DePaul University Athletics
Men's Soccer Hosts Pittsburgh and West Virginia This Weekend
9/14/2006 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S SOCