Denver 2-2 UC Santa Barbara

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. –The [RV/-] University of Denver men’s soccer team scored a pair of early second-half goals and drew with [19/9] UC Santa Barbara on Friday night at the UNM Soccer Complex.

“In the first 45 minutes, I thought we were great in possession but lacked the killer instinct and gave up an early goal from a cross to the back stick,” head coach Jamie Franks said. “We were absolutely fantastic in the first 25 minutes of the second half and should have put the game away in that spell. Obviously it’s a good result against a nationally-ranked team, but I thought we deserved more.”

UC Santa Barbara became the first opponent to find the back of the net against the Pioneers (2-0-1) this season as Geoffrey Acheampong got on the end of an Ismaila Jome service to put the Gauchos (1-0-1) on the board in the fifth minute.

Coming out of halftime, redshirt-freshman Scott Devoss (Centennial, Colo.) equalized, heading in a Reagan Dunk (Dallas, Texas) cross to knot things up in the 47th minute.

Junior captain Sam Hamilton (Evergreen, Colo.) put the Pioneers ahead 2-1 in the 59th minute, volleying home a service from redshirt-junior Karsten Hanlin (Centennial, Colo.). The cross came from down the left side to the starting defensive mid, giving the Pioneers their third goal in the first 15 minutes out of halftime this season.

The Gauchos netted an equalizer of their own in the 78th minute as Nick DePuy jumped on a rebound in the 78th minute just outside the six-yard box. UCSB’s Duncan Backus got on the end of the initial corner, but his shot was blocked and fell to the feet of DePuy who finished his second goal of the season.

Sophomore center back Kortne Ford (Greeley, Colo.) nearly found the winner in the 108th minute, but his shot rattled the crossbar, keeping the teams tied at two apiece.

“We played well tonight, but I think we’ll learn some lessons from this game,” Franks said. “Everything is based on our shape and our ability to be disciplined in it. When we stick to our identity, we can play with the best teams in the country. Their first goal came from a lack of organization on the back stick. When you play against good opponents, you must always be focused around the box.”

UP NEXT: The Pioneers will stay in Albuquerque for a Sunday clash with [RV/17] San Diego. Sunday’s match is set for a 12 p.m. MT kickoff at the UNM Soccer Complex.

TICKETS: Season tickets for the 2015 Denver men’s and women’s soccer seasons are on sale now, and can be purchased online, here. 

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