Denver Women’s Soccer Hosts Portland for Alumni Weekend

Saturday, October 17

Denver, Colo.

1 p.m. MT

University of Denver

Portland

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Riley Jeffries University of Denver Women's Soccer Midfielder vs Montana - September 6, 2026

Photo by: Sophie Hamill/Denver Athletics

Denver Women’s Soccer Hosts Portland for Alumni Weekend

10/15/2026 2:53:00 PM | Women's Soccer

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DU reaches midway point of inaugural West Coast Conference schedule on Saturday afternoon

WHO: Denver (2-8-2, 1-3-0 WCC) vs Portland (5-7-1, 1-2-1 WCC)
WHAT: DU's Alumni Weekend and Crimson Out
WHERE: University of Denver Soccer Stadium (Denver, Colorado)
WHEN: Saturday, October 17, at 1 p.m. MT

MATCH PROMOTIONS:
Saturday marks Denver's annual Alumni Weekend. A pre-match reception will begin at 12:30 p.m. MT, and alumni will be recognized during a halftime ceremony on the pitch. Alumni are encouraged to register for free online.

Denver fans are encouraged to join the team in a Crimson Out by wearing their crimson gear to the match.

LAST TIME OUT:
Denver traveled to San Diego in a back-and-forth match that featured two equalizers and three awarded penalties before USD finished with a 3-2 win. DU seniors Luci Vincent and Liv Moritz scored their first goals of the season – Vincent to give Denver a 1-0 lead off a perfectly-placed shot from 25 yards out, and Moritz gave DU a 2-1 lead after converting a first-half penalty kick.

DU held a 2-1 advantage after the first 45 minutes, but San Diego converted its first of two penalty kicks of its own to equalize again at 2-2 before scoring the go-ahead goal in the 78^th minute.

Senior goalkeeper Jaidin Kinch did make a save on San Diego's second penalty kick to keep DU within a goal late in the match, but the Pioneers were unable to find a third goal.

QUICK HITS:

Denver is in its first season as a member of the West Coast Conference after completing the transition to its new home on July 1.
- DU spent the last 13 seasons in the Summit League, winning nine regular-season titles – including last year – and four tournament titles.
- DU is now 1-3-0 in its first year as a member of the WCC and 12-20-4 all-time against WCC teams.
- Saturday's match marks the midway point of Denver's first West Coast Conference campaign.
Head coach Julianne Sitch is in her fourth year in charge of the Pioneers.
- Thus far, she owns a 31-21-15 record.
Thirteen Pioneers have at least one point in 2026 so far with Nguyen leading the team with six off her team-best three goals.
- Eight of the 13 have registered the first points of their collegiate careers.
- Sophomore Camila Palacios also has her first point as a Pioneer with her first NCAA assist at DePaul on August 20.
- Freshman Caitlin Staats and junior Kit Mooney lead the team in assists with two apiece.
- Ten Pioneers have more than one point.
Of Denver's 27 student-athletes on the roster, 24 have seen minutes, eight of whom have made their DU debuts.
- Freshmen Reese Morgan, Staats and Keirra Venson joined Garnsey in being part of the starting XI in the season opener.
- Freshman Jacqui Wilson and sophomores Riley Jeffries and Kroska entered as subs in the season opener as well to make their NCAA debuts.
- Freshman Maeve Morgan became the fifth and final DU first-year student-athlete to see playing time as a sub on September 17.
- Transfers Palacios and Kinch have also played for the first time as Pioneers and each has multiple starts.
M. Morgan and R. Morgan each scored a goal in Denver's 2-1 win over Saint Mary's.
- They are believed to be only the second set of NCAA Division I women's soccer players who share a last name but are not related to score in the same match this year (also: Bucknell's Ingrid Murphy and Tennessee Murphy on August 23).
Two former Denver standouts have signed professional contracts this fall.
- Former goalkeeper Alina Santos signed with English club Southampton FC Women in June.
- Former midfielder Isabella Chidiac signed with Australian club Western Sydney FC in September.

ROSTER NOTES:

Sixth-year Samantha Dreiling and senior Nora Zelazny are Denver's captains for 2026.
- Dreiling was a co-captain in 2025. This will be Zelazny's first year as a co-captain.
S. Dreiling leads the roster in career matches played (63), matches started (52) and career minutes (3544).
S. Dreiling was granted a sixth year of eligibility via medical hardship waiver after missing her first two NCAA seasons with injury.
- The NCAA's new "five-in-five" age-based eligibility model allows student-athletes who were on rosters for 2025-26 to use either the new eligibility model or the old model – including redshirts – if it benefits the student-athlete, as is the case for S. Dreiling.
For the third season in a row, Denver has a set of sisters on the roster in S. Dreiling and Grace Dreiling.
- The duo is the fourth pair of sisters to play for Denver and the second to be on the roster at the same time.
- The Dreilings have played in the same match together 10 times – including six times so far in 2026 – and been on the pitch at the same time twice (including once in 2026 at Colorado on September 11).
Despite sharing a last name, freshmen Maeve Morgan and Reese Morgan are not related.
Sophomore Riley Jeffries calls Portland, Oregon, home.

HISTORY VS. PORTLAND:

This will be the 10^th meeting between Denver and Portland with the Pilots owning a 7-2-0 record entering Saturday's match.
The teams last played on September 8, 2019, in a 2-1 Portland win at home.
Portland's last trip to Denver was on September 26, 2015, in another 2-1 win for the Pilots, though this time coming in extra time.
In total, Portland has played twice previously in Denver: the 2015 meeting and then a 4-3 overtime win for DU on August 31, 2003.

SCOUTING THE PILOTS:

Portland holds a 1-2-1 record in West Coast Conference play thus far.
- All four of the Pilots' conference matches have been decided by one goal, including their 2-1 win over San Francisco on October 7.
- Including non-conference play, UP is 5-7-1 on the season.
- On the road, Portland holds a 2-5-0 record in 2026.
The Pilots' last match was October 10 at home against Saint Mary's, which ended in a 1-0 win for SMC.
Last year, Portland finished tied for second in the WCC table with 24 points and a 7-1-3 record.
Ruby Settle leads the UP team in goals (4) and points (8) while Tayvi Khann has the most assists (3).
In goal, Sophia Hills has started all 13 matches and has 45 saves on the season so far.
Portland head coach Michelle French has spent all nine of her seasons as an NCAA head coach with the Pilots, going 75-51-28.

WHAT'S NEXT:
Denver begins a two-match road trip on Saturday, October 24, with a trip to San Francisco before visiting LMU on Wednesday, October 28. The Pioneers will then return to University of Denver Soccer Stadium for the final time in 2026 to host Pacific on Saturday, October 31, at 3 p.m. MT.

TICKETS
Tickets for the 2026 season are now on sale and are available for purchase online or by visiting the Ritchie Center Box Office.

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