DENVER – The [3/2] University of Denver men's soccer program will wrap-up its season-opening six-match road slate on Monday night when the Pioneers travel to [6/4] UCLA. Opening kickoff on BTN+ is set for 8 p.m. MT/7 p.m. PT.
SERIES HISTORY:
The two programs will meet for the first time since Denver's Division I infancy in 1999. The Bruins won the only previous meeting 6-0 in Fullerton, California.
LAST TIME OUT:
Denver got goals from three different goal scorers to race out to a 3-0 lead in the opening 70 minutes before conceding a late penalty in the Pioneers 3-1 win over Creighton on Friday night at Morrison Stadium. The victory was Denver's first win in regulation in the series. Denver scored three goals in a true road match for the first time since November 2, 2022 at Lindenwood. FULL RECAP
TOP-10 SINCE 2015
- Denver is 112-36-30 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 (121), New Hampshire (117), Kentucky (114), Washington (114) and Seattle (112) (thru 9/6).
- 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.
- Through the first five matches of the season, Bassett has nine points on two goals and five assists.
- Bassett has been involved in five of Denver's last seven goals.
- Bassett enters the match tied for sixth in career goals (17) and is sixth in career points (52).
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.
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 112-36-30 in his time as a head coach, 147-53-38 in his time at Denver overall and 246-80-55 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:
The Pioneers will return home for the first time in 2024 on Saturday (September 14) when Denver welcomes Yale to the University of Denver Soccer Stadium. Opening kickoff on the Summit League Network is set for 7 p.m. MT.
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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