DENVER – The [RV/15] University of Denver men's soccer program will close out the opening weekend of the 2024 regular season on Sunday when the Pioneers head to [5/4] Stanford. Kickoff on ACC Network Xtra is set for 5 p.m. MT/4 p.m. PT.
SERIES HISTORY:
Stanford holds a 5-0-1 advantage in the series, including a 3-0-0 mark on the Farm. Denver's only result in the series came in the last meeting, a 1-1 draw in 2021 at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium. Stefan DeLeone scored the 78th minute equalizer to earn the point for the Pios. Three of the last four meetings between the two programs have been decided by a goal or less.
DENVER AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
- Denver is 23-43-15 in its Division I history against the USC Top-25, going 11-13-3 at home, 11-24-9 on the road and 1-6-3 at neutral sites.
- Under Jamie Franks, Denver is 14-17-7 against ranked opponents, including 7-5-2 at home, 7-10-4 on the road and 0-2-1 at a neutral site.
- The Pioneers are 10-8-3 against teams receiving votes, including 5-5-2 at home, 4-3-1 on the road and 1-0-0 at a neutral site.
- Denver is 3-11 against teams ranked in the top-5 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll, including 1-6 in true road games.
- The Pioneers only road win against a top-5 team came on December 2, 2016 when the fourth-ranked Pioneers beat No. 3 Clemson 1-0 in the NCAA Quarterfinals.
- Denver's last win against a top-5 team came in a 3-2 win against No. 3 Washington on August 30, 2018 at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium.
LAST TIME OUT
- Denver defeated Cal 2-1 in Berkeley in both teams' season openers on Thursday night. FULL RECAP
- Freshman Keegan Kelly, who came off the bench in the opening 10 minutes of the match for Holger Olsson, scored the breakthrough in his first NCAA match. Kelly's goal marked the first Pioneer goal on their collegiate debut since Ian Smith scored against Gonzaga in the 2022 opener.
- Coming off a First Team All-Summit League campaign a year ago, outside back Ian Smith got on the scoresheet in Thursday's season opener to double Denver's lead early in the second half. The goal is the fifth of the redshirt junior's career. Thursday's goal was his first since October 19, 2022
- MAC Hermann Watch List honoree Sam Bassett assisted on Denver's first two goals of the season.
- Bassett's assists give him 45 career points to move him to move him into eighth on Denver's Division I career list. Bassett's 15th career assist moves him into a tie with Jarod Stigall, Colin Audley and Karsten Hanlin for seventh on Denver's DI list.
- Denver, who outscored teams 23-9 in the first half last season, is 133-10-17 when scoring first since Jack and Sheila Weinberg Head Men's Soccer Coach Jamie Franks joined the staff as an assistant in 2012.
- Thursday night's win is Denver's ninth against a power conference team since Franks took over as head coach in 2015.
- Denver improved to 12-13-2 in season openers in its Division I history, including 3-6-1 on the road and 5-7-2 in openers decided by a goal or less.
TOP-10 SINCE 2015
- Denver is 110-36-28 since the start of the 2015 season.
- That record ranks 10th in the country in wins, behind Wake Forest (140), Indiana (131), Clemson (127), Georgetown (122), Stanford (118), New Hampshire (115), Kentucky (114), Washington (112) and Seattle (111) (thru 8/22).
- Of the 16 teams that had at least 100 wins in that span entering the year, Denver has the fifth-fewest losses at 36.
2024 SCHEDULE
- Returning 20 letterwinners and 10 starters from a year ago, head coach Jamie Franks has put his program up against the best once again with his 2024 schedule that was announced in June.
- In the regular season, Denver will play 11 matches that finished in last season's RPI Top-100 (1-0-0), nine from the Top-50 (1-0-0) and four in the Top-20 (0-0-0).
- Eight of Denver's first nine matches are against teams that finished in the top-40 last season (1-0-0).
August 22 at [40] California – W, 2-1
August 25 at [8] Stanford
August 29 at [35] Washington
September 1 at [11] SMU
September 9 at [20] UCLA
September 14 vs. [29] Yale
September 19 vs. [16] Portland
September 22 vs. [33] Seattle
October 2 vs. [69] Oral Roberts
October 7 at [38] Pittsburgh
November 2 at [69] Oral Roberts
LIMITING CHANCES
- Denver has held opponents to two shots or less 13 times in its DI era.
- The Pioneers have held opponents without a shot on goal 23 times in their Division I history, including three times during the 2023 season.
- Denver held San Diego State and Grand Canyon to just one combined shot on target in the opening weekend of the 2023 campaign, and posted a stretch of 170 minutes without allowing a shot on goal.
- The Pioneers first goal allowed last season came in the second half of Denver's 3-1 upset over No. 11 SMU on Sept. 1, breaking a stretch of 235:19 of shutout soccer to start the season.
- In the Summit Semi, KC broke a DU shutout streak that lasted 565:23.
- In the 2024 season opener, Denver didn't allow Cal to put a shot on target until right before the 83rd minute Bears goal.
MAC HERMANN WATCH LIST
- Senior attacking midfielder Sam Bassett was named to the 2024 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List on August 22.
- Bassett had career highs in goals (8), assists (7) and points (23) in his 2023 All-American season.
- Bassett had two assists in Denver's 2-1 win at Cal in the 2024 season opener.
DENVER AND THE NEW POWER 4
- The Pioneers will square off against six programs from the new power-4, including four from the newly-mapped ACC.
- Five matches on Denver's season-opening six-match road swing are against the Power-4, with the other coming against the deep BIG EAST Conference (Creighton).
- Denver's most wins against the power conferences came in 2016 when the Pios won four against members of the premier conferences.
- Denver had two wins against the Power-5 in 2022, its only other multi-win season against the power conferences.
- The Pioneers 2-1 win over Cal in the season opener was Denver's ninth win against the Power Conferences under 10th-year head coach Jamie Franks.
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 in program history.
- Franks is 110-36-28 in his time as a head coach, 145-53-36 in his time at Denver overall and 244-80-53 in his time as a player and a coach in college soccer.
- 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.
PIOS IN THE TOP DRAWER SOCCER PRESEASON TOP-100
- Denver had five players ranked in the Top Drawer Soccer Preseason Top-100 players ahead of the 2024 season.
- Isaac Nehme (3rd), Sam Bassett (12), Oje Ofunrein (52), Jason Belloli (68) and Trevor Wright (98) were all ranked on the initial list.
- The Pioneers were one of three programs to have five players selected in the top-100, joined by Indiana (5) and Stanford (5).
- Nehme and Bassett were also selected to the Top Drawer Soccer Preseason Best XI First and Second Teams, respectively.
UP NEXT:
Denver will return home for a couple nights before heading back out west to take on Big Ten newcomer Washington on Thursday, August 29. Opening kickoff on BTN+ is set for 8:30 p.m. MT/7:30 p.m. PT.
TICKET INFORMATION:
Tickets for the 2024 season are on sale now and can be purchased here. Denver opens its home schedule on September 14 against Yale, a 7 p.m. MT kickoff.
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