Men’s soccer wins conference title
In a press conference given last week, head hockey coach George Gwozdecky notified media members and DU fans about the condition of Jesse Martin, a senior center who suffered three fractures in his neck on Oct. 30 against North Dakota.
“Jesse’s an inspiration and we hope we’re an inspiration for Jesse,” said Gwozdecky.
Since, Martin’s status has been updated and he was scheduled to go into surgery yesterday.
In addition to parents, alumni and fans sending support, the men’s basketball coach Joe Scott and women’s basketball coach Erik Johnson sent their regards to Jesse and his family at the conference.
“We are one school and one university here,” said Scott. “And the basketball program feels that way about the hockey team. We hope he gets better and he is in our thoughts.”
Scott noted the Martin’s injury was unfortunate, but that it could enable the group to come together and something good come from the adversity the team faces now.
“It is obvious that life is more than about just basketball or just hockey,” said Johnson. “I have no doubt that George and his staff are doing a phenomanal job of taking care of Jesse and being there for him and his family.”
Gwozdecky and several other members associated, including associate head coach Steve Miller have visited to Minneapolis’ Region Hospital.
According to a report on 9NEWS, inside Martin’s hospital room is a hand written banner by alumni, fans and students that offer words of encouragement and praise.
“The outpouring of support, thoughts and prayers has been incredible,” said Gwozdecky.
Men’s soccer wins conference title
The men’s soccer team completed its turnaround when the Pioneers defeated conference and in-state foe Air Force 2-0 to win the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation regular season championship Saturday night.
Only a year after finishing with an overall record of 5-10-4, the Pioneers hold the No. 1 seed in this week’s MPSF conference tournament.
“To bounce back from where we were a year ago shows how much character and determination these players have,” said head coach Bobby Muuss.
Denver (9-5-4, 6-2-2 MPSF) was able to claim sole possession of the conference title after Cal State Bakersfield lost to Seattle on Sunday afternoon.
Earlier this season, the Pioneers stood at 2-2-1 in conference play, but have revived since winning four consecutive games heading into the postseason tournament.
With the No. 1 seed clinched, the Pioneers have a first round bye during the quarterfinals, which will be played Thursday in Sacramento, Calif.
“We are happy about it right now, but we have to focus on the conference tournament this week,” said Muuss.
The team looks to play the winner of the quarterfinal game between No. 4-seed Air Force and No. 5-seed Sacramento State on Friday afternoon. The Hornets are hosting the tournament this season.
Like DU, Cal State Bakersfield also has a bye and waits to play the winner of No. 3 New Mexico and No. 6 UNLV in the semifinals.
The winner of each semifinal game will play in the MPSF Championship game on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.
Next season, the Pioneers will host the MPSF Championship Tournament at CIBER Field.
Before last season’s poor performance, Muuss had coached the Pioneers to three consecutive 10-win seasons.
The teams’ juniors and seniors are the first classes in DU Division I history to have secured two conference titles during their tenure.
The Pioneers semi-final game will be played Friday at 3 p.m. MST.
