For the first time since 2018, the University of Denver men’s soccer team is at the pinnacle of a national collegiate poll.
DU was named the No. 1 team in the Top Drawer Soccer rankings on Monday after starting the season unbeaten in their first seven games. The team will find out how they fare in the main major poll, the United States Coaches Poll, when it is released Tuesday afternoon. They are currently No. 2 in the poll behind West Virginia University.
The season has gotten off to one of the best starts in program history, 4-0-3, despite having one of the hardest schedules in the country.
The Crimson and Gold have gone 2-0-2 in games against ranked opponents this season and 2-0-3 against teams in the power-four conferences (ACC, BIG10, SEC and Big 12). To make it even more difficult, Denver has done all of that while playing only on the road.
Denver has already beaten or tied the No. 2, 6, 9 and 22 teams in the country during their seven-game start. Their hardest test came during their second game of the year on Aug. 26 against No. 2 Stanford and DU came away with a 1-0 win.
Denver’s schedule for the rest of the season looks promising as eight of the remaining 11 matches are against conference opponents. During preseason, DU was picked to be the favorite to win the Summit League for the third straight season in a row.
Their toughest test for the remainder of the season will likely be on the road against the University of Pittsburgh, a team currently ranked No. 5 in the Top Drawer Soccer poll. The match is scheduled for Oct. 7 and DU will look to avenge their 3-1 loss from last year’s meeting with the Panthers.
The Crimson and Gold also finally returned to Ciber Field for their home opener on Saturday and a record fan turnout of over 1,800 saw a 4-1 victory over Yale University.
Senior midfielder Sam Bassett recorded his first brace of the season after burying both a penalty shot and a nice feed into the box in the first half. Bassett leads the team in goals so far this season (4) and also leads in assists (5).
Redshirt sophomore forward Bryce Willoughby netted his second goal of the season just a minute before Bassett’s second goal in the first half. Senior forward Oje Ofunrein slotted away a header at the 79-minute mark, his third of the year.
Junior goalkeeper Isaac Nehme let the only shot on goal he faced against the Bulldogs in the back of the net but has continued to be the solid keeper he has been over the last two seasons. Starting all seven games this season, Nehme has made 13 saves and is the anchor of a solid DU defense that has only given up a goal per game.
DU will stay at home for their next five matches and has two slated matchups at the DU Soccer Stadium this week. They will take on the University of Portland on Thursday night and a ranked Seattle University squad on Sunday night.
