Earlier this week, the NCAA gave clearance for schools to bring football and basketball players back to practice on campus on June 1st. In the wake of the NCAA’s announcement, the Joint Council of the Summit League, which is made up of school athletic directors and senior woman administrators, recently agreed to keep the current conference schedules, tournament qualifier criteria, and tournament structure in place for the upcoming school year despite the crippling financial implications of COVID-19 across the country. That means that eight teams will continue to qualify for the Sioux Falls basketball tournament which determines the Summit League representative for the NCAA tournament. Continue reading Summit League Announces 2020-2021 Plans
Category Archives: Men’s Soccer
NCAA Delays Vote on Extended Soccer Season
A proposal to move men’s college soccer to a split season beginning in the 2022-2023 season was put on hold along with nearly 60 other NCAA proposals and reforms because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Continue reading NCAA Delays Vote on Extended Soccer Season
Business Continues During Shutdown of Athletics
- David Carle has completed his incoming freshman class – and still no official word as to whether Ian Mitchell will be departing before his senior season, though it is still all but a given that he will sign with the Chicago Blackhawks. The incoming class includes two 2019 NHL Draftees in D Antti Tuomisto, Assat U20 (Finland) 2nd round pick (35th overall) of the Detroit Red Wings and F McKade Webster, Green Bay Gamblers (USHL) 7th round draft pick (213 overall) of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The remaining three members are F Connor Caponi, Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL) from Brookfield, Wisconsin, D Reid Irwin, Sherwood Park Crusaders (AJHL), from Victoria, B.C, and D Josh Luedtke, Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL) from Minnetonka, MN. We will have more on this incoming class later this year in our annual season preview.
Continue reading Business Continues During Shutdown of Athletics
Pioneers Support Vote to Extend College Soccer Season
A new proposal discussed at recent NCAA meetings would reduce the college soccer regular-season schedule – for both the men and women – from 25 to 23 total matches but would expand the campaign across the entire school year. The first half would consist of 13 games in the fall and end around Thanksgiving before picking back up in the spring with nine more matches. In DU’s case, non-conference games would likely be held in the fall and conference matches and championships would be held in the spring. The College Cup would fall between lacrosse’s Championship Weekend which coincides with Memorial Day and baseball’s College World Series. Three exhibitions would be spread around the year, as opposed to the current setup of five meaningless exhibition games all set in the spring offseason. Continue reading Pioneers Support Vote to Extend College Soccer Season
Coach George Gwozdecky Headlines DU’s 2020 Hall of Fame Class Induction Event
DU has formally announced its 2020 Athletic Hall of Fame inductees.
The ceremony will feature a return to campus by hockey head coach George Gwozdecky, one of Denver’s greatest coaches, who led DU to a pair of national championships, multiple NCAA appearances and an imposing 443-267-64 record in 19 years with the Pioneers between 1994 and 2013. The evening is sure to be a special one as ‘Coach Gwoz’ finally gets some of the eternal recognition that he so richly deserves as a legend in the Pioneer family. Continue reading Coach George Gwozdecky Headlines DU’s 2020 Hall of Fame Class Induction Event
Collegiate Soccer is at a Scheduling Crossroads
Photo: Courtesy of FourFourTwo
An old college paradigm has college soccer teams playing multiple games a week in a packed fall schedule resulting in injuries and decreased playing quality as top players flee the collegiate soccer model for the pros.
Unlike the rest of the soccer world, which plays once a week nearly year-round, college soccer funnels all of its games into a tight, four-month span between September and December, with many teams playing three games a week. The result is more player injuries, additional fatigue, extensive weekly travel, and academic hardship on student-athletes. The short season also forces the best part of the season (and postseason) into freezing weather in many parts of the country, which reduces spectator interest. Continue reading Collegiate Soccer is at a Scheduling Crossroads
University of Denver Athletics’ Decade in Review: Top 10 Moments of the Decade
In 2010, when the decade began, the University of Denver was known primarily as a hockey school, supplemented by many NCAA ski titles. Continue reading University of Denver Athletics’ Decade in Review: Top 10 Moments of the Decade
MSU Wears Down Denver in NCAA Playoff Win, 1-0
A 30-minute rain delay and soggy field met the Denver Pioneers Thursday night at Betty and Bobby Allison South Stadium in Springfield, Missouri. The first half was a defensive affair between the Denver Pioneers and the Missouri State Bears. Denver tried to attack down the middle of the field with long runs from Preston Judd. Missouri State worked their offense from the wings and launched kicks into the box. Most of the half, Denver packed the defensive end, content to make long forays into Bear territory. Neither team could score a goal with the Bears earning the best opportunity to score at 30:02. MSU’s Jack Denton fired a shot from the top of the box low right and Denver’s keeper Will Palmquist made a sliding save. The Bears had 5 shots and 3 shots-on-goal while Denver could only muster 3 shots for the half. Continue reading MSU Wears Down Denver in NCAA Playoff Win, 1-0
Denver to Battle Tough Missouri State Side in Tonight’s NCAA First-Round Match
Photo Courtesy Missouri State Athletics
As the only undefeated soccer squad in Division I, it was time for #12 Missouri State Bears to flash the disrespect card. The Bears’ head coach, Jon Learny, following the NCAA Tournament selection show Monday, did little to brush off the frustration of losing a first-round bye when he told the Springfield-News Leader, “A bunch of suits in Indianapolis determine this crap, not us,” Jon Leamy said. “We play games and that’s what we like to do. We’ll go anywhere at any time to play. Teams need to play each other and that’s how we find out who’s best.” Continue reading Denver to Battle Tough Missouri State Side in Tonight’s NCAA First-Round Match
DU Men’s Soccer to face Missouri State in NCAA First Round
Photo credit: Jason Evans
The University of Denver men’s soccer team, champions of the Summit League, travel to Springfield, Missouri Thursday, November 21st to face Missouri State University. Continue reading DU Men’s Soccer to face Missouri State in NCAA First Round