The Pioneers hosted Eastern Illinois University on Saturday afternoon at Ciber Field for both teams’ first conference matchup. Neither team was able to get on the scoreboard, and Denver now sits in fifth place in the Summit League with a 1-5-2 record.

Despite not scoring a goal, the Pioneers had some success putting pressure on the Panther defense. Junior forward Preston Judd (Henderson, Nev.) led the team with seven shots, and junior midfielder Jacob Stensson (Stolkholm, Sweden) followed with four. Denver outshot Eastern Illinois 27-3 and forced Panthers goalkeeper Jonathan Burke into eight saves. The Eastern Illinois offense never got a break with pressure from the Denver defense, with no corner kicks or successful scoring attempts. Denver held possession over the ball for well over 60 percent of the game. Twelve of Denver’s shots came in the second half, and the Pioneers did not allow a single shot in either overtime period.

Denver took all ten shots of extra time, most notably an attempted header from junior forward Josh Drack (Chandler, Ariz.) that ricocheted off the goal post.

There were two ejections for unsportsmanlike conduct from the Panthers, coming from defender Delphy Sabu at 40:26 and midfielder/forward Davi Girardi towards the end of the game at 86:34. On the Pioneers, Judd received a yellow card at 66:41.

Denver will face another Panther team on Monday, this time at the University of Pittsburgh. The Pioneers will then return home to host the University of the Pacific on Sunday, Oct. 6th before heading on a four-game road trip.