In a rematch of the 2021 Summit League semifinal, the Denver men’s soccer team faced the Kansas City Roos at home on Saturday. Ending in a 1-1 draw, senior forward Kengo Ohira (Tokyo, Japan) recorded his first goal of the season and 11th of his Crimson & Gold career while freshman goalkeeper Isaac Nehme (Colorado Springs, Colo.) ended the match with five stellar saves to maintain the tie. 

In a tightly contested first half, Denver and Kansas City battled for offensive momentum. A powerful shot on goal from junior defender Ronan Wynne (Auckland, New Zealand) forced an early effort from the Roos goalkeeper who pushed it just wide of the post. Nehme recorded his first save of the match eight minutes later, diving to the left to pick a ball out of the top corner. 

The teams appeared equally matched for the majority of the half until a stellar display of Denver teamwork and offensive power allowed the Crimson and Gold to record the first goal of the game with four minutes remaining. Senior midfielder Eli Mereness (Centennial, Colo.) switched the ball to sophomore forward Oje Ofunrein (Round Rock, Texas) who laid it off to Ohira just below the centerline. Ohira, with his signature speed, managed to split two defenders just at the top of the box, outracing a third Roo defender and placing his shot with power and precision into the upper far right post.

The Roos managed a quick comeback only two minutes later after a misjudged clearance by sophomore defender Jason Belloli (Geneva, Ill.) deflected off a Roo forward into the back of the net. 

Denver dominated the second half, putting high pressure on the Roo backline with a recorded nine shots and seven corner kicks. An early shot on goal from defender Dylan Akau (Kapolei, Hawai’i) ended up just wide of the left post, but DU maintained the high intensity, frustrating the Roos, who earned two yellow cards in the game. 

A near goal in the 69th minute from graduate student defender Jake Mecham (Las Vegas, Nev.) almost allowed Denver to pull away with the win in dramatic fashion. Despite clear offensive pressure and subsequent shots from Mecham, senior midfielder Aidan O’Toole (The Hills, Texas), freshman midfielder Holger Olsson (Stockholm, Sweden) and sophomore midfielder Sam Bassett (Littleton, Colo.), Denver was unable to convert their attempts into a winning score over the Roos. 

The Denver defense was tested in the final five minutes of the game as Nehme made a spectacular one-on-one save after a Kansas City forward sprinted past the surprised DU backline. Minutes later, a last-ditch effort for DU on a corner kick nearly allowed the Roos to score on a counterattack as Nehme recorded his fifth and final save of the evening.

Denver and Kansas City are now tied for third in Summit League, each with four matches remaining in the season. As the first of four upcoming Summit League matches, the Crimson & Gold will host a midweek matchup against Southern Indiana on Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. before returning on the road to Eastern Illinois and Lindenwood.