Thursday, August 20
Chicago, Ill.
3 p.m. MT
University of Denver
at
DePaul
Players Mentioned
Midfielder
/ Women's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Women's Soccer
Goalkeeper
/ Women's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Women's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Women's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Women's Soccer
Forward
/ Women's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Women's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Women's Soccer
Forward
/ Women's Soccer
Forward
/ Women's Soccer
Defender
/ Women's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Women's Soccer
Goalkeeper
/ Women's Soccer
Forward
/ Women's Soccer
Defender
/ Women's Soccer
Defender
/ Women's Soccer
Midfielder/Defender
/ Women's Soccer
Defender
/ Women's Soccer
Photo by: Leeann Albers
Denver Women’s Soccer Travels East for Thursday Match at DePaul
8/18/2026 12:55:00 PM | Women's Soccer
DU continues season-opening road stretch with first of two matches in Chicago area
WHO: Denver (0-1-0, 0-0-0 WCC) at DePaul (0-0-1, 0-0-0 BIG EAST)
WHAT: DU's first out-of-state match for 2026
WHERE: Wish Field (Chicago, Illinois)
WHEN: Thursday, August 20, at 4 p.m. CT/3 p.m. MT
LAST TIME OUT:
Denver finally started its 2026 campaign with its first of five scheduled in-state matches when it traveled to Colorado State on August 16, falling to the host Rams, 0-1, after going down to 10 players in the 67th minute.
The match sat scoreless after the first 45, but CSU scored what would be the match's only goal in the 70th minute off a redirection past sophomore Lucy Garnsey – three minutes after DU for freshman Keirra Venson was sent off for receiving a second yellow card.
Despite playing shorthanded for the final 23 minutes, Denver had the more convincing offensive changes and was mere inches from finding an equalizer from senior Shay Payne in the 76th minute when a run down the left side of the pitch ended with her shot ringing off the far post.
Sixth-year Samantha Dreiling also found the woodwork in the second half, sending a shot off the crossbar in the 48th minute and triggering a video review.
Sunday's match ended up becoming Denver's season opener after its scheduled first match of the year at Northern Colorado on August 13 was suspended in the 20th minute due to weather and field conditions.
QUICK HITS:
Denver wraps up its season-opening road stretch with a visit to Northwestern on Sunday, August 23, at 6:30 p.m. CT/5:30 p.m. MT.
DU will then finally host its home opener when it returns to Denver on Thursday, August 27, to host Colorado College at University of Denver Soccer Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. MT.
TICKETS
Tickets for the 2026 season are now on sale, starting at $79, and are available for purchase online or by visiting the Ritchie Center Box Office.
WHAT: DU's first out-of-state match for 2026
WHERE: Wish Field (Chicago, Illinois)
WHEN: Thursday, August 20, at 4 p.m. CT/3 p.m. MT
LAST TIME OUT:
Denver finally started its 2026 campaign with its first of five scheduled in-state matches when it traveled to Colorado State on August 16, falling to the host Rams, 0-1, after going down to 10 players in the 67th minute.
The match sat scoreless after the first 45, but CSU scored what would be the match's only goal in the 70th minute off a redirection past sophomore Lucy Garnsey – three minutes after DU for freshman Keirra Venson was sent off for receiving a second yellow card.
Despite playing shorthanded for the final 23 minutes, Denver had the more convincing offensive changes and was mere inches from finding an equalizer from senior Shay Payne in the 76th minute when a run down the left side of the pitch ended with her shot ringing off the far post.
Sixth-year Samantha Dreiling also found the woodwork in the second half, sending a shot off the crossbar in the 48th minute and triggering a video review.
Sunday's match ended up becoming Denver's season opener after its scheduled first match of the year at Northern Colorado on August 13 was suspended in the 20th minute due to weather and field conditions.
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.
- Head coach Julianne Sitch is in her fourth year in charge of the Pioneers.
- Thus far, she owns a 29-14-13 record.
- Sitch has registered a winning record in all three seasons at Denver including last year's 9-5-4 record.
