DePaul University Athletics
Blue Demons Open BIG EAST Play at Wish Field
9/15/2005 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S SOCCER
Weekly Release
CHICAGO - The DePaul men’s soccer team jumps into BIG EAST action with a pair of matches against top 25-ranked opponents. The Blue Demons take on No. 21 Georgetown on Friday afternoon and No. 17 Seton Hall on Sunday. Both games will be played at Wish Field. Sunday’s match is part of a soccer doubleheader followed by the women’s team playing Central Michigan.
Looking at the Blue Demons: DePaul’s current three-match unbeaten streak is the longest since 2003... the 2003 club put together a pair of three-game runs without a loss... DePaul is 2-0-1 on the current streak... 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 four 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)... this season has seen one overtime match (0-0-1) and one game decided by a goal (1-0)... head coach Craig Blazer is in his fifth season at DePaul.
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.
Noting Georgetown: The Hoyas enter the weekend at 3-1-0 and are ranked No. 21 in this week’s Soccer America top 25. Last weekend at a tournament hosted by Maryland, Georgetown defeated Virginia Commonwealth, 2-0, before dropping a 4-0 decision to then-No. 4 Santa Clara. Ben Jefferson-Dow leads the team with four points on two goals. Four players have found the net at least once this season for Georgetown as they have totaled five goals and allowed five goals in their four matches. Head coach Keith Tabatznik is in his 22nd season leading the Hoyas. Georgetown was picked to finish fourth in the Blue Division in the BIG EAST preseason poll.
Checking on Seton Hall: The Pirates open the weekend with a Friday night game at South Florida. Seton Hall is ranked No. 18 in the NSCAA poll and No. 17 in the Soccer America top 25 with a 4-0-0 record. They are one of four teams without a loss in the BIG EAST joining Connecticut and Syracuse at 4-0-0 and Providence at 2-0-2. Last weekend, the Pirates defeated Adelphi, 6-0, and Saint Peter’s, 3-2. They have outscored their opponents, 16-2, with a pair of shutouts. John Raus leads the team with 11 points on five goals and as assist while preseason BIG EAST Co-Player of the Year Sacha Kljestan has totaled 10 points with two goals and six helpers. Head coach Manfred Schellscheidt is in his 17th season leading the Seton Hall program. The Pirates were picked to finish third in the Blue Division in the BIG EAST preseason poll.
BIG EAST Making National Noise: In this week’s national polls, the BIG EAST Conference has five teams ranked in the top 25, including Connecticut as the No. 1 selection, in the Soccer America top 25. The league also has four teams named to the NSCAA/adidas weekly poll. The Huskies lead the way at No. 1 by Soccer America and No. 5 by the NSCAA. St. John’s is ranked No. 9/10 (Soccer America/NSCAA), Notre Dame is standing at No. 14/16 and Seton Hall sits at No. 17/18. Georgetown is ranked for the first time this season at No. 21 by Soccer America. The last time a BIG EAST Conference team earned a No. 1 ranking in a men’s soccer weekly poll was during the 2002 season. St. John’s was ranked for five straight weeks (9/30-10/28) in either the NSCAA or Soccer America polls.
Recapping Last Weekend: DePaul tied and won a match to open the home portion of the schedule at Wish Field. The Blue Demons played to a 1-1 draw on Friday afternoon against Saint Peter’s before defeating Drake, 2-0, on Sunday.
In Friday’s match, Luke Rojo’s first goal of the season tied the match with just under six minutes left in regulation. Neither team could find the back of the net in overtime and finished with the 1-1 tie. On Sunday, DePaul scored twice in the second half to defeat the Bulldogs for just the second time in 11 all-time meetings. Jeff DeGroot headed in a cross from Julian Chille for his first collegiate goal in the 63rd minute before Adam Hermsen sealed the match with his first goal of the season at 83:23.
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
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 totaled 34 points on 12 goals and 10 assists. He needs 11 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 54 career matches.