DENVER – The [RV/-] University of Denver men's soccer program hosts UC Irvine on Thursday at 3 p.m. MT in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
DENVER VS. UC IRVINE HISTORY:
UC Irvine holds a 4-1-1 advantage in the Division I series, but the Anteaters will make their first trip to the Mile High City on Thursday. The first round date is also the first postseason match between the two programs. DU and UCI last met in September of 2017 in a neutral site meeting in Albuquerque that the Anteaters won 1-0. FULL HISTORY
LAST TIME OUT:
Denver's attack stayed hot in a 4-2 win over No. 21 Kansas City in the Summit League Final on Saturday at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium. Keegan Kelly and Kyle McGowan combined for three goals to continue their hot run of form and redshirt-freshman defender Will King added the game-winner. FULL RECAP
DENVER'S NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY:
Denver is 10-11-2 (0-2 pens) in the NCAA Tournament in the program's Division I history, including 7-2-0 at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium. Denver is 3-4-1 (0-1 pens) in the first round in its NCAA Tournament history, including 2-0-0 at home.
DENVER BAGS FOUR TO COMPLETE SUMMIT LEAGUE DOUBLE:
- Denver completed its first Summit League double since 2021 on November 15 with a 4-2 win over No. 21 Kansas City in the final.
- The six combined goals were the most in a Summit League Final since 2005.
- The Pioneers scored eight goals in the two-match Summit League Tournament, a new record in the Summit League.
- Keegan Kelly scored the opener in the second minute, Kyle McGowan scored a brace from the spot and Will King scored his second career goal from outside the box in the two-goal win.
- Kelly's four goals in the tournament tied a Summit League record, and he was the first to reach four since Paul Wright of Central Connecticut State in 1998.
- Luke Schultz drew both penalties in the win.
- Isaac Nehme made three saves in career win number 51.
- The trophy was Denver's ninth Summit League Tournament title and the Pioneers' 20th overall trophy since joining the league in 2013.
- Kelly was named the Summit League Tournament Most Outstanding Player.
- McGowan, Nehme and Aidan Semelsberger were all named to the Summit League All-Tournament Team.
UNIVERSITY OF DENVER SOCCER STADIUM
- Denver is 116-23-19 at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium (2009).
- The Pioneers are 106-14-13 in their home stadium since Franks joined the staff in 2012 and 81-10-10 since he took over as head coach in 2015.
- Denver broke the stadium attendance record twice last postseason, playing in-front of 1,875 in its 2024 NCAA Round of 16 game vs. [14] Indiana, before hosting a standing-room only crowd of 2,361 in the Pios 3-0 NCAA Quarterfinal win over UMass.
- Denver is 14-3-1 at home in conference tournament matches.
- Denver is 7-2-0 at home in NCAA Tournament games.
THE FRANKS FOUNDATION
- Jack and Sheila Weinberg Head Men's Soccer Coach Jamie Franks is in his 11th season as the bench boss and his 14th with the program overall in 2025.
- 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 135-46-35 in his time as a head coach, 170-63-43 in his time at Denver overall and 269-90-60 in his time as a player and a coach in college soccer.
- Franks is 9-8-2 in the NCAA Tournament at DU (9-7-1 as HC). As a player and coach, Franks is 25-12-4 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 11 seasons, Denver has qualified for the NCAA Tournament 10 times and received a bye into the second round four times. Denver has played in the second round seven times.
- Franks won the national championship as a player with Wake Forest in 2007 in Cary, defeating Ohio State 2-1 in the final.
- Franks made his sixth College Cup appearance combined as a player and coach last season.
TOP-10 SINCE 2015
- Denver is 134-46-35 since the start of the 2015 season.
- That record is good for sixth in the country in wins during that span, behind Wake Forest (159), Indiana (153), Clemson (149), Georgetown (145), Stanford (139).
- Of the 27 teams that had at least 100 wins in that span entering the year, Denver has the seventh-fewest losses at 46.
- Six of Denver's opponents are among the 27 that began the year with 100 wins since the start of the 2015 season.
KELLY NAMED TOP DRAWER SOCCER NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
- Sophomore Keegan Kelly bagged a natural hat trick in Denver's 4-1 Summit League Semifinal win over Oral Roberts on November 9.
- Combine that performance with his equalizer on November 5 in the regular season finale, Kelly was named the Top Drawer Soccer National Player of the Week on November 11.
- Kelly's hat trick was Denver's 15th in its Division I history.
- Prior to Kelly's hat trick, Oje Ofunrein's hat trick vs. Kansas City in the 2023 Summit League Semifinal was both the last DU hat trick and the league's last hat trick in the tournament.
- The hat trick was the fifth-fastest between goals one and three in the Pioneers record book (21:18).
- Kelly's final two goals marked the first time Denver has scored two goals in the final five minutes of a match in the program's DI era.
- Kelly's final two goals were the 10th-fastest goals scored by the same player in Denver's DI history (2:17).
- Kelly scored the opener in the 4-2 win over Kansas City on November 15 in the Summit League Final.
- In seven career postseason games, Kelly has six goals and two assists, and has at least one goal contribution in six of those seven games.
SPREADING THE SCORING
- When Dylan Akau scored Denver's 10th goal of the season in the first half of its September 14 match vs. Mercer, the Pioneers had 10 different players score its first 10 goals of the campaign.
- Grant Lund became Denver's 11th unique goal scorer in the fourth minute on November 1 vs. Oral Roberts.
- Keegan Kelly's late equalizer at St. Thomas made him the 12th different goal scorer for Denver this season.
- McGowan scored in three-straight matches from September 8-19, Denver's first player to score in three matches since teammate Holger Olsson did it in November, 2022.
- Denver has eight multi-goal scorers this year, led by McGowan's nine.
- Denver had 14 different goal scorers all of last season.
RECORD BOOK WATCH
- Career Shutouts: Isaac Nehme broke the career shutouts record in the Pios 2024 NCAA Second Round win with his 27th, and now has 34.
- Career Goalkeeper Wins: Isaac Nehme broke the career goalkeeper wins record on August 31 vs. SIUE (2-1), capturing his 43rd victory to pass Nick Gardner (2014-18). Nehme now has 51.
- Career Saves: Isaac Nehme has 183 career saves to sit fourth in Denver's DI history in career saves. Nehme is seven saves behind Parker Jarvis (1999-01) for third on the list.
- Career Matches Started: Isaac Nehme and Trevor Wright enter Saturday having made 83 career starts. With a start Thursday, the Pioneer duo will both break the program record currently shared with Scott DeVoss (2015-18 | 83).
- Career Matches Played: With his next appearance, Dylan Akau will move within one match of Aidan O'Toole's (2019-23) career appearances record (87). On October 19, Akau became just the eighth Pioneer in program history to reach 80 career appearances. Wright and Nehme, who became the ninth and 10th players to crack 80 matches played, will make their 84th appearance on Thursday, sitting together in third in program history.
DENVER'S 2025 SUMMIT LEAGUE POSTSEASON AWARDS
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