Women's Soccer Closes Home Schedule
10/17/2002 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S SOCCER
CHICAGO - The women's soccer team will play their final two matches of the regular season this weekend when they host Louisville and Cincinnati. Prior to Sunday's match against Cincinnati, DePaul's four seniors will be honored. The Blue Demons are looking to end a two-game losing skid and stand at 7-6-0 overall and 2-4-0 in Conference USA action. The Louisville Cardinals come to Wish Field at 5-7-1 overall and 1-3-1 in league play while the Cincinnati Bearcats begin the weekend at 9-2-2 and 3-0-2.
Looking at the Blue Demons
DePaul enters the weekend at 7-6-0 overall and 2-4-0 in C-USA play... the next victory will set a new program mark for single-season wins... seven of the last 10 matches have been a shutout with DePaul winning five times... the 1-0 loss at Southern Miss on Sept. 22 snapped a program-best five-match win streak... a year ago, the squad won five straight to start the season... the 1-0 victory at South Florida on Sept. 20 ended a 17-match conference winless streak for DePaul... during that span, they were 0-16-1... the Blue Demons have posted five shutouts this season... Lindsey Deason, Erica Keppel, Lauren Geiger and Megan Pekala have combined for a 1.23 goals against average while making 51 saves... eight players have scored 19 goals... the Blue Demons have outscored their opponents, 19-16, while taking an average of just under three more shots per game... 20 goals is the team record for a season... Julianne Sitch leads the club with 14 points on six goals and two assists... Krissy Seberhagen has seven points on three goals and an assist... all three of Seberhagen's goals have been game-winners... Ogonnaya Dotson-Newman has scored three times while Margo Sackmaster has scored twice with two assists... Christy Young has five points on a pair of goals and an assist... Bren Sugarman, Lindsey Deason and Amy Witt have one goal each... Amber Prindle is tied with Sackmaster and Sitch for the team lead with two assists... Erin Walter, Erin Davren and Colleen Ahearn have been credited with one assist each... the Blue Demons play their final four regular season matches on the road... head coach John Wilson is in his third season in Lincoln Park.
Numerically Speaking
On the Conference USA scene, DePaul is third with 16 goals allowed. Their goals against average or 1.23 is fifth out of the league's 14 teams. The Blue Demons are also just one of four teams to register at least five shutouts this season. Saint Louis leads the league with nine followed by Cincinnati and Marquette with seven shutouts apiece. DePaul is fourth with five shutouts. They are also ranked in the league's top five with 65 corner kicks.
Individually, freshman Julianne Sitch is among league leaders in various categories. She is ranked in the top 10 in C-USA in shots, shots per game, goals, goals per game and game-winning goals. Teammate Krissy Seberhagen is tied with Sitch in the game-winners category. Megan Pekala is seventh in goals against average.
Updating the Recordbook
In the 5-0 win on Sept. 1 at IPFW, the Blue Demons tallied their largest margin of victory in the program's seven-year history. The previous high was a 4-0 win on Oct. 27, 1999 against Loyola-Chicago. The five scores also set a single-game record for the women's soccer program. The Blue Demons tied the previous record on Sept. 13 with the 4-0 victory against Drury.
With DePaul's next victory they will set a new program-best mark for single-season wins. With the win on Sunday at Western Illinois, the Blue Demons tied the 1999 squad with their seventh victory. With 19 team goals this season, the squad needs just two more scores to break the team record of 20 goals set in 2001 and 1999.
Senior forward Christy Young inched her way closer to the top spot on the career leaders chart with an assist against Idaho on Sept. 15. The Ft. Wayne, Ind., native tied Jeannette Croce (1997-00) with her 35th career point on the assist. Young, who holds the top spot with eight assists, has totaled 35 points and 13 goals. Her 13 scored also ranks second to Croce on the career goal chart.
DePaul's five-match win streak in September equaled the program-best mark set at the beginning of last season.
Threatening the Recordbook
In just 13 collegiate matches, Julianne Sitch has already established herself in DePaul's seven-year old recordbook. Sitch is already in the top five in career points and goals and in the to 10 in career assists. On the single-season chart, she is just a point shy of equaling the 15 points by Maria Martinez in 1997. Her next goal will also tie her with three other players for the single-season record.
Looking at the Weekend Opponents
Louisville Cardinals - Louisville begins the weekend of play at 5-7-1 overall and 1-3-1 in C-USA play... last weekend, they lost both of their matches, losing 3-1 at Ohio and 2-0 against East Carolina... Lisa Martin leads the Cardinals with 12 points on four goals and four assists... Melissa Wark has scored four times in addition to one assist... head coach Karen Ferguson is in her third season with the Cardinals and owns a record 10-38-2... the series: Friday marks the seventh meeting between the Blue Demons and Cardinals with each team winning three times... a year ago, the Cardinals won, 2-1, at Louisville.
Cincinnati Bearcats - The defending C-USA champions enter the weekend at 9-2-2 overall and 3-0-2 in C-USA action... the 25th-ranked Bearcats play at Marquette on Friday... Cincinnati has not lost in their last seven matches, posting a record of 5-0-2 during that span... Amy Simonson leads the club with 12 points on six goals... 11 players have scored at least once this season... head coach Meridy Glenn is in her 20th season with a 220-125-25 record at Cincinnati... the series: Cincinnati has won all six meetings with DePaul... last season, the Bearcats posted a 1-0 decision in Cincinnati.
Last Time Out - Charlotte 4, DePaul 0
Three second-half goals were too much as the women's soccer team lost at No. 15 Charlotte, 4-0, on Sunday afternoon. The loss was the second straight for the Blue Demons as they dropped to 7-6-0 overall and 2-4-0 in Conference USA play. Charlotte improved to 11-0-1 and 5-0-1.
Charlotte scored their lone first-half goal in the 32nd minute as Lindsey Palmiero got past DePaul keeper Lindsey Deason. In the second half, the 49ers struck three times in just over 15 minutes on goals by Jill Hayes, Lindsay Duncan and Courtney Crandell. In the match, DePaul was outshot by Charlotte, 12-8, while Deason made four saves. Megan Pekala played the final 18 minutes in goal for DePaul and recorded one save.
Weekly Planner
The Blue Demons step out of conference play with a match at Valparaiso on Oct. 25. Kickoff with the Crusaders is at 1 p.m. Their next conference match will be Oct. 27 at East Carolina.