DENVER – The No. 4/3 University of Denver men's soccer program will wrap-up its opening weekend of the 2025 season on Sunday night when the Pioneers make their first road trip of the year out west to take on No. 13/10 Stanford. Opening kickoff is set for 8 p.m. MT/7 p.m. PT on ACC Network Xtra.
DENVER VS. STANFORD SERIES HISTORY:
Stanford holds a 5-1-1 edge in the series, including a 3-1-0 record on The Farm. Denver picked up its first win against the Cardinal last season as a Keegan Kelly goal in the 49th minute provided the difference for the Crimson and Gold. The match prior in the series, a Stefan DeLeone rebound goal off a penalty leveled the match in the 78th minute of a 1-1 draw in 2021. Stanford has outscored Denver 14-6 in the previous seven matches.
2025 REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE
Jamie Franks has put his program up against the best once again with his 2025 schedule that was announced in July.
Denver's opponents combined for a 173-99-73 record a year ago, and had an RPI average of 54.5.
The Pios play 10 NCAA Tournament teams from last season, including six that got to at least the third round and a pair of NCAA Quarterfinal opponents in Pittsburgh and UMass.Nine of
Denver's opponents appeared in the United Soccer Coaches' Preseason Poll.
In the regular season, Denver will 14 opponents that finished in last season's RPI in the Top-100 (three more than last season), eight from the Top-50 (one less than 2024) and five in the Top-20 (one more).
Denver's 2025 results against teams that finished 2024 in the top-100.
August 21 vs. [28] Washington – W, 2-0
August 24 at [11] Stanford
August 28 vs. [20] San Diego
August 31 vs. [62] SIUE
September 5 at [55] Creighton
September 19 at [81] Portland
September 22 at [52] Seattle
September 27 vs. [24] Kansas City
October 4 at [23] UMass
October 7 at [3] Georgetown
October 14 at [4] Pittsburgh
October 19 at [14] Virginia
October 25 at [79] Omaha
November 1 vs. [59] Oral Roberts
TOP-10 SINCE 2015
- Denver is 125-39-33 since the start of the 2015 season.
- That record is good for sixth in the country in wins during that span, behind Wake Forest (152), Indiana (141), Clemson (141), Georgetown (133), Stanford (127).
- Of the 27 teams that had at least 100 wins in that span entering the year, Denver has the fifth-fewest losses at 39.
- Six of Denver's opponents are among the 27 that began the year with 100 wins since the start of the 2015 season.
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 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 125-39-33 in his time as a head coach, 160-56-41 in his time at Denver overall and 259-83-58 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 first 10 seasons, Denver qualified for the NCAA Tournament nine times and received a bye into the second round four times. Denver has played in the second round now 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.
DENVER AND THE NEW POWER 4
- Five matches on Denver's season-opening six-match road swing were against the Power-4 in 2024, 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. DU has had multiple wins in three seasons, winning three times against the P4 in 2024 and twice in 2022.
- The Pioneers 2-1 win over Cal and 1-0 win over No. 5 Stanford in the season opening weekend last season were Denver's ninth and 10th P4 wins, and its 11th under Franks came against [14] Indiana in the NCAA Round of 16.
- In the second year of the new Power-4, the Pios will battle four P4 teams in the regular season in 2025.
WORK IN THE CLASSROOM
- Denver has recorded the top grade point average in the country among Division I men's soccer programs in five of the last nine years.
- The Pioneers have finished in the top-15 in the country in GPA in all 10 years in Jamie Franks' head coaching tenure.
- Team Grade Point Average
2024-25: 3.59 (13th nationally)
2023-24: 3.62 (5th)
2022-23: 3.65 (3rd)
2021-22: 3.64 (2nd)
2020-21: 3.77 (1st)
2019-20: 3.74 (1st)
2018-19: 3.68 (2nd – 0.02 behind Lipscomb)
2017-18: 3.628 (1st)
2016-17: 3.619 (1st)
2015-16: 3.49 (1st)
- Denver has had 11 College Sports Communicators Academic All-America honors in their Division I history, including first-team selections Christian Bowers (2004), Michael Perry (2010), Graham Smith (2017), Andre Shinyashiki (2018) and Jason Belloli (2023).
Up Next:
Denver returns home next Thursday to start a stretch of four of five matches at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium. The Pioneers will welcome nationally-ranked San Diego to the Mile High City on Thursday in the second match of a men's and women's double header. The men's match is scheduled to kickoff at 7 p.m. MT, and will be broadcast on the Summit League Network. DU will wrap-up the second weekend of the season against SIUE on Sunday, August 31 at 3 p.m. MT.
Tickets:
Tickets are on sale now for the 2025 Denver men's soccer season. Purchase tickets for the home opener and the rest of the 2025 campaign here.
Summit League Network:
Denver men's soccer will have its games streamed on the Summit League Network and the Midco Sports App 11 times during the 2025 campaign. Subscribe to the league streaming service today.
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