DePaul University Athletics
Blue Demons Close Home Schedule
10/23/2003 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S SOCCER
CHICAGO – With the regular season Conference USA title in sight, the DePaul women’s soccer team hosts Marquette in a Friday afternoon match at Wish Field. The Blue Demons wrap-up the weekend with their final game of the year at Wish Field against Eastern Illinois on Sunday. DePaul’s six seniors will be honored prior to kickoff against the Panthers. The club enters the weekend at 10-5-1 overall and 5-2-1 in C-USA play.
Noting the Blue Demons
DePaul’s 10 wins match the single-season record set last season... the 5-2-1 C-USA record is also a program best… they have outscored their opponents, 24-14, with five shutouts… DePaul’s single-season record is six shutouts set last year… over the last four matches, opponents have scored six times while the Blue Demons have found the net on four occasions… the Blue Demons have allowed eight second-half goals this season, outscoring their opponents 16-8 in the second half and overtime… they have also taken 291 shots compared to 187 for the opposition… Julianne Sitch leads the club and Conference USA with 26 points and 11 goals… on DePaul’s 24 goals, there have been 21 assists… in addition to Sitch, seven other players have scored at least one goal this season… freshman Lauren Spacht is second on the team with 12 points on four goals and four assists while fellow rookie Kelly DeBaene has seven points on three assists and a a pair of goals… in non-conference matches over the last three seasons, DePaul is 18-8… all time in Conference USA play (seven years), the club holds a 15-57-7 record… head coach John Wilson is in his fourth season with the Blue Demons.
Road Warriors
The Blue Demons have logged some travel miles this season as 12 of the 19 regular season matches are on the road. DePaul played 11 of their first 14 matches away from home including a program-long six-gamer from Sept. 26-Oct. 12. With the 6-4-1 record on the road this season, the club has matched their season-best total of six victories away from Wish Field set last season. The club is in the midst of playing four of their last five matches at home with the final regular-season game at Saint Louis on Nov. 1.
Still In the Hunt
A win over the Golden Eagles on Friday will put the Blue Demons in the thick of the C-USA regular race. Just two points separate the top six teams in the league, all vying for the No. 1 seed at the Conference USA Tournament in two weeks. At 5-2-1 in league play, the Blue Demons are tied for third with Saint Louis. TCU and Marquette share the league lead with UAB and Tulane just behind the Demons and Eagles.
In the preseason C-USA Coaches Poll, DePaul was picked to finish ninth with current leaders TCU at No. 12 and Marquette at No. 3.
Conference USA Standings (C-USA record – points)
1. TCU (6-1-0 – 12 pts.)
1. Marquette (6-2-0 – 12)
3. Saint Louis (5-2-1 – 11)
3. DePaul (5-2-1 – 11)
5. UAB (5-2-0 – 10)
5. Tulane (5-3-0 – 10)
7. USF (4-2-1 – 9)
8. East Carolina (2-2-3 – 7)
9. Memphis (2-4-1 – 5)
9. Charlotte (2-4-1 – 5)
11. Cincinnati (2-5-0 – 4)
12. Louisville (1-5-1 – 3)
12. Southern Miss (1-6-1 – 3)
14. Houston (1-7-0 – 2)
Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Cincinnati
2. Charlotte
3. Marquette
4. Saint Louis
5. East Carolina
6. Houston
7. Memphis
8. UAB
9. DePaul
10. USF
11. Tulane
12. TCU
13. Southern Miss
14. Louisville
The Honors Keep Rolling In
After setting DePaul’s single-season scoring record as a freshman, Julianne Sitch hasn’t missed a step through 16 matches in 2003. The midfielder/forward has been named the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week three times while also garnering National Elite Team of the Week honors from Soccer Buzz. Sitch is the only player in the league to garner offensive Player of the Week recognition on more than one occasion. She leads the league in shots, points, goals and game-winning goals.
Through 35 career matches, she owns two career records. Her 47 career points are ranked first in DePaul history as are the 19 career goals. The sophomore is tied for the all-time lead with nine career assists. Her single-season total of 26 points in 2003 also broke the mark she set as a freshman.
Conference USA Offensive Players of Week
Sept. 2 – Meghan McCallion, So., F, East Carolina & Jessica Traver, Fr., F, Tulane
Sept. 8 – Julianne Sitch, So., MF/F, DePaul & Carolyn Klopp, Sr., MF/F, Marquette
Sept. 15 – Nikki Hawkins, Jr., MF, Houston & Lindsay Morris, Jr., F, Tulane
Sept. 22 – Julianne Sitch, So., MF/F, DePaul & Jill Knottek, Sr., F, UAB
Sept. 29 – Julianne Sitch, So., MF/F, DePaul
Oct. 6 – Christie Cigno, So., MF, Saint Louis
Oct. 13 – Kim Miles, Jr., MF, Charlotte
Oct. 20 – Yuiko Konno, Jr., F, Memphis
Conference USA Defensive Players of the Week
Sept. 2 – Leah Peterson, Fr., D, Tulane
Sept. 8 – Katie Bissen, Jr., GK, Marquette
Sept. 15 – Penny Perrott, Sr., D, East Carolina
Sept. 22 – Kara Kornfeld, Jr., D, Saint Louis
Sept. 29 – Megan Morey, So., GK, Tulane
Oct. 6 – Anny Lucier, Sr., D, Saint Louis
Oct. 13 – Katie Bissen, Jr., GK, Marquette
Oct. 20 – Katie Buchanan, Fr., GK, TCU
Ranked in the Region
For the first time in the program’s eight-year history, the Blue Demons have been ranked in the Great Lakes region by Soccer Buzz and the NSCAA. The Blue Demons are tied for 10th in the Great Lakes region by the online soccer magazine Soccer Buzz. With the loss at Charlotte and a tie at East Carolina two weeks ago, the club was dropped from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) rankings. The nation’s No. 2 team Notre Dame remained in the region’s top slot in both polls.
