They say your season opener sets the tone for the rest of the season. Hopefully, that cliché is not a reality for the University of Denver Pioneers, whose opener lacked goals and dynamic attacking ideas. San Diego State did well to close down any midfield outlets that Denver had, and with no imminent threat from the wings, the attack suffered. Still, there was a lot to enjoy about the Game Day Experience at The Ritchie Athletic Complex. For one, there is no replay video board (just a really cool old-school electronic scoreboard). So, if your attention diverts from the game for too long, you’ll miss something important. This was evident in the 66th minute when San Diego State player Ulises Esquivel received a red card; which I missed while watching. The clock ticks down instead of up and stops during stoppages. Additionally, my personal favorite occurrence of the night was the mix of trap, house, and pop beats in between every stoppage. This continued throughout the entire game, even when players were writhing in pain after hard challenges. With the unconventional atmosphere combined with some decent food ("scran") and fantastic weather, the University of Denver Pioneers offer a fun night out and are especially a team worth your attention.
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Notable Players
One of my favorite experiences from last night's game was looking at the roster on my phone and then looking up at the play to spot the players and their corresponding numbers (since they don’t have their last names on the back). Both the University of Denver and San Diego State University had great game notes and roster pages with plenty of detailed information, including former teams and high schools, as well as the current club teams each of the collegiate athletes were a part of. LAFC Academy players Alex Soukup and Dylan Presto were on the opposing side, with only Presto seeing minutes in tonight’s game. Also on the visitor’s squad is full-back Reid Sproat, who plays club ball for USL League 2 side Fort Wayne FC. On DU, Sam Bassett, brother of Rapids midfielder Cole Bassett, was a notable player and looked active in the middle of the park for the Pios. Goalkeeper Isaac Nehme is another player many Rapids Sicko Fans may know from his time in the Rapids Academy. He was shaky with the ball at his feet and wasn't tested that often. He’s got a cannon for an arm as was evident when he threw the ball to the DU logo in the middle of the park from his own box. Forward Oje Ofunrein showed some good hold-up play but had very few shots, with just one in the entire 90 minutes. Despite that, he is a plucky player and obviously possesses some talent. He displayed very good hold-up play and the ability the man can run. Similarly, Ian Welch in the attack impressed me, and I liked how he played with the ball at his feet. I’m hoping that by the time I’m back at the park on Sunday, they will have improved their attack and found the right moments to pull the trigger. To do that, the team will need to ensure their defensive stability. Two players who directly contributed to that stability were center-back Jason Belloli and holding midfielder Ben Smith. Belloli was shaky in this game, but he reads the game well and defends space competently. He also delivered some beautiful long diagonal passes into the attack for the wingers. The hope is for him to shake off any jitters or rust and further prove his reliability to head coach Jamie Franks. Smith seemed to be everywhere on the pitch and undoubtedly has a strong work ethic. He was very active on both ends of the field, and I felt he could have done more when he had the ball.
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE SCRAN?
It was okay.
Oh. Well, What About The Um…Crowd?
The crowd was enthusiastic and about as engaged as they could be for a college crowd. There wasn’t a supporters group or traditional student section to verbally berate the other team. However, the hills behind the south-end goal could easily be a place for hooligans to make their presence felt if need be. In the crowd for tonight’s game were Colorado Rapids players Steven Beitashour and Lalas Abubakar. Beitashour, a former San Diego State University player, had some kind words for the current roster.
Box State Ballers
As an ongoing feature for this site, we’ll be introducing the Box State Ballers—soccer players in Colorado to watch out for. No one from this game deserved an outright spot on the list, but I’ll be keeping my eye on forward Ian Welch, defender Jason Belloli, and midfielder Ian Smith in their next games to build a stronger case for their inclusion. Until then, the list will remain empty, and hopefully, by the end of the DU season and the start of the Rapids season, we will have a robust list of Colorado soccer stars.
Final Thoughts
With all that being said, the Pioneers played well enough for a season opener. The 0-0 score was disappointing, and hopefully, it's not indicative of things to come. Box State Footy will be back at the Ritchie for their next game against Grand Canyon University (the alma mater of former Rapids striker Niki Jackson), who lost their season opener 3-1 against Wake Forest. The Pioneers will have a quick turnaround to sharpen their attack and establish an attacking identity before their Sunday, August 27th kickoff at 1 PM Mountain Time. We’ll be there for all the action and maybe more stadium nachos.
