DU Men's Soccer Falls Short in Historic Postseason Run
Denver has now reached the College Cup twice under head coach Jamie Franks.
A chance to reach the first College Cup final appearance in program history slipped away from the University of Denver men’s soccer team as Vermont netted a late goal and—after two scoreless overtime periods—put away the game 4-3 on penalty kicks following a 1-1 draw in regulation.
One Pioneers penalty kick was saved by the opposing goalkeeper and another glanced off the crossbar and out to end what’s now tied for the deepest postseason run for the program.
Following numerous close calls in the first half, it was Sam Bassett’s cross from the left side 68 minutes into the game that broke the scoreless tie. An attempt to connect with a streaking Oje Ofunrein instead settled into the right side of the net. The score was Bassett’s second marker in an NCAA Tournament game and made him one of five players to accomplish that feat in a DU uniform. It was the culmination of decisively built momentum as the Pioneers held a 7-1 advantage in corner kicks and a 14-7 edge in shots to that point.
But with less than seven minutes remaining in regulation, Yaniv Bazani emerged behind the Pioneers’ defense to snuff DU’s early domination. He played a long lob off his chest and beat the goalkeeper one-on-one to force extra time.
Denver has now reached the College Cup twice under head coach Jamie Franks, losing in the semifinals beyond regulation both times. Franks remains one of the most successful coaches in college soccer with a 124-40-32 record and is the closest person to winning a DI championship as both a player (Wake Forest, 2007) and coach in the modern NCAA era.
