DePaul University Athletics
Blue Demons Take on Former C-USA Foes
10/25/2005 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S SOCCER
CHICAGO - The DePaul men’s soccer team plays their last two of the last three regular-season matches with a BIG EAST Championship berth on the line. The Blue Demons travel to Cincinnati for a Wednesday night game before hosting Louisville in the regular-season finale on Saturday at Wish Field. Prior to Saturday’s match with the Cardinals, the DePaul senior class will be honored on Senior Day. The regular-season finishes with the rescheduled match at Villanova on Oct. 31.
Wednesday's match at Cincinnati is available to watch via UCVision at www.uc.edu/ucvision. Charges will apply to view the match. Live stats are also available at www.ucbearcats.com.
Make-Ups: The match at Villanova that was postponed on Oct. 8 due to poor field conditions has been rescheduled for Monday, Oct. 31. Kickoff in the regular-season finale is set for 1 p.m. EST.
Looking at the Blue Demons: The Blue Demons are in the midst of a season-high four-match losing streak... DePaul has played in six matches decided by one goal... they are 2-4 in those games... in 2004, 12 matches were decided by a single goal with a 2-10 record... the Blue Demons have played four overtimes matches and hold a 0-2-2 record in those matches... the 1-0 win over Syracuse snapped a four-match streak without a victory for the Blue Demons... the victory over the Orange was also the first DePaul in BIG EAST play... Jeff DeGroot, Adam Hermsen and Anthony Minniti lead the club with three goals apiece... the back-to-back shutouts on the road at Pittsburgh and West Virginia marked the first time this season that the team has been blanked in two straight matches... the 4-3 overtime loss to then-No. 21 Georgetown on Sept. 16 snapped a three-match unbeaten streak... it was the longest since a pair of three-game runs without a lost in 2003... the three goals against the Hoyas were the most in a match for the Blue Demons since a 3-1 win against UW-Green Bay on Sept. 8, 2002... the five combined goals in the two matches against Georgetown and Seton Hall are the highest two-game total in the Craig Blazer era... it marks the most in back-to-back matches since seven goals were scored at Northwestern (W, 3-1) and at Memphis (W, 4-3) on Oct. 13 and 17, 1999... the program’s last four-match unbeaten streak occurred with four wins in 1995... the longest unbeaten streak in school history was in 1994 with eight straight games... the five players that have scored a goal this season did not score in 2004... 15 of the student-athletes are either sophomores or freshmen... John Partyka and Brian Visser were named to the Holiday Inn City Centre Classic All-Tournament team... head coach Craig Blazer is in his fifth season at DePaul.
Noting Cincinnati: The Bearcats stand at 9-5-2 overall and 5-2-2 in BIG EAST action. Cincinnati has won two straight with road victories at Bowling Green and Syracuse. They have scored 25 goals this season while allowing their opponents to find the net on 18 occasions. Kenny Anaba and Omar Cummings lead the team with 19 points each. Anaba has a team-high eight goals to go with three assists while Cummings has scored seven times with a team-best five assists. Mike Vessells has seen a majority of the time in goal and holds a 1.09 goals against average. Head coach Hylton Dayes is in his fifth season as head coach of the Bearcats.
Checking on Louisville: The Cardinals stand at 5-9-2 overall and 2-5-2 in BIG EAST action. Louisville dropped a 2-1 match in double overtime against Syracuse last weekend and host South Florida on Wednesday night. They have scored 18 goals this season while allowing 24 goals by the opposition. Frank Jonke leads the team with 17 points on six goals and five assists while David Guzman has totaled nine points with three goals and three assists. Goalkeepers Steven DeGeorge and Charlie Edwards have combined for a 1.44 goals against average. Head coach Tony Colavecchia is in his ninth season as head coach of the Cardinals.
Record Book Watch: DePaul senior Luke Rojo is closing in on the all-time top 10 scoring list. Rojo, who missed last season with an injury, has scored two goals this season for 40 career points on 14 goals and 12 assists. He is ranked 11th all-time and needs five points to pass 10th-ranked Dusan Colakovic and tie Shane Hudson for ninth all-time. On the goals chart, Rojo needs eight goals to move into a tie for sixth and two more assists to tie the fifth spot all-time. The senior has played in 65 career matches. Entering this week, senior Adam Hermsen needs just three points to move into the top 25 in school history. Through 63 career matches, he has 18 points on six goals and six assists.
Looking Forward: The rescheduled match with Villanova is set to be played on Monday, Oct. 31. The BIG EAST Tournament starts on Nov. 2 on campus sites.