DePaul University Athletics
Blue Demons Take On Western Kentucky and St. John's
10/9/2006 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S SOCCER
DePaul vs. Western Kentucky
Tuesday, Oct. 10 - 3 p.m.
Wish Field - Chicago, Ill.
DePaul vs. St. John's
Saturday, Oct. 14 - 1 p.m.
Wish Field - Chicago, Ill.
Weekly Notes | Demons Live
CHICAGO - DePaul opens a three-match homestand on Tuesday afternoon against Western Kentucky before hosting St. John’s on Saturday. The match with the Hilltoppers is the final non-conference match of the season while DePaul’s senior class will be honored prior to the St. John’s game.
Visser Named Goalkeeper of the Week: Sophomore goalkeeper Brian Visser was named BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week following the 1-0 shutout of Louisville on Oct. 7. Visser totaled a career-high 11 saves in the match while facing 20 Cardinal shots. The shutout against the Cardinals was the fourth of the season for Visser while his 11 stops mark the most by any goalkeeper in the BIG EAST this season. His previous career best was set earlier this season when he made nine saves at Notre Dame on Sept. 10. Joseph Lapira of Notre Dame and Connecticut’s O’Brian White were named Co-Offensive Players of the Week while Rutgers’ Bart Koffeman was picked as the Defensive Player of the Week. The BIG EAST Rookie of the Week was Hansen Woodruff of Syracuse.
Rated G: Along with the tough schedule this season, the Blue Demons are learning under fire as they regularly start nine players that are either freshman or sophomores. The 24-player roster features 17 student-athletes that are either sophomores or freshmen. In 13 of the 14 games this season, nine of the 11 starters have been freshmen or sophomores. Eight of DePaul’s 10 goals have been scored by rookies, including five scores by Alex Mangan. Patrick Hopkins tallied his first collegiate goal at Xavier in the Marriott Kingsgate Xavier Challenge while junior Julian Chill notched goals in back-to-back matches against Rutgers and USF. Erich Reichmann tallied his first collegiate score in the 2-1 loss against Villanova on Sept. 30 followed on Oct. 7 with Jared Johnson’s first goal in a 1-0 win at Louisville. Of the 127 Blue Demon shots attempted this season, 102 (80.3 percent) have been taken by a freshman or sophomore.
Looking at the Blue Demons: DePaul three BIG EAST wins and nine points surpass the totals set last year in the inaugural BIG EAST campaign... the 2006 season is the 25th in DePaul men’s soccer history... the 2-0 win at Marquette on Sept. 8 ended a 22-match winless streak on the road... in 30 career matches, goalkeeper Brian Visser has totaled seven shutouts... he notched three in a four-game stretch against Illinois-Chicago, Marshall and Marquette... the UIC and Marshall games were double-overtime 0-0 ties... prior to the 0-0 ties at UIC and Marshall, DePaul had just one 0-0 tie since the start of the 2001 season (98 matches)... head coach Craig Blazer is in his sixth season... freshmen have scored eight of the 10 goals this season... Alex Mangan leads the team with five goals followed by Julian Chill with two goals... Patrick Hopkins, Jared Johnson and Erich Reichmann have scored one goal each... Mangan has scored two goals in games against Loyola-Chicago and Marquette... Mangan’s two-goal effort against Loyola-Chicago was the first DePaul multi-goal game since Patrick Vyncke’s two scores against Evansville on Sept. 17, 2004 in the Dayton Marriott Flyer Classic (31 matches)... the Blue Demons are 18-13-5 in the last four-plus seasons in matches at Wish Field... the Blue Demons played in five overtime matches (0-3-2) in 2005 and eight games were decided by one goal (3-5)... the 2006 campaign has seen three overtime games (0-1-2) and seven one-goal matches (3-4).
Taking the Tough Road: In a span of six matches from Sept. 10 to Sept. 27, the Blue Demons faced four ranked opponents. No. 16/11 USF was the fourth ranked opponent after DePaul played No. 8/11 Notre Dame, No. 8/14 West Virginia and No. 14/23 Northwestern. In addition to those teams ranked at game time, the Blue Demons played Illinois-Chicago to a 0-0 tie on Aug. 30. The Flames entered the top 25 polls following the match against the Blue Demons and are currently ranked No. 18 in the NSCAA/adidas national poll and No. 12 in this week’s Soccer America top 25.
Checking Out Western Kentucky: The Hilltoppers enter Tuesday’s match at 3-6-3 overall and 0-1-2 in Missouri Valley Conference play... they are winless in their last four matches, but hold a 0-2-2 record in those games... Daniel Payne leads the team with nine points on four goals and an assist... head coach David Holmes is in his 23rd season with the Hilltoppers... Western Kentucky University is located in Bowling Green, Ky. The Series: Tuesday is the third all-time meeting between the two programs... it is the first game since 1988 with the Hilltoppers taking both meetings.
Scouting St. John’s: The Red Storm stands at 7-4-2 overall and 3-3-2 in BIG EAST action... St. John’s lost to Rutgers, 2-1, in overtime on Saturday and sit one spot ahead of the Blue Demons at fourth place in the BIG EAST Red Division standings... Ryan Soroka leads the team with 13 points on four goals and five assists... head coach Dave Masur is in his 16th season. The Series: Saturday is the second meeting between the two schools... the Red Storm claimed a 1-0 victory last season in Queens, N.Y.