Soccer Buzz Great Lakes Region Top 10
1. Notre Dame (16-0-1)
2. Illinois (10-3-2)
3. Ohio State (10-2-3)
4. Purdue (9-3-3)
5. Oakland (11-3-1)
6. Michigan State (9-6-0)
7. Dayton (9-5-1)
8. Indiana (7-7-1)
9. Kentucky (6-6-3)
10. DePaul (10-5-1)
10. Kent State (11-2-3)
10. Northwestern (7-7-1)
DePaul’s record when…
playing at home: 4-1-0
playing on the road: 6-4-1
playing on a neutral field: 0-0-0
playing during the day: 8-2-1
playing at night: 2-3-0
the match goes to overtime: 2-0-0
the match is decided by one goal: 6-4-0
the match is decided by two goals: 3-1-0
the match is decided by three goals: 0-0-0
the match is decided by four or more goals: 1-0-0
DePaul takes more shots: 9-4-1
opponent takes more shots: 2-0-0
DePaul takes a penalty kick: 0-0-0
opponent takes a penalty kick: 0-0-0
Conference Breakdown
In their 10 non-conference matches, the Blue Demons 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
Big 12: 1-1-0
Conference USA: 5-2-1
Horizon: 1-0-0
Mid-American: 1-0-0
Missouri Valley: 1-0-0
Mountain West: 0-1-0
Independents: 1-0-0
Overall Record: 10-5-1
In the Conference USA Rankings (as of Oct. 21)
Team Rankings
Shots – 1st (291)
Points – T6th (69)
Goals – T6th (24)
Assists – 5th (21)
Goals Allowed – 2nd (14)
Goals Against Average – 2nd (0.85)
Saves – 6th (76)
Shutouts – T6th (5)
Corners – 4th (73)
Individual Rankings
Shots
1. Julianne Sitch – 79
Shots Per Game
1. Julianne Sitch – 4.94
Points
1. Julianne Sitch – 26
Points Per Game
1. Julianne Sitch – 1.62
Goals
1. Julianne Sitch – 11
Goals Per Game
1. Julianne Sitch – 0.69
Assists
T5. Lauren Spacht – 4
T5. Julianne Sitch – 4
Assists Per Game
T8. Lauren Spacht – 0.27
Game-Winning Goals
1. Julianne Sitch – 6
Goals Against Average
4. Lindsey Deason – 0.85
Save Percentage
2. Lindsey Deason - .841
Saves
3. Lindsey Deason – 74
Saves Per Game
5. Lindsey Deason – 4.62
Shutouts
T1. Lindsey Deason – 5
Shutouts Per Game
T8. Lindsey Deason – 0.31
In the NCAA Rankings (as of Oct. 19 - 300 teams ranked)
Scoring Offense – 146th (1.5)
Goals Against Average – 44th (0.85)
Shutout Pct. – 132nd (0.31)
Won-Lost-Tied Pct. – 58th (0.656)
Scouting the Weekend Opponents
Marquette – The Golden Eagles enter Friday’s match at 9-6-1 overall and 6-2-0 in C-USA action… they are tied for first place with TCU with 12 points… Marquette has won four straight C-USA matches over Cincinnati, Louisville, Charlotte and East Carolina to vault to the top of the standings… Beth McGill leads the club with eight points on three goals and two assists… overall, Marquette has scored 17 goals while allowing 15 scores… head coach Markus Roeders is in his eighth season at Marquette… the series: the Golden Eagles have dominated the seven-match series between the programs… DePaul has not scored a goal against Marquette with the Golden Eagles finding the net 26 times… a year ago, Marquette won, 3-0, in Milwaukee.
Eastern Illinois – The Panthers begin the weekend at 8-4-4 overall and 4-0-2 in Ohio Valley Conference play… they take on Southeast Missouri on Friday night before playing the Blue Demons on Sunday… senior forward Beth Liesen will test the DePaul defense as she has tallied a team-high 39 points on 15 goals and nine assists… head coach Steve Ballard is in his ninth season at Eastern Illinois… the series: Sunday is the fifth meeting between the two programs… the Panthers have won the previous four meetings including a 4-0 decision during the 2001 season.
Looking Forward
DePaul plays their final regular-season match on Saturday, Nov. 1 at Saint Louis. The 2003 Conference USA Tournament takes place Nov. 5-8 in Charlotte, N.C. If DePaul receives a bid to the NCAA Tournament, first-round play begins on campus sites, Nov. 14 and 16.
