DePaul University Athletics
Blue Demons Take on Villanova This Weekend
10/5/2005 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S SOCCER
Weekly Notes
CHICAGO - The DePaul men’s soccer team travels to Villanova for a Saturday afternoon match this weekend. It is the lone match this week for DePaul as they play their next four matches in an 11-day span from Oct. 12-22. The Blue Demons stand in a three-way tie for fifth place in the Red Division with the top six teams qualifying for the BIG EAST Tournament.
Looking at the Blue Demons: 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 and Adam Hermsen 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... the Blue Demons played in eight overtime matches (1-4-3) in 2004 and 12 games were decided by one goal (2-10)... the 2005 season has seen two overtime matches (0-1-1) and four games decided by a goal (2-2)... head coach Craig Blazer is in his fifth season at DePaul.
Best for Last: Adam Hermsen shares the team lead with three goals and an assist after totaling a goal and an assist against Georgetown and Seton Hall. Hermsen scored in dramatic fashion in both games with headers off passes from the opposite sideline to tie each match in the final minutes of regulation. The senior midfielder did not score a goal in 2004 and entered his senior season with three career goal and five assists.
Noting Villanova: The Wildcats stand at 4-5-1 overall and 3-2-0 in BIG EAST action. Villanova plays at Rutgers prior to the weekend match with the Blue Demons. Last weekend, Villanova dropped a 4-2 decision at USF. The Wildcats have totaled nine points and are fourth in the Red Division. Overall, they have scored 10 goals this season while allowing their opponents to find the net on 14 occasions. Joe Taylor leads the team with nine points on two goals and five assists while Charlie Rowan has totaled eight points on four goals. John Ward and Jason Friel have split the time in goal, combining for a 1.35 goals against average. Head coach Larry Sullivan is in his 16th season as head coach of the Wildcats.
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 38 career points on 15 goals and 10 assists. He is tied for 11th all-time with Kevin Jennings (18G/2A - 1989-92). He needs six points to pass 10th-ranked Dusan Colakovic and tie Shane Hudson for ninth all-time. On the goals chart, Rojo needs 10 goals to move into a tie for sixth and four more assists to tie the fifth spot all-time. The senior has played in 60 career matches.
Preseason Picks: The Blue Demons were picked to finish eighth in the Red Division of the BIG EAST Preseason Poll. The BIG EAST Conference features a pair of eight-team divisions with the top 12 overall teams advancing to the league tournament. St. John’s was chosen as the favorite to win the Red Division while Connecticut earned the preseason nod from the coaches for the eight-team Blue Division.
Looking Forward: DePaul finishes the regular season with three of the final five matches at home against Rutgers, Illinois-Chicago and Louisville. The Blue Demons host Rutgers on Oct. 15 and Illinois-Chicago on Oct. 19 before traveling to St. John’s (Oct. 22) and Cincinnati (Oct. 26). The regular-season finale and Senior Day is set for Oct. 29 at Wish Field against the Louisville Cardinals.
Outstanding in the Classroom: Prior to the start of the season the Blue Demons were awarded the Conference USA Sport Academic Award for having the highest team GPA during the 2004-05 academic year. It marks the second time in the last three years that the men’s soccer team earned the honor. The Blue Demons totaled a 3.13 team GPA last year and earned the honor following the 2002 season with a GPA of 3.14.
Leaving a Mark: To close out DePaul’s run in Conference USA, John Kornfeld accomplished something just one player in a Blue Demon uniform managed. Kornfeld was named to the league’s All-Freshman team and picked up third team All-CUSA honors last year. A DePaul freshman was named to the C-USA All-Freshman team on seven occasions, including three times in the last five seasons, but only Kevin Bateman in 1995, was also named to one of the league’s three All-Conference teams. Both Kornfeld and Bateman picked up third team honors in addition to the All-Freshman recognition.