DENVER -- Denver forward Keegan Kelly's second-half hat trick lifted the top-seeded Pioneers to a 4-1 victory over fourth-seeded Oral Roberts Sunday in semifinal action of the 2025 Summit League Men's Soccer Championship.
The (RV/NR) Pioneers were the one applying pressure throughout this one but they found themselves trailing 1-0 at the half after Oral Roberts was able to score from the penalty spot in the 37th minute. DU outshot the Golden Eagles 6-2 in the opening 45 minutes but ORU goalkeeper Joao Mesquita made a pair of saves to keep his team ahead going into the break.
It was more of the same in the second half until the 67th minute when DU senior and all-league first team Bryce Willoughby flicked home the equalizer with a back-heel tap off a corner kick.
The match was squared at 1-1 for only 81 seconds as Kelly scored his first of three goals in the closing 23 minutes. His go-ahead tally came off a well-placed header as he outleaper Mesquita a long service into the box from Jake Smith.
The Pioneer sophomore would then add two more insurance goals in the closing five minutes as Denver advanced to the tournament title match for the 11th time in program history. Willoughby helped set up Kelly's third tally to give him three helpers in DU's last four matches.
Once DU went ahead, the defense continued to play tough, allowing just one shot on goal down the stretch.
Denver will host the tournament title match next Saturday at 3 p.m. MT and face the winner of the semifinal between No. 2 Kansas City and No. 3 Delaware.
Turning Point
- After getting the equalizer in the 67th minute from Bryce Willoughby, the Pioneers pulled ahead just over a minute later after Keegan Kelly headed hom a long service into the box from Jake Smith
Inside the box score
- Denver's four goals match the most scored by the program in a Summit League Tournament match when the Pioneers blanked Western Illinois 4-0 in the 2015 semifinals
- Kelly went scoreless through his first 13 appearance of the season but scored the equalizer in a 1-1 draw with St. Thomas in the regular season finale before recording the first multi-goal game of his career against the Golden Eagles
- DU outshot the Golden Eagles 17-10 with 11 of those shots and all four goals coming in the second half
- Mesidor's goal was his first of the season
News & Notes
- Denver will play for its ninth Summit League Tournament title and look for the program's first since 2022
- The Pioneers are now 10-1-4 all-time as the No. 1 seed
- Oral Roberts is now 5-15-3 and is 0-5-1 since winning a 2015 semifinal
- Kelly's hat trick is the eighth in Summit League postseason tournament history and first since former DU standout Oje Ofunrein recorded one in the 2023 semifinals against Kansas City
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