Sunday, September 6
Denver, Colo.
1 p.m. MT
University of Denver
vs
Montana
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
Midfielder
/ Women's Soccer
Forward
/ Women's Soccer
Defender
/ 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: Justin Tafoya/Clarkson Creative Photography
Denver Women’s Soccer Hosts Montana on Sunday
9/4/2026 11:37:00 AM | Women's Soccer
DU set for season’s second home match during Labor Day Weekend
WHO: Denver (0-3-2, 0-0-0 WCC) vs. Montana (2-3-0, 0-0-0 Big Sky)
WHAT: DU's second home match of 2026
WHERE: University of Denver Soccer Stadium (Denver, Colorado)
WHEN: Sunday, September 6, at 1 p.m. MT
MATCH PROMOTIONS:
DU will celebrate "Sunday Fun Day" with a tie dye rally towel station where fans can create their own towel.
Sunday will also be the first of two opportunities for fans to meet the team and get autographs after the match.
LAST TIME OUT:
Denver resumed its weather-delayed match at Northern Colorado on August 30, finishing in a 1-1 draw for the team's second consecutive tie. For the fourth time in 2026, DU entered halftime in a scoreless tie, but UNC found the match's opening goal in the 59th minute. Sophomore Olivia Kroska pulled Denver level in the 75th minute, knocking home a free kick that was served by senior Luci Vincent and then redirected inside the box by freshman Caitlin Staats.
QUICK HITS:
Denver hits the road for the final time in its non-conference schedule with a trip to Colorado on Friday, September 11, at 7 p.m. MT. DU will then return home for its non-conference finale against another in-state opponent when it hosts Air Force on Thursday, September 17, at 7 p.m. MT.
TICKETS
Tickets for the 2026 season are now on sale, starting at $69, and are available for purchase online or by visiting the Ritchie Center Box Office.
WHAT: DU's second home match of 2026
WHERE: University of Denver Soccer Stadium (Denver, Colorado)
WHEN: Sunday, September 6, at 1 p.m. MT
MATCH PROMOTIONS:
DU will celebrate "Sunday Fun Day" with a tie dye rally towel station where fans can create their own towel.
Sunday will also be the first of two opportunities for fans to meet the team and get autographs after the match.
LAST TIME OUT:
Denver resumed its weather-delayed match at Northern Colorado on August 30, finishing in a 1-1 draw for the team's second consecutive tie. For the fourth time in 2026, DU entered halftime in a scoreless tie, but UNC found the match's opening goal in the 59th minute. Sophomore Olivia Kroska pulled Denver level in the 75th minute, knocking home a free kick that was served by senior Luci Vincent and then redirected inside the box by freshman Caitlin Staats.
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 29-16-15 record.
- Sitch has registered a winning record in all three seasons at Denver including last year's 9-5-4 record.
- DU is 17-8-1 during Labor Day weekend including 11-1-0 at home.
- This is the fourth consecutive year that DU has hosted a match during Labor Day weekend, going 3-0-0 over the previous three seasons.
- Five Pioneers have at least one point in 2026 so far with senior Kera Nguyen and Kroska leading with two apiece.
- Kroska's are the first of her NCAA career after scoring her first collegiate goal at Northern Colorado.
- Staats also recorded her first collegiate point with her assist on Kroska's goal at UNC.
- Both Denver goals scored in 2026 were second-half equalizers.
- Denver outshot Northern Colorado, 20-6, and put a season-high 14 shots on target in the match.
- It was DU's most shot attempts since also having 20 on September 28, 2025, at North Dakota State.
- The 14 shots on goal were Denver's most since October 27, 2019, against Purdue Fort Wayne (also 14 shots on goal).
- Denver's shot margin of +14 against UNC was its largest since October 24, 2024, against South Dakota State (also +14).
- DU allowed a season-low one shot on target to Northern Colorado, its fewest by an opponent since October 2, 2025, against Kansas City (also one shot on target).
- It was also the fewest shots allowed to an opponent on the road since September 12, 2024, at Colorado State (also one).
- Twenty Pioneers have seen minutes in through DU's first four 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.
- 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. In subsequent matches, she posted her first career assist at DePaul and then made her first career start at Northwestern.
- 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.
- 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 (56), matches started (45) and career minutes (3152).
- 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 seven times – including three times 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.
- Eleven of Denver's 27 student-athletes call Colorado home.
- This will be the third meeting between Denver and Montana with each team earning one win across the previous two meetings.
- Both previous meetings have been in Denver, most recently a 1-0 win for Montana on August 28, 2016.
- Denver won the first meeting against Montana, posting a 2-0 victory at home on September 5, 2008.
- Montana is 2-3-0 having won its most recent two matches, both at home.
- The Griz most recently earned a 2-1 win against MSU Billings on August 30.
- The Grizzlies were scheduled to play at Air Force on September 3 but had the match canceled due to weather.
- Montana's second match of the year was against one of Denver's West Coast Conference foes in Seattle on August 20 (a 0-4 loss for Montana).
- Elli Lewis leads the team with two goals and four points.
- The team's lone assist on the year belongs to Liv Thorne-Thomsen.
- Megan Wilson-Sofield had the most shots by a Grizzly, sitting at 16 entering the week.
- Montana head coach Stuart Gore is in his first season with the Griz.
- He is 141-56-20 in his collegiate head coaching career including 39-38-14 at the NCAA Division I level.
Denver hits the road for the final time in its non-conference schedule with a trip to Colorado on Friday, September 11, at 7 p.m. MT. DU will then return home for its non-conference finale against another in-state opponent when it hosts Air Force on Thursday, September 17, at 7 p.m. MT.
TICKETS
Tickets for the 2026 season are now on sale, starting at $69, and are available for purchase online or by visiting the Ritchie Center Box Office.
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