Marriott Kingsgate Honors: Patrick Hopkins and John Partyka were named to the All-Tournament team following games against Xavier and Marshall in the Marriott Kingsgate Xavier Challenge. Partyka led the DePaul defense in the shutout against Marshall and assisted Hopkins’ goal against Xavier.
Previously: Louisville (Oct. 7) - Jared Johnson’s first collegiate goal in the 70th minute was the difference in a 1-0 win over the Cardinals. Brian Visser totaled 11 saves while the Cardinals outshot the Blue Demons, 20-5. Villanova (Sept. 1) - The Blue Demons took a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute on Erich Reichmann’s first collegiate goal. DePaul’s lead held midway into the second half before the Wildcats tied the match at 64:56 on a goal by Farris Fakhoury. DePaul outshot Rutgers, 16-10, but couldn’t find the net in regulation. Villanova found the game-winner at 96:56 off a free kick opportunity finished by Mike Del Guercio for the 2-1 decision. USF (Sept. 27) - The Blue Demons upset No. 16/11 USF, 2-1, behind goals from Julian Chill and Alex Mangan. Nathan Feltz assisted both goals with the first occurring at 28:32 on a cross to Chill in front of the net. Mangan added the second score at 81:26 before the Bulls cut the lead with their lone goal at 89:35. Rutgers (Sept. 24) - Julian Chill scored his first career goal to tie the match midway through the first half. However, the Scarlet Knights added the go-ahead goal just before halftime followed by a second-half insurance goal for a 3-1 decision at Yurcak Field. Rutgers scored goals in the 27th, 42nd and 68th minutes while Chill’s score came at 27:02. Northwestern (Sept. 20) - A goal in the 73rd minute broke a scoreless tie and sent Northwestern to a 1-0 victory over DePaul at Wish Field. The Blue Demons outshot the Wildcats, 10-9, and Erich Reichmann’s bid for the equalizer hit the crossbar with five minute left in regulation. West Virginia (Sept. 17) - West Virginia scored goals in the fourth, 63rd and 89th minutes to take a 3-0 BIG EAST decision at Wish Field. The Mountaineers outshot the Blue Demons, 13-7, while Brian Visser finished the game with four saves. Pittsburgh (Sept. 15) - Keeyan Young scored the match’s only goal at 89:59 to give the visiting Panthers a 1-0 win. The two teams played scoreless soccer until Pittsburgh’s corner kick opportunity with nine seconds left in regulation was converted into a goal. Notre Dame (Sept. 10) - The Irish scored a goal in each half and an own goal late in the match for a 3-0 win in BIG EAST play. Notre Dame outshot the Blue Demons, 26-4, and scored goals in the second minute, 66th minute, and the own goal in the 72nd minute. Brian Visser totaled a career-high nine saves. Marquette (Sept. 8) - DePaul ended a 22-match winless streak on the road with a 2-0 win at Marquette. Freshman Alex Mangan scored two goals in a span of just over three minutes in the first half. His first score came off an assist from Erich Reichmann at 23:02 followed by a goal at 26:12 off an assist from Patrick Hopkins. Brian Visser tallied his third shutout of the season with four saves. Marshall (Sept. 3) - The Blue Demons played to their second scoreless tie in three games. The 20 shots for DePaul was a season high while Brian Visser finished with seven saves. Xavier (Sept. 1) - Freshman Patrick Hopkins tied the match in the 52nd minute with his first collegiate goal, but the host Musketeers knocked in the game-winner 10 minutes later for the 2-1 decision. DePaul attempted six shots while Xavier got off seven attempts. Illinois-Chicago (Aug. 30) - Despite being outshot, 15-0, the Blue Demon defense held UIC scoreless in a 0-0 tie at Flames Field. Brian Visser totaled three saves for the Blue Demons in the first night game in UIC soccer history. Loyola-Chicago (Aug. 27) - Freshman Alex Mangan scored two goals to erase a 1-0 deficit for a 2-1 win over the Ramblers. Following a Rambler goal in the ninth minute, Julian Chill’s serve from the right sideline found a wide-open Mangan with a header at 10:38. Midway through the second half, Mangan headed home another goal off a midfield free kick from John Partyka at 65:02. Valparaiso (Aug. 25) - DePaul opened the 2006 season with a 2-0 loss at Valparaiso. The Blue Demons outshot the Crusaders, 18-9, but couldn’t find the net as the home team scored a goal in each half.
Looking Forward: The regular season finishes with three of four matches at home. The three-game homestand starts on Oct. 10 with Western Kentucky before an Oct. 14 game against St. John’s. The final home game of the regular season is set for Oct. 18 against Cincinnati before the regular-season campaign wraps up at Syracuse on Oct. 21. The 2006 BIG EAST Championship begins on Oct. 24 at campus sites.
Preseason Picks: In the annual preseason BIG EAST coaches poll and all-conference teams, the Blue Demons were picked to finish eighth in the Red Division. USF edged St. John’s in the Red Division as the favorite while Connecticut narrowly topped Notre Dame as the Blue Division preseason pick.
2006 BIG EAST Championship: The semifinals and championship of the 2006 BIG EAST Men’s Soccer Championship will take place in Piscataway, N.J. on the campus of Rutgers. The first round and quarterfinals matches will be hosted by the higher-seeded team beginning on Oct. 24. The champion receives the league’s automatic bid to the 48-team NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship. College Sports Television (CSTV) is set to air both semifinal matches with the championship game broadcast live on select BIG EAST regional outlets.