Thursday, September 17
Denver, Colo.
7 p.m. MT
University of Denver
vs
Air Force
Players Mentioned
Midfielder
/ Women's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Women's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Women's Soccer
Goalkeeper
/ Women's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Women's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Women's Soccer
Midfielder/Defender
/ Women's Soccer
Forward
/ Women's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Women's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Women's Soccer
Forward
/ Women's Soccer
Defender
/ Women's Soccer
Goalkeeper
/ Women's Soccer
Defender
/ Women's Soccer
Midfielder/Defender
/ Women's Soccer
Defender
/ Women's Soccer
Photo by: Sophie Hamill/Denver Athletics
Denver Women’s Soccer Hosts Non-Conference Finale Against Air Force
9/15/2026 2:41:00 PM | Women's Soccer
DU set for fifth match against in-state opponent on Thursday at 7 p.m. MT
WHO: Denver (1-4-2, 0-0-0 WCC) vs. Air Force (4-2-0, 0-0-0 Mountain West)
WHAT: DU's non-conference finale
WHERE: University of Denver Soccer Stadium (Denver, Colorado)
WHEN: Thursday, September 17, at 7 p.m. MT
MATCH PROMOTIONS:
As part of "Throwback Thursday" night, DU and its partner Pepsi will be giving away clear fanny packs to University of Denver students in attendance.
LAST TIME OUT:
Denver hit the road for the last time in non-conference play, visiting another in-state opponent in then-No. 19/10 Colorado on September 11 where the Buffs came away with a 6-0 win off three goals in each half.
The Pioneers made 11 saves on the night – 10 of which game from goalkeeper Lucy Garnsey, who doubled her previous personal best for a single match and wrote herself into the Denver NCAA Division I record books with a tie for the fifth most saves in a single game. Junior Kit Mooney gave DU its 11th save, credited as a team save, with a block inside the six-yard box midway through the second half.
QUICK HITS:
Denver begins its inaugural West Coast Conference schedule when it hosts Saint Mary's on Saturday, September 26, at 7 p.m. MT at University of Denver Soccer Stadium
TICKETS
Single-match and season tickets for the 2026 season are now on sale and are available for purchase online or by visiting the Ritchie Center Box Office.
WHAT: DU's non-conference finale
WHERE: University of Denver Soccer Stadium (Denver, Colorado)
WHEN: Thursday, September 17, at 7 p.m. MT
MATCH PROMOTIONS:
As part of "Throwback Thursday" night, DU and its partner Pepsi will be giving away clear fanny packs to University of Denver students in attendance.
LAST TIME OUT:
Denver hit the road for the last time in non-conference play, visiting another in-state opponent in then-No. 19/10 Colorado on September 11 where the Buffs came away with a 6-0 win off three goals in each half.
The Pioneers made 11 saves on the night – 10 of which game from goalkeeper Lucy Garnsey, who doubled her previous personal best for a single match and wrote herself into the Denver NCAA Division I record books with a tie for the fifth most saves in a single game. Junior Kit Mooney gave DU its 11th save, credited as a team save, with a block inside the six-yard box midway through the second half.
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 30-17-15 record.
- Seven Pioneers have at least one point in 2026 so far with Nguyen leading the team with four off her team-best two goals.
- Five of the seven 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.
- Staats' assist versus Montana was her second in as many matches and has her tied for the second most points on the team.
- Twenty one Pioneers have seen minutes in through DU's first six matches, eight of whom have made their Denver debuts.
- Freshmen Reese Morgan, Staats and Keirra Venson joined sophomore Lucy 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 Kroska entered as subs at CSU to also make their NCAA debuts.
- Thursday marks Denver's final non-conference match of the season before the Pioneers begin their inaugural WCC season on Saturday, September 26, against Saint Mary's.
- DU's two matches against Air Force and Saint Mary's mark the team's longest home stand of the year.
- With Thursday's match, DU will have faced all five of its fellow NCAA Division I women's programs in the state of Colorado.
- Denver has made trips to Colorado State, Northern Colorado and Colorado, and has also hosted Colorado College.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 leads the roster in matches played (58), matches started (47) and career minutes (3253).
- 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 nine times – including five 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.
- Eleven of Denver's 27 student-athletes call Colorado home.
- Denver and Air Force have played 10 times previously including in last year's season opener at AFA where DU posted a 2-1 win.
- This will be the sixth time the teams have met in Denver with DU owning a 5-0-0 record through the first five meetings.
- DU has won the last three matches and seven of its last eight against Air Force.
- The Falcons last made the trip to Denver on August 19, 2021, in what would finish as a 5-0 win for the Pioneers.
- After playing in each of DU's first four seasons as an NCAA Division I program, Denver and Air Force have met sparingly over the years, going as many as seven years in between matches.
- Air Force sits at 4-2-0 to begin the 2026 season.
- The Falcons are coming off 1-2 loss at Northern Colorado on September 10 where Maddy Walsh scored in the 80th minute to cut into UNC's two-goal lead, but Air Force was unable to complete the comeback.
- UNC is a common opponent between Denver and Air Force for 2026. DU earned a 1-1 draw also on the road at Northern Colorado in a match that began on August 13 and finished on August 30 following a suspension of play due to weather and field conditions.
- Both DU and AFA were also scheduled to play Montana, though the Falcons' match against the Griz was canceled due to weather. Denver earned a 2-0 shutout win against Montana.
- Walsh owns the team lead in goals (4) and points (9), though Annika Jost has two of the Falcons' four game winners.
- Air Force, too, is in its final week of non-conference play but will return home for one more match against Eastern Washington on September 20 before beginning its Mountain West schedule on September 24.
- Air Force head coach Laura Busby is in her 5th season at the USAFA.
- She holds a 30-35-14 record with the Falcons so far and is 31-62-18 in her head coaching career.
Denver begins its inaugural West Coast Conference schedule when it hosts Saint Mary's on Saturday, September 26, at 7 p.m. MT at University of Denver Soccer Stadium
TICKETS
Single-match and season 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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Sunday, September 06
Sunday, September 06
Sunday, September 06
Sunday, September 06
