DePaul University Athletics
Blue Demons Travel to Wisconsin
10/21/2003 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S SOCCER
CHICAGO – The DePaul men’s soccer team, winners of six of their last seven matches, play their final non-conference match of the regular season at Wisconsin on Wednesday night. Kickoff in Madison is set for 7 p.m. DePaul stands at 7-7-0 overall and 3-2-0 in Conference USA play while the Badgers are 8-8-0 and 1-3-0 in Big Ten action.
Noting the Blue Demons
After starting the season 1-6, the Blue Demons have won six of their last seven games… the lone loss was a 1-0 decision to No. 5 Saint Louis… Luke Rojo leads the club with 11 points on four goals and three assists while Edwin Arreola has tallied nine points on four scores and a helper… Rojo is currently tied for 13th on DePaul’s all-time scoring list with 34 career points (12G, 10A)… the Blue Demons have taken 138 shots compared to 132 for the opposition, but DePaul has been outscored, 15-13… over the last six matches, the Blue Demons have tallied nine goals while allowing just one… they also have 80 corner kicks compared to just 40 combined for the opponents… the Blue Demons finish the regular season with four consecutive C-USA matches against UAB, East Carolina, Cincinnati and South Florida… head coach Craig Blazer is in his third season with the Blue Demons.
In the Hunt
DePaul currently stands in sixth place in the Conference USA standings with a 3-2-0 record. The top six teams qualify for the league’s tournament at Memphis in November. The Blue Demons can control their own destiny as they finish the season with five of their last six games against C-USA teams – including a match against Cincinnati, who is currently ahead of DePaul in the standings. Saturday’s match with UAB is critical as the DePaul is just a point ahead of the Blazers in the standings.
Make a Wish
Over the last two seasons, the Blue Demons have made historic Wish Field a tough venue for visitors. The club has won 10 of its last 13 home matches, including a 4-2 mark in 2003. A year ago, the club posted a 6-1 record at home which tied the single-season school record for home wins in a season. DePaul can match the single-season win total with a pair of wins in their final home matches against UAB and East Carolina.
Conference USA Players of the Week
For the third time this season, a DePaul player took Conference USA’s weekly honor. Sophomore goalkeeper Michael Timlin was named the defensive Player of the Week on Monday and joined Jeff Klitzke and Luke Rojo, who earned the honor earlier in the season. Klitzke and Rojo both picked up their honors on Oct. 6 as Klitzke was the defensive player and Rojo earned the offensive recognition.
Offensive Players of the Week
S2 – David Peplinski, Fr., MF, Saint Louis
S8 – Will John, Fr., F, Saint Louis & Jerson Monteiro, Fr., F, UAB
S15 – Matt Kowaleski, Jr., F, East Carolina
S22 – Leandro de Oliveira, So., MF, UAB
S29 – Simon Bird, Sr., F, Louisville
O6 – Josh Gardner, Jr., MF, Cincinnati & Luke Rojo, Jr., MF/F, DePaul
O13 – Will John, Fr., F, Saint Louis
O20 – Justin Lewis, So., F, Cincinnati & Andy Metcalf, So., F, Memphis
Defensive Players of the Week
S2 – Tony McManus, Sr., D, UAB
S8 – Andy Pusateri, Sr., D, Saint Louis
S15 – Adam Ubert, Sr., GK, Marquette & Martin Hutton, Jr., GK, Saint Louis
S22 – Brad Solokowski, Sr., GK, Saint Louis
S29 – Adrian Cann, Sr., D, Louisville
O6 – Jeff Klitzke, Sr., GK, DePaul
O13 – Nick Gannon, Sr., D, Saint Louis
O20 – Michael Timlin, So., GK, DePaul
DePaul’s record when…
playing at home: 4-2-0
playing on the road: 2-3-0
playing on a neutral field: 1-2-0
playing during the day: 5-5-0
playing at night: 2-2-0
the match goes to overtime: 0-1-0
the match is decided by one goal: 4-4-0
the match is decided by two goals: 3-2-0
the match is decided by three goals: 0-0-0
the match is decided by four or more goals: 0-1-0
DePaul takes more shots: 6-3-0
opponent takes more shots: 1-4-0
DePaul takes a penalty kick: 1-1-0
opponent takes a penalty kick: 0-1-0
Conference Breakdown
In their 10 non-conference matches, the Blue Demons will face teams from six different conferences. Listed below is a look at DePaul’s record against each of those Division I conferences in 2003:
Big Ten: 0-1-0
Conference USA: 3-2-0
Horizon League: 2-1-0
Mid-American: 1-0-0
Missouri Valley: 1-2-0
Patriot League: 0-1-0
Overall Record: 7-7-0
In the Conference USA Rankings (as of Oct. 18)
Team Rankings
Shots – 7th (138)
Points – 10th (39)
Goals – 10th (13)
Assists – T8th (13)
Goals Allowed – T4th (15)
Goals Against Average – 4th (1.06)
Saves – 9th (39)
Shutouts – T1st (7)
Corners – 4th (80)
Individual Rankings
Shots
9. Edwin Arreola – 32
T10. Luke Rojo – 31
Shots per Game
T9. Luke Rojo – 2.38
Game-winning Goals
T4. Luke Rojo – 3
Goals Against Average
2. Michael Timlin – 0.84
6. Jeff Klitzke – 1.29
Save Percentage
2. Michael Timlin – .786
9. Jeff Klitzke – .640
Saves per Game
5. Michael Timlin – 3.14
10. Jeff Klitzke – 2.29
Shutouts
2. Jeff Klitzke – 4
T3. Michael Timlin – 3
Shutouts Per Game
1. Jeff Klizke – 0.57
4. Michael Timlin – 0.43
In the NCAA Rankings (as of Oct. 19 – 225 teams ranked)
Scoring Offense – 155th (0.93)
Team Goals Against Average – 58th (1.06)
Shutout Pct. – 14th (0.50)
Wom-Lost-Tied Pct. – 100th (0.50)
Scouting the Badgers
Wisconsin has won three of their last five matches… overall they are 8-8-0 and 1-3-0 in Big Ten play… Jed Hohlbein leads the club with 18 points on seven goals and four assists while Nick Van Sicklen has added 12 points on five goals and a pair of assists… as a team, the Badgers have scored 23 goals while allowing 21… common opponents with the Blue Demons include Northern Illinois, Illinois-Chicago and Marquette... the Badgers have posted wins over all three programs while DePaul knocked off Northern Illinois, and lost to UIC and Marquette... head coach Jeff Rohrman is in his second season at Wisconsin... the series: Wisconsin leads the all-time series, 5-0-0.
What Lies Ahead
Following the Wisconsin match the Blue Demons return home to play UAB on Oct. 25. The club finishes the regular season with home games against UAB and East Carolina before going on the road to play Cincinnati and South Florida. The East Carolina match on Friday, Oct. 31 will be Senior Day as it is the last home match of the regular season. The 2003 Conference USA Tournament takes place Nov. 13-16 in Memphis, Tenn. The top six finishers in the C-USA standings will advance to the four-day event.