DU Men’s soccer had gone two years without losing a single regular-season game. This season was off to a rough start with three losses and a 3-3 record. But their luck (and mindset) changed Friday night when DU met and defeated U.C. Davis 3-0.

After 1,034 days off the field, 2014 University of Denver leading goal scorer appeared on the scoresheet to kickstart the Denver victory. Senior Ecic Kronenberg (Boulder, Colo.) had been benched both 2015 and 2016 seasons with separate knee injuries.

“When the ball went into the back of the net, it was one of those blackout moments,” Kronenberg said. “It was pure joy. Going to the bench after the goal and seeing the entire team as excited as I was is a moment that I will remember forever. After two years of grinding through injuries, that moment is going to stay with me.”

Kronenberg had only been in the game for three minutes when he scored from the top of the box.

“I love [Kronenberg], I recruited him, and I believe in him,” Head Coach, Jamie Franks said. “To watch his resiliency and his growth in the last three years, it’s a special moment for me as a coach. To watch how hard he worked, and how much support and love he got from Matt Shaw and Michael Eckert and everyone else. It’s a special moment.”

Kronenberg now has 11 goals to his DU career, all being scored as a substitute. This stat pushes the redshirt senior into sixth in game-winning goals in Denver’s Division 1 history.

Co-captain, senior Alex Underwood (Winnetka, Ill.) and junior striker, Andre Shinyashki (Sao Paulo, Brazil) added second half goals to finish the game 3-0. Co-captain, senior Graham Smith (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) assisted all three goals of the night.

Denver continued their 8-game stretch of home games with game six against Saint Mary’s on Sunday night. Denver lost 1-0 and Head Coach Franks was not happy with their performance.

“That’s our fourth loss to a team that hasn’t even taken more than seven shots on us,” Franks said, “at the end of the day we didn’t want to win the game.”

DU heads to Saint Louis this week on Tuesday, and will head to Washington on Saturday to face the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Their next home game is October 7, when they face Eastern Illinois in our home University of Denver  Soccer Stadium.