Sunday, August 23
Evanston, Ill.
5:30 p.m. MT
University of Denver
at
Northwestern
Players Mentioned
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
Midfielder
/ 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
Midfielder/Defender
/ Women's Soccer
Defender
/ Women's Soccer
Photo by: Leeann Albers
Denver Women’s Soccer Continues Chicago Road Trip at Northwestern
8/21/2026 1:03:00 PM | Women's Soccer
DU finishes up season-opening three-match road stretch on Sunday evening
WHO: Denver (0-2-0, 0-0-0 WCC) at Northwestern (0-2-0, 0-0-0 Big Ten)
WHAT: DU's last of a three-match road trip
WHERE: Martin Stadium (Evanston, Illinois)
WHEN: Sunday, August 23, at 6:30 p.m. CT/5:30 p.m. MT
LAST TIME OUT:
Denver played its first match outside of the state of Colorado on Thursday, visiting DePaul for a first-time meeting against the Blue Demons but falling in a 1-2 decision that saw all three goals scored in the second half.
DePaul opened the scoring in the 47th after converting a penalty kick. About five and a half minutes later, senior Kera Nguyen headed the ball into the back of the net for Denver's first goal of the season and the second of her career. Sophomore Camila Palacios had the assist on Nguyen's goal, the first of her career and her first point as a Pioneer.
The match remained tied until the 68th minute when DePaul found the eventual game winner.
Denver out shot DePaul, 9-6, including 8-4 in the second half. Sophomore Lucy Garnsey made three more saves, highlighted by a fingertip clearance over her cross bar in the first half, bring her total to eight through her first two collegiate matches.
QUICK HITS:
DU finally hosts 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.
It is scheduled to be the first of back-to-back home matches for Denver as the Pioneers are set next to host Montana on Sunday, September 6, at 1 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 last of a three-match road trip
WHERE: Martin Stadium (Evanston, Illinois)
WHEN: Sunday, August 23, at 6:30 p.m. CT/5:30 p.m. MT
LAST TIME OUT:
Denver played its first match outside of the state of Colorado on Thursday, visiting DePaul for a first-time meeting against the Blue Demons but falling in a 1-2 decision that saw all three goals scored in the second half.
DePaul opened the scoring in the 47th after converting a penalty kick. About five and a half minutes later, senior Kera Nguyen headed the ball into the back of the net for Denver's first goal of the season and the second of her career. Sophomore Camila Palacios had the assist on Nguyen's goal, the first of her career and her first point as a Pioneer.
The match remained tied until the 68th minute when DePaul found the eventual game winner.
Denver out shot DePaul, 9-6, including 8-4 in the second half. Sophomore Lucy Garnsey made three more saves, highlighted by a fingertip clearance over her cross bar in the first half, bring her total to eight through her first two collegiate matches.
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 29-15-13 record.
- Sitch has registered a winning record in all three seasons at Denver including last year's 9-5-4 record.
- Nineteen Pioneers have seen minutes in through DU's first two matches, eight of whom have made their Denver debuts.
- Freshmen Reese Morgan, Caitlin Staats and Keirra Venson joined sophomore Garnsey in being part of the starting XI in what was their first official collegiate match at Colorado State.
- Freshman Jacqui Wilson and sophomores Riley Jeffries and Olivia Kroska entered as subs at CSU to also make their NCAA debuts.
- Kroska backed up her first collegiate appearance at Colorado State as a starter at DePaul and played the full 90 minutes
- Sophomore transfer Camila Palacios made her first appearance for DU as well in the opener at CSU.
- 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.
- Denver will officially only play three of the four scheduled matches in its season-opening road trip after its originally-scheduled season opener at Northern Colorado on August 13 was suspended in the 20th minute due to weather and field conditions. A potential reschedule date has not yet been determined.
- This week's matches at DePaul and Northwestern will be Denver's only matches outside of the Mountain and Pacific time zones.
- This will be Denver's second consecutive match against a first-time opponent after DU had not previously faced DePaul until Thursday and will play against Northwestern for the first time on Sunday.
- 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 is returning to her home town with DU's matches this week, beginning by leading the Pioneers against her alma mater DePaul on Thursday.
- 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).
- The Chicago native 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, 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 53 following the match at DePaul. S. Dreiling has the lead in minutes played (2953).
- 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 six times – including both matches so far in 2026 – 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 Northwestern
- Northwestern is 0-2-0 entering Sunday's match following its 0-1 loss to Syracuse in its home opener on Thursday, August 20.
- The match looked to be headed for a scoreless result until SU's Abby Incorvia scored with 58 seconds remaining.
- NU's lone goal of 2026 thus far belongs to Holland Carey, who scored in the 90th minute to prevent a shutout at Virginia on August 12.
- The Blue Demons were picked in the middle of the 2026 Big Ten Women's Soccer Preseason Poll, coming in at No. 8.
- Keira Kemmerley, Megan Norkett and Kennedy Roesch earned Big Ten Players to Watch nods while Roesch also picked up a watchlist honor from United Soccer Coaches and the newly-founded IWSOC.
- Michael Moynihan is in his 15th season as head coach at Northwestern and his 30th career season as an NCAA head coach.
- He is 129-105-43 at NU and 322-189-81 overall.
DU finally hosts 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.
It is scheduled to be the first of back-to-back home matches for Denver as the Pioneers are set next to host Montana on Sunday, September 6, at 1 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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