Denver and Air Force Play to Scoreless Tie

October 1, 2011

DENVER—University of Denver men’s soccer junior keeper Maté Aguirre (Denver, Colo.) recorded nine saves to record the shutout, as the Pioneers tied Air Force 0-0 at CIBER Field at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium on Saturday night.

“It was a tale of two halves,” head coach Bobby Muuss said. “I thought we came out at the beginning of the game, and the guys performed well, but we let our foot off the pedal and allowed a good Air Force team back in the game. That’s the best Air Force team I’ve seen in my five years. They gave us a lot of problems, and we caused them a lot of problems. I thought the first goal would have won the game, but we weren’t able to execute as well in the second half.”

Denver (2-4-3, 0-0-1 MPSF) and Air Force (6-2-1, 0-0-1 MPSF) both had 22 shots in the game with DU putting 11 shots on goal, compared to nine by the Falcons. The Pioneers held the advantage in corners at 6-3.

Junior midfielder Drew Beckie (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) put four of five shots on goal, including a header with 4:36 left in the first overtime that arched just over the crossbar.

Junior Alex Tarnoczi (Castel Rock, Colo.) put three of five shots on goal, all after entering the game in the second half.

The teams battled through the first half with both defenses prevailing, and the score was tied 0-0 at the break.

Notes: The Denver alumni played each other on Saturday afternoon with about 40 former players showing up to play…Speaking of alumni, Air Force assistant coach Matthew Okoh played for the Pioneers during the mid-1990s. Okoh is the seventh highest scorer in DU history with 106 points off 50 goals and six assists.

The Pioneers remain home for a pair of games next weekend. Denver will host No. 9 New Mexico on Friday, Oct. 7 at 7:45 p.m. MT and UNLV on Sunday, Oct. 9 at 2 p.m. MT.

Season and individual tickets are on sale now for the 2011 home season. Season tickets for nine Denver Men’s Soccer games and nine Denver Women’s Soccer games are $72. By purchasing season tickets, fans will enjoy the same centerfield seat, including a comfortable seatback for all 18 games at CIBER Field at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium. Season tickets are available at DenverPioneers.com or by calling/e-mailing Season Ticket and Premium Seating Manager Eric Vasquez at 303.871.7460.

Individual game tickets during the 2011 season are $8 for a reserved seatback and $5 for general admission, and may be purchased by phone at 303-871-2336, online at DenverPioneers.com or in person at the Ritchie Center Box Office. All individual game tickets are general admission. DU students are free with a Pioneer Card.

Follow DU athletics on the web at www.DenverPioneers.com

Follow DU athletics on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DU_Pioneers

Become a fan of the Denver Pioneers on Facebook