- Eighteen Pioneers saw minutes in DU's season opener at Colorado State, eight of whom made the Denver debuts.
- Freshmen Reese Morgan, Caitlin Staats and Venson joined sophomore Garnsey in being part of the starting XI in what was their first official collegiate match.
- Freshman Jacqui Wilson and sophomores Riley Jeffries and Olivia Kroska entered as subs at CSU to also make their NCAA debuts.
- Sophomore transfer Camila Palacios made her first appearance for DU as well.
- For the second year in a row, Denver was scheduled to begin its season with four consecutive matches away from home.
- Prior to 2025, DU had not opened a season on the road since 2015.
- Thursday's match at DePaul and Sunday's coming match at Northwestern will be Denver's only matches outside of the Mountain and Pacific time zones.
- Two Pioneers have garnered preseason attention from Top Drawer Soccer in senior Liv Moritz and R. Morgan.
- Moritz was recognized as a TDS West Coast Conference Breakout Candidate in what will be her return season to the pitch after missing 2025 while pursuing an Olympic spot with Team USA in alpine skiing.
- R. Morgan, the 2026 Gatorade Colorado Player of the Year, was named by TDS as one of 10 of the winners singled out as players to watch. The freshman also earned a spot on the TDS Spring High School Best XI second team for her final season before joining Denver.
- Former DU starting goalkeeper Alina Santos signed her first professional contract in August, doing so with English club Southampton FC Women.
- Head coach Sitch will lead the Pioneers against her alma mater DePaul in Thursday's match.
- She remains the DePaul record holder for career points (90) and assists (26), and is also ranked third in the record book for career goals (32).
- A Chicago native, Sitch also played professionally for the Chicago Red Stars and held multiple coaching stints in her hometown.
- She began her coaching career at the University of Illinois Chicago as an assistant coach for the women's team in 2018.
- In the season before taking over in Denver, Sitch was the head coach for the 2022 University of Chicago men's program that went 22-0-1 on its way to winning the NCAA Division III national title.
- With the win at UChicago in 2022, Sitch became the first female head coach to lead a men's soccer program to an NCAA title.
- S. 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.
- Denver returns 14 to its roster including five starters from the 2025 postseason: defenders Annie Philbin, Luci Vincent and Zelazny; and midfielders S. Dreiling and Rowan LaPiano.
- Of DU's 14 returners, 13 saw playing time last season.
- The 14 returners combined for more than 9,700 minutes on the pitch in 2025.
- S. Dreiling and senior Alanna Raimondo lead the team's field players in career matches played, each at 52 following the season opener at CSU. Raimondo has the lead in minutes played (2907).
- 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 together four times and been on the pitch at the same time once (September 25, 2025, at North Dakota).
- Despite sharing a last name, freshmen Maeve Morgan and Reese Morgan are not related.
- Two Pioneers return to their home state during this week's road trip in Philbin (Northbrook, Illinois) and Zelazny (Wilmette, Illinois).
- This will be the first meeting between Denver and DePaul.
- DePaul is 0-0-1 entering Thursday match after posting a 2-2 draw in its season opener against Northern Illinois at home.
- Dory Latenser gave the Blue Demons the early lead in the 7th minute, but NIU eventually went up, 2-1, within the next 20 minutes.
- Mya Gardner scored an equalizer in the 51st minute in what would be the final goal scored in the match.
- Shayna da Silva joins Latenser and Gardner with a team-leading two points after having assists on both DePaul goals against NIU.
- The Blue Demons ranked 10th in the BIG EAST preseason poll, matching their final standing in the conference last year.
- Michele O'Brien is in her sixth year as DePaul's head coach.
- She owns a 25-50-15 record since taking over the role in 2021.
Denver wraps up its season-opening road stretch with a visit to Northwestern on Sunday, August 23, at 6:30 p.m. CT/5:30 p.m. MT.
DU will then finally host its home opener when it returns to Denver on Thursday, August 27, to host Colorado College at University of Denver Soccer Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. MT.
TICKETS
Tickets for the 2026 season are now on sale, starting at $79, and are available for purchase online or by visiting the Ritchie Center Box Office.
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