[4/4] Denver Shuts Out Drake 2-0

September 3, 2017

[4] Denver 2-0 Drake (Barlow 2’, Smith 64’) | Highlights | Jamie Franks Postgame

DENVER – Redshirt-sophomore Ryan Barlow (Coppell, Texas) scored in the second minute and senior co-captain Graham Smith (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) scored in the 64^th to take the University of Denver men’s soccer team past 10-man Drake 2-0 on Sunday night at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium. Senior co-captain Alex Underwood (Winnetka, Ill.) assisted on both goals to reach the 30-point mark in his career.

Barlow’s breakthrough came in the second minute on a long throw-in. Underwood’s throw came 10 yards off the endline to the near post, and Barlow flicked it on inside the far post past Drake goalkeeper Caden McCullough for his first goal on his 18^th CAP.

In the 45^th minute, the visitors went down to 10 men after a late challenge from Aleksi Tuominen. Freshman holding mid Destan Norman (Fort Collins, Colo.) tackled Tuominen in the left channel, won the ball, and when he got up to chase the ball down, he was taken down from behind by Tuominen. Referee Chris Greer wasted no time giving Tuominen his marching orders, and the Pioneers went into the locker room up a goal and up a man.

Drake had the first clear-cut chance of the second half, when redshirt-junior Nick Gardner (Marvin, N.C.) dove to his left to stop a free header from Jake Taylor. The parried shot fell to the feet of the Bulldogs’ Touko Laakkonen, who rattled the post, and the ball bounced back to Gardner to keep proceedings at 1-0.

Denver found its second goal in the 64^th when Smith converted his second of the season and the fifth goal of his career, finishing into an empty net after Underwood’s free kick from the left forced McCullough into his second save of the night.

The Pioneers outshot Drake 12-3 Sunday and took three of the five corners in the match.