DENVER – The [4/2] University of Denver men's soccer program will wrap-up the 2024 regular season on Saturday afternoon when the Pioneers head to Omaha. Kickoff on the Summit League Network is set for 1 p.m. CT/12 p.m. MT.
Denver, which has already clinched its 10th Summit League regular season title and the right to host next weekend's Summit League Final, enters Saturday on a four-match winning streak, and a stretch of seven wins in its last nine. Following Saturday's finale, the Pioneers will play either Kansas City or Oral Roberts in the aforementioned Summit League Final at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium. Opening kickoff on November 16 is set for 2 p.m. MT (TICKETS).
SERIES HISTORY:
Denver holds a 12-2-2 edge in the all-time Division I series against Omaha, having won each of the last four. The Pioneers are 2-12 at Caniglia Field in Omaha, winning 1-0 there in their last visit in October, 2022. Earlier this season, the Pioneers won 2-0 over the Mavs at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium. FULL SERIES HISTORY
LAST TIME OUT:
Ian Smith scored his second game-winning goal of the season and Isaac Nehme and the Denver defense kept a clean sheet in the Pioneers 1-0 win at Oral Roberts last Saturday. The Pioneers went five points clear of Kansas City and six points clear of ORU with the win to clinch both the 10th title and hosting rights next weekend.
DENVER IN THE SUMMIT LEAGUE
- The Pioneers have won 12 conference regular season titles and eight conference tournament titles in their Division I history (1999).
- Since joining the Summit League in 2013, the Pioneers have won 10 regular season titles and eight Summit League Tournament titles.
DOUBLE DIGIT WIN SEASONS
- Denver recorded its 10th win of the season on October 30 against Kansas City.
- The double-digit win season in 2024 is the Pios fourth-straight and the 16th in their DI history.
- DU's record for wins in a season is 20, set in the 2016 College Cup campaign.
2024 SCHEDULE
- Returning 20 letterwinners and 10 starters from a year ago, head coach Jamie Franks put his program up against the best once again with his 2024 schedule that was announced in June.
- In the regular season, Denver played 11 opponents that finished in last season's RPI in the Top-100 (6-1-4), nine from the Top-50 (4-1-4) and four in the Top-20 (1-0-3).
- Eight of Denver's first nine matches were against teams that finished in the top-40 last season (4-1-4 in 2024 overall).
DENVER REMAINS IN TOP-10 OF TOP DRAWER SOCCER POLL
- Denver moved up to No. 1 in the Top Drawer Soccer Poll on September 16, 2024, its second time as the top team in the country in program history. DU kept the top spot for four-straight weeks before losses to Pitt and Kansas City.
- The Pioneers have kept a spot in the top-10 of the Top Drawer Soccer Top-25 for 10-straight weeks.
- On October 8, 2018, Denver was the No. 1 team in the Top Drawer Soccer Poll, its first and only No. 1 ranking to date in program history.
- Prior to October, 2018, Denver had been as high as No. 3 to end the College Cup run in 2016.
- On November 4, Denver moved back up to No. 2 in the Top Drawer Soccer Poll, behind only B1G regular season champions Ohio State.
THE FRANKS FOUNDATION
- Jack and Sheila Weinberg Head Men's Soccer Coach Jamie Franks is in his 10th season as the bench boss and his 13th with the program overall in 2024.
- Franks and his staff were named the 2016 National Coaching Staff of the Year after taking Denver to its first College Cup appearance.
- Franks is 120-38-32 in his time as a head coach, 155-55-40 in his time at Denver overall and 254-82-57 in his time as a player and a coach in college soccer.
- Franks and the Pioneers are 50-6-8 in the Summit League since he took over as head coach in 2015.
- Franks is 6-8-1 in the NCAA Tournament at DU (6-7-0 as HC). As a player and coach, Franks is 22-12-3 in the NCAAs.
- In addition to National Coaching Staff of the Year, Franks is a five-time Summit League Coach of the Year (2015-18, 2023).
- Franks was the youngest head coach in Division I soccer when he was hired in 2015, and the second youngest in 2016 when he took the program to the College Cup.
- Franks led the Pioneers to back-to-back unbeaten regular seasons in his first two years in charge, the first program to go unbeaten in back-to-back regular seasons since Clemson in 1977-78.
- In his first nine seasons, Denver has qualified for the NCAA Tournament eight times and received a bye into the second round three times. Denver has played in the second round six times.
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