it hard and low into the back of the net.
89' O'Toole nearly completed the brace just before the end of his final regular season game at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium. The near-highlight goal saw O'Toole split three KC defenders with some fancy footwork on top of the ball, but after doing the hard work, O'Toole just pulled his shot wide of the net and out for a goal kick.
Up Next:
Denver closes and Kansas City will both head to Tulsa to meet again on Thursday at the Case Soccer Complex on the campus of Oral Roberts. The semifinal will be the first of two in the league, and is set to kickoff at 3 p.m. CT/2 p.m. MT on the Summit League Network.
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