Denver men’s soccer is preparing for the Summit League Championships and the NCAA tournament after earning the Summit League regular season title on Oct. 31 and securing a record of 12-0-3.
The Pios, who are ranked No. 7 in the nation according to the College Soccer News Poll, traveled for their last regular season match on Saturday Nov. 7 where the Pios defeated Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) 1-0.
The victory marked the first time in school history that Denver has gone undefeated in regular season play.
Denver will return to CIBER Field this weekend to host the Summit League Championships.
Depending on the outcome, Denver could advance to the Summit League Final at 3 p.m. on Nov. 14.
The Pios are looking to capture their third Summit League Championship after triumphing over Western Illinois in 2013 and 2014.
Denver remains the sole, unbeaten team for the 2015 season and the Pios’ 27-match home unbeaten streak continues as the longest active streak in the country as well as the 13th longest in NCAA history.
“Everyone is positive, everyone is friends with each other, [we] get along quite well and then when things don’t go well, [we] are actually a tight group and [we] stick together staying positive,” said senior captain, Jordan Schweitzer (Everett, Washington).
Schweitzer’s final ride as a Pioneer has been eventful to say the least, but with the Summit League Championships and the much anticipated NCAA tournament remaining, nerves are running high for Schweitzer.
“This is when the season starts to get fun and we’ve worked so hard for this part of the year,” said Schweitzer.
Pioneer head coach, Jamie Franks, is currently the youngest head coach in the NCAA at 29 years old. In his own collegiate career, Franks won a National Championship title with Wake Forest University in 2007, so Denver will be in good hands as they embark on their journey for a NCAA title.
Last year, the Pioneers fell to the Oregon State University Beavers 1-0 in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
2015 will mark Denver’s 6th appearance in school history at the NCAA tournament, which according to Schweitzer, is what the team has been keeping in the back of their minds since preseason training over the summer.
Denver’s next home match for the Summit League Championships is on Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. on CIBER Field, where the No. 1 seeded Pios will play No. 4 seeded Western Illinois University Bulldogs.
