DePaul University Athletics
DePaul Hosts Marquette in Home Finale
11/5/2002 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S SOCCER
CHICAGO - The DePaul men's soccer team aims for a perfect home season when they host the Marquette Golden Eagles on Wednesday afternoon. Kickoff between the Demons and Eagles is set for 2 p.m. at Wish Field. DePaul is 6-0-0 at home and 8-7-2 overall (4-4-0 C-USA) after Sunday’s 1-0 victory against South Florida.
Make a Wish
DePaul's six home victories this season is the most since the club won a school-record six during the 1994 season. Overall, the 1994 club was 12-5-1. In 1986, the Blue Demons posted a home record of 5-5-0. The 2002 six-match home winning streak is the longest in program history. The previous record was a four-match string that ended the 1994 season with two wins and started the 1995 campaign with a pair of home victories.
In DePaul six home matches this season, the club owns a 0.49 goals against average while outscoring their opponents, 10-3. The Blue Demons are taking four more shots per home game while collecting 37 corner kicks compared to just 18 for the opposition.
Looking at the Blue Demons
DePaul has won six of their last eight matches… eight overall wins is the most since the 1996 squad won eight times... only eight times in DePaul's 21 seasons have the Blue Demons won at least seven matches... offensively, nine players have found the net... Luke Rojo leads the squad with seven goals while Edwin Arreola has four scores... Tim Blake, Jonathan Foley, Adam Hermsen and Anthony Minniti have scored twice... five of Rojo's seven goals are game-winners... Blake and Rojo are tied for the club lead with four assists... the Blue Demons have been outscored, 31-23, through 17 matches... DePaul is 2-0-2 in overtime matches, 6-2-0 in one-goal games and 6-0-0 in home matches... they are 1-7-1 on the road... Rojo and Foley were named to the All-Tournament team at the Coca-Cola Panther Invitational... Rojo earned Conference USA All-Freshman team honors last season... Foley and Kruse are team captains in 2002... after opening the season with nine straight road matches, the Blue Demons play seven of the final 10 regular-season matches at Wish Field... head coach Craig Blazer is in his first season without the "interim" tag.
Scouting Marquette
The Golden Eagles enter the midweek match at 8-7-1 overall and 6-2-1 in C-USA action... over their last six matches, they have posted a 4-1-1 record… Eric Marshall leads the club with 16 points on seven goals and two assists while Derek Gutierrez is second with 15 points via six scores and three assists… head coach Steve Adlard is in his 11th season as head coach at Marquette... the series: the Golden Eagles have won 20 of the 21 meetings between the two schools... the two clubs tied, 0-0, in 1994… last season, DePaul lost, 4-0, in Milwaukee.
Rojo Named Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week
DePaul sophomore Luke Rojo was named the Conference USA Offensive Co-Player of the Week after leading the Blue Demons to a pair of wins over Loyola-Chicago and TCU. Rojo tallied a pair of game-winners against the Ramblers and Horned Frogs. In the double-overtime win over Loyola, it was Rojo's score at 106:21 that capped the comeback for the Blue Demons. He also assisted Tim Blake's match-tying goal with under three minutes left in regulation. On Saturday, against the Horned Frogs, the sophomore scored the match's first goal at 26:07 and then assisted Ed Kiefer's insurance goal just two minutes later. For the week, Rojo tallied a pair of game-winning goals and two assists. For the season, the sophomore leads DePaul with 17 points on seven goals and three assists. Five of his seven scores this season have been game-winners. He shared the league's weekly honor with Marquette's Matt Darby.
Nothing But the Best
A quick look at the 2002 schedule reveals five opponents (No. 7 Washington, No. 10 UAB, No. 11 Saint Louis, No. 15 Portland, No. 17 UW-Milwaukee) that were ranked in the preseason top 25 by Soccer America. Of those five, the Blue Demons opened their season at three of those ranked squads.
In the NIKE Portland Classic, DePaul lost to host Portland, 6-0, before coming back and tying Washington, 1-1. Against UW-Milwaukee, the Blue Demons were on the short end of a 3-1 decision. Two weeks ago, DePaul held a 2-0 lead at UAB, before allowing three goals in the final 12 minutes. On Wednesday night, the Blue Demons lost, 5-1, at Saint Louis.
Streaking
DePaul's modest three-game win streak earlier this season was the longest since winning three straight in 1999. The last time a DePaul team won four consecutive matches was a stretch during the 1995 season. The program's best winning streak occurred in 1994 when DePaul won five consecutive matches.
Last Time Out - Saint Louis 5, DePaul 1
The DePaul men’s soccer team remained in the hunt for the Conference USA Tournament with a 1-0 win over visiting South Florida on Sunday afternoon. The Blue Demons improved their program-best home record to 6-0-0 and now stand at 8-7-2 overall and 4-4-0 in league play.
In a back-and-forth first half, neither team created many opportunities. Luke Rojo hit the crossbar on a 20-yarder with just under seven minutes remaining.
In the final minute of the first stanza, Mike Fenton gathered a rebound and scored the match’s only goal. Rojo started the action with a corner kick that was deflected in the box. Fenton took the deflection and knocked his first collegiate goal past South Florida goalkeeper Troy Perkins for the eventual game-winner at 44:24.
The second half was much like the first as the two teams battled with few chances. DePaul had three opportunities in the final four minutes, but was denied by a trio of saves by Perkins.
Up Next
The final match of the regular season will be Nov. 9 at Louisville. Robert R. Hermann Stadium in St. Louis will be the site of the 2002 Conference USA Tournament, Nov. 14-17.