The second-seeded Crimson and Gold faced off against the fourth-seeded Kansas City Roos on Saturday in a competitive Summit League Final. Searching for their eighth Summit League tournament title, Denver ultimately won the game with a convincing 3-0 score.
Heading into the game on Saturday, the Crimson and Gold had not lost a match since September 20, when they fell 2-1 against Oregon State. This season, Denver registered a 6-0-2 Summit League record and a 12-2-5 season record.
Denver started off strong, applying intense pressure on the Roos backline. Just four minutes into the game, an early set piece ended in a goal, later ruled offside, for senior midfielder Eli Mereness (Centennial, Colo.) who volleyed it into the far right post.
The Crimson and Gold continued to outwork the Roos, winning every 50/50 challenge and seamlessly connecting passes to maintain their offensive pressure. Denver had its most dangerous play in the 14th minute as solid defensive work by junior defender Ronan Wynne (Auckland, New Zealand) culminated as a shot just wide of the goal by senior forward Griffin Meyer (Cleveland Heights, Ohio).
Denver recorded 12 shots in the first half as redshirt freshman Ian Smith (Littleton, Colo.), freshman midfielder Holger Olsson (Stockholm, Sweden) and freshman defender Dylan Akau (Kapolei, Hawai’i) each tested the Roos’ keeper. Seconds after subbing in, Olsson recorded his first touch on the ball with a cheeky no-look volley which went just over the crossbar in the 22nd minute.
Smith had a solid first half offensively with several attempts on goal. In the 16th minute, his shot went just over the far post, and his attempted header in the 24th minute earned Denver a corner kick which he also nearly slotted into the near post. Minutes later, Smith managed to out-skill three Roo defenders for a shot that sailed just over the crossbar.
Denver’s first goal of the game finally materialized in the 41st minute as graduate student midfielder Liam Johnson (Golden, Colo.) recorded a powerful header, slotting it past both the Roos keeper and left back. Battling through injury for most of the season, the goal marked Johnson’s first of 2022.
Just minutes later, a low cross by graduate student defender Jake Mecham (Las Vegas, Nev.) nearly recorded the second goal of the match as both Smith and Olsson were just inches from getting a touch on the ball.
The second half was relatively less action-packed as both teams looked to settle down and play a possession-based game. While the teams appeared equally matched at the start, Denver recorded two goals in the span of five minutes later in the half. Smith chipped a ball over the Roos backline, allowing Meyer to nail a header past the Roos’ keeper. Minutes later, sophomore defender Trevor Wright (Castle Rock, Colo.) slotted a through ball to Meyer with pinpoint accuracy, splitting the Roos backline and allowing Meyer to slide it into the lower right post.
Marking their 12th shutout of the season, the Crimson and Gold clearly dominated with 20 shots to Kansas City’s 2 shots. Denver now faces off against San Diego in the first round of the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship Tournament on Nov. 17.
