DePaul University Athletics
Blue Demons Play Two This Week
9/27/2005 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S SOCCER
Weekly Notes
CHICAGO - The DePaul men’s soccer team steps out of BIG EAST action on Wednesday for a match at Loyola-Chicago before hosting a league match with Syracuse on Saturday. The Blue Demons dropped a pair of BIG EAST contests on the road last weekend at Pittsburgh and West Virginia. DePaul is in the midst of a six-game stretch that has the Blue Demons on the road for five matches.
Looking at the Blue Demons: Since a 2-0 win over Drake on Sept. 11, the Blue Demons are 0-3-1... the back-to-back shutouts on the road at Pittsburgh and West Virginia last weekend 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 three games decided by a goal (1-2)... head coach Craig Blazer is in his fifth season at DePaul.
Best for Last: Adam Hermsen leads the team 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 Loyola: The Ramblers enter the midweek match at 2-3-1 overall and 1-0-0 in Horizon League action. Last weekend, Loyola opened conference action with a 2-1 win over Illinois-Chicago. The Ramblers have totaled 11 goals this season while allowing their opponents to find the net on 13 occasions. Matt Marek leads the team with six points on three goals while Joe Nierzwicki has totaled five points on a pair of goals and an assist. Sean Bond and Brad Sommer have split the time in goal, combining for a 2.03 goals against average. Head coach Brandon Eitz is in his first season as head coach of the men’s program after serving as head coach of the Loyola women’s team for 10 seasons.
Checking on Syracuse: The Orange stand at 4-3-1 overall and 0-3-1 in BIG EAST play with a non-conference match at Hartwick on Wednesday evening. Syracuse dropped a pair of league matches at Providence, 3-2, and Connecticut, 1-0, last weekend. The Orange own a team 0.84 goals against average and have outscored their opponents, 9-7, this season. Pete Rowley leads the club with five goals and 10 points while Isaac Collings has added three assists and a score for five points. Head coach Dean Foti in is his 15th season leading the Syracuse soccer program. The Orange were picked to finish sixth in the BIG EAST’s Red 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 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 58 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 plays two BIG EAST road matches at Villanova (Oct. 8) and USF (Oct. 12) before finishing 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, 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.