DENVER – The [3/2] University of Denver men's soccer program will begin the final weekend of a six-match road swing on Friday night when the Pioneers travel to [-/-] Creighton. Opening kickoff inside Morrison Stadium is set for 7:45 p.m. CT/6:45 p.m. MT on Flo FC.
SERIES HISTORY:
Creighton holds a 3-1-2 advantage in the series history, including a 2-1-1 edge in Omaha. The two programs met in Denver last season with the match finishing in a 2-2 draw. The last time the two teams met in Morrison Stadium, Stefan DeLeone scored in the second period of extra time to lift the No. 5 Pios to a 1-0 win over No. 8 Creighton. FULL HISTORY
LAST TIME OUT
After falling behind 2-0 in the opening 26 minutes, Oje Ofunrein and Dylan Akau scored on either side of halftime to pull back a 2-2 draw for the Pioneers last Sunday at [RV/16] SMU. Senior attacking midfielder Sam Bassett assisted on both Denver goals in Denver's seventh two-goal comeback in its Division I history. The draw was the 100th in Denver's entire program history that dates back to 1961. FULL RECAP
TOP-10 SINCE 2015
- Denver is 111-36-30 since the start of the 2015 season.
- That record ranks tied for 9th in the country in wins, behind Wake Forest (141), Indiana (132), Clemson (127), Georgetown (124), Stanford (120), New Hampshire (116), Kentucky (114), Washington (114) and Seattle (111) (thru 9/2).
- 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 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 opponents that finished in last season's RPI Top-100 (2-0-2), nine from the Top-50 (2-0-2) and four in the Top-20 (1-0-1).
Eight of Denver's first nine matches are against teams that finished in the top-40 last season (2-0-2).
- August 22 at [40] California - W, 2-1
- August 25 at [8] Stanford - W, 1-0
- August 29 at [35] Washington – T, 2-2
- September 1 at [11] SMU T, 2-2
- 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
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 on his way to Top Drawer Soccer National Team of the Week honors after the opening weekend.
- Bassett scored the first goal of his 2024 campaign and the 16th of his career to open a 2-2 draw at Washington on Aug. 29.
- Bassett had two assists in Denver's two-goal comeback at SMU on September 1.
DENVER IN TOP-2 IN TOP DRAWER SOCCER POLL
- Denver moved up to second in the Top Drawer Soccer Poll on Sept. 3
- The Pioneers were in the top-2 of a poll for the first time since 2018, and only the second time in the program's history.
- Denver has not been in the top-2 of the primary poll, the United Soccer Coaches' Poll.
- 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.
DOWN BUT NOT OUT IN DALLAS
- Denver came from two goals down in the opening half hour to earn a 2-2 draw in a rematch of last season's NCAA Second Round clash on September 1.
- The result was DU's seventh after trailing by two goals in DU's Division I era.
- Last Two Goal Comeback: September 22, 2018 at Omaha when Denver came from 3-1 down to win 4-3 courtesy of four goals from Andre Shinyashiki.
- Last Two Goal Comeback to End in Tie: September 9, 2011 when Denver came from 2-0 down in the final 39 minutes to draw at Notre Dame 2-2.
DENVER AND THE NEW POWER 4
- The Pioneers 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, making 2024 the third season with multiple wins against the P4 (2016, 2022, 2024).
- The Pioneers 2-1 win over Cal and 1-0 win over No. 5 Stanford in the season opening weekend was Denver's ninth and 10th wins 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.
- Franks is 111-36-30 in his time as a head coach, 146-53-38 in his time at Denver overall and 245-80-55 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.
UP NEXT:
Denver will return to the Mile High City for a few days before its shortest trip of the season to Creighton on Friday, September 6, at 7:45 p.m. CT/6:45 p.m. MT. The match will be broadcast on Flo Sports.
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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