DePaul University Athletics
DePaul Hosts Houston and TCU at Wish Field
10/14/2004 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S SOCCER
Weekly Notes
CHICAGO - In the midst of a six-match homestand, the DePaul women’s soccer team hosts Houston and TCU this weekend. The Blue Demons take on the Cougars at 12:30 p.m. on Friday afternoon before hosting TCU at Noon on Sunday. Both games are part of a soccer doubleheader as the DePaul men’s team takes on Memphis and Wisconsin this weekend. DePaul enters the match with a 6-7-1 overall record and a 2-4-1 mark in league play after splitting a pair of matches against Louisville and Cincinnati last weekend. Houston enters the weekend at 4-10-0 overall and 1-4-0 mark. TCU stands at 5-8-0 and 3-2-0 in C-USA action.
Looking at the Blue Demons: 2004 marks the ninth season of women’s soccer at DePaul University... Julianne Sitch and Lea Hill lead the club with 19 and 18 points, respectively... Erin Walter has 13 points (3G/7A) followed by Jennifer Dyer (4G/4A) and Lauren Spacht (4G/2A)... DePaul has never had three players total at least 15 points in a season... Hill has a team-high eight goals with two assists while Walter leads the club and Conference USA with seven assists to go with three goals... in two-plus seasons, Sitch has recorded a program-best 71 points, 27 goals and 17 assists... DePaul’s six goals and nine assists against Liberty on Sept. 5 are both school records... the club tied the scoring record in the 6-1 win against Northern Iowa on Sept. 17... head coach John Wilson is in his fifth season in Lincoln Park.
Scoring in Bunches: DePaul’s 31 goals through 14 games are on pace to break the program’s single-season record. A year ago, the club set the top mark with 33 goals in 23 matches. Twice this season, the Blue Demons have scored a school-record six goals in a match. The nine goals in back-to-back matches against Northern Iowa and Marquette are the most in a two-game stretch. DePaul’s 12 goals in the three games against UW-Milwaukee, Northern Iowa and Marquette tied a record set in 2002 with 12 goals against IPFW, Indiana State and Drury. The Blue Demons are spreading the wealth as nine different players have scored at least one goal and five players have at least 10 points.
Sitch on Hermann Trophy Watch List: DePaul junior and preseason Conference USA Player of the Year Julianne Sitch is one of 25 student-athletes named to the preseason Hermann Trophy watch list. The Hermann Trophy is annually awarded to the top men’s and women’s collegiate players. The 25 players on the preseason list are considered to be among the top players entering the 2004 college season and are the ones to watch this fall. A list of 15 semifinalists will be announced in November, with three finalists selected in early December. The winner will be announced at a dinner at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis, Mo., on Jan. 8, 2005.
Last Weekend: DePaul went 1-1 in matches against Louisville and Cincinnati last weekend. The Blue Demons and Cardinals went to double overtime before Julianne Sitch’s “golden goal” won the match for DePaul. Jennifer Dyer’s goal less than two minutes into the game gave the Blue Demons the early lead. Louisville tied the match in the 35th minute on Jamie Craft’s 11th goal of the year. Neither team could score in the second half or the first overtime period until Erin Walter found Sitch for an arcing header from the top of the box at 108:59.
On Sunday, it was Cincinnati scoring early in the match and holding off the Blue Demons in the second half. Becky Imhoff scored at 1:49 and neither team was able to find the net for the rest of the match. DePaul fired 12 shots, including a Kelly DeBaene liner that just wide of the left post in the second half.
Looking at Houston: The Cougars enter the weekend looking to get in the race for the C-USA Tournament... Houston is 1-4-0 in league play (4-10-0 overall) with two points and in a tie for 12th place... last weekend, they lost to TCU, 3-0, and No. 21 SMU, 6-1... Nikki Hawkins leads the team with 24 points on 10 goals and four assists while Sarah Fisher has added 14 points on four goals and a team-high six assists... head coach Bill Solberg is in his fifth season as head coach. The Series: Houston leads the series, 4-1... a year ago in Chicago, the Blue Demons posted a 1-0 victory on penalty kick by Julianne Sitch.
Scouting TCU: Sunday’s opponent, TCU, enters the weekend at 5-8-0 overall and 3-2-0 in C-USA action... they play at Marquette on Friday night... they currently stand in sixth place in the C-USA standings with six points... last weekend, the club defeated Houston, 3-0, before losing to Rice, 1-0... Jessi Moore leads the team with 19 points on seven goals and five assists... head coach David Rubinson is in his 19th season. The Series: The all-time series is knotted at 1-1 with each team winning on their home field... last season saw DePaul post a 2-0 win in Chicago on goals by Lauren Spacht and Julianne Sitch.
What’s Ahead: The Blue Demons wrap-up their six-game homestand with non-conference matches against Cleveland State and Indiana. The Blue Demons take on the Vikings and former assistant coach Derrek Falor on Friday at 3 p.m. Indiana comes to Wish Field for a Sunday afternoon match schedule for 1 p.m. With the Indiana game being the final regular-season home match, it will be Senior Day. DePaul finishes the regular-season on the road with a Oct. 29 match at UAB. The 2004 Conference USA Tournament is set for Nov. 3-6 in St. Louis, Mo.
