DePaul University Athletics
Blue Demons Host UW-Green Bay on Wednesday
9/21/2004 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S SOCCER
Weekly Notes
CHICAGO - The Blue Demons return to Wish Field for a Wednesday afternoon match before heading to Drake for a Saturday night game. DePaul snapped a four-match losing streak in the first game of the Dayton Marriott Flyer Classic with a 2-1 win over Evansville last Friday. Overall, the club is 2-5-1. UW-Green Bay enters the week at 3-3-0 while Drake holds a 3-3-0 record.
Looking at the Blue Demons: The 2-1 win over Evansville on Sept. 17 ended a streak of nine straight wins with a shutout... the Blue Demons have played four overtime matches in their eight games this season... a year ago, they played just one overtime match and in 2002 there were four games with extra soccer... offensively, the Blue Demons are led by senior Patrick Vyncke with eight points on four goals... Kevin Bissett, John Kornfeld, John Partyka and Alec Kulinczenko have also found the back of the net this season... DePaul has totaled just eight goals in eight games, but have allowed only 11 scores by the opposition... on the eight goals, there have been eight assists, let by Julian Chill with four... the team has posted 12 wins in their last 18 matches at Wish Field... head coach Craig Blazer is in his fourth season in Lincoln Park.
Tournament Honors: With two tournament during the regular season, members of the DePaul soccer team have picked up some honors for their outstanding performances. At the Best Western Lakeside Classic hosted by Northwestern, John Partyka and John Kornfeld were named to the All-Tournament team. Following the Dayton Marriott Flyer Classic, Partyka and Kornfeld were joined by Patrick Vyncke on the All-Tournament team.
Ranked in the Region: In the first NSCAA/adidas Midwest Region poll of the season, the Blue Demons found themselves at No. 10. After a pair of losses at the Best Western Lakeside Classic, the club dropped out of the region’s top 10. Over the last two seasons, the Blue Demons have been in-and-out of the region’s top 10 and were ranked as high as No. 8.
Last Week: DePaul went 1-2 in three matches last week. On Wednesday at UIC, the match went to a pair of overtime periods before the Flames scored the golden goal in the 108th minute. John Kornfeld scored his first collegiate goal to tie the match at 1-1 in the 75th minute.
Over the weekend, the club knocked off Evansville, 2-1, and lost to Wright State, 2-1, at the Dayton Marriott Flyer Classic. In Friday’s victory, Patrick Vyncke scored both goals on headers. His first goal came in the 35th minute to give the Blue Demons the early lead. After the Purple Aces tied the match just before halftime, Vyncke scored the game-winner in the 68th minute. The Blue Demons weren’t as fortunate on Sunday as they dropped a 2-1 decision to Wright State. The Raiders took advantage of penalty kick situations in each half while Kevin Bissett scored the DePaul goal. John Partyka, John Kornfeld and Vyncke were named to the All-Tournament team.
Scouting the Phoenix: UW-Green Bay enters the match at 3-3-0... last week, they topped Loyola, 3-1, and lost to Northern Illinois, 4-1... Michael Lepera leads the team with eight points on three goals and two assists... head coach Tom Poitras is in his first season as head coach. The series: The series stands at 2-2... a year ago in Green Bay, the Blue Demons posted a 2-0 victory on a pair of goals by Patrick Vyncke.
Looking Ahead to Saturday: The Drake Bulldogs enter the week at 3-3-0... Ryan Samuelson leads the team with 11 points on four goals and three assists... the Bulldogs have totaled 16 goals in their six matches... head coach Sean Holmes is in his seventh season as head coach. The series: Drake leads the overall series, 8-1... a year ago in Chicago, the Bulldogs posted a 2-0 victory.
Conference Breakdown: In their 11 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 2004:
Big Ten: 0-1-0 (Northwestern, Wisconsin)
Big West: 0-1-0 (UC Irvine)
Conference USA: 0-1-0 (Charlotte, Cincinnati, East Carolina, Louisville, Marquette, Memphis, Saint Louis, UAB, USF)
Horizon League: 1-2-0 (Loyola-Chicago, UIC, UW-Green Bay, Wright State)
Mid-American: 0-0-0 (Northern Illinois)
Mid-Continent: 0-0-1 (Valparaiso)
Missouri Valley: 1-0-0 (Drake, Evansville)
Overall Record: 2-5-1
What’s Ahead: DePaul goes on the road next week for Conference USA matches at Saint Louis and East Carolina. The Blue Demons and Billikens tangle on Sept. 29 at 7 p.m. The East Carolina match in Greenville is set for Oct. 3. The team returns to Wish Field for an Oct. 6 match against Cincinnati at 3 p.m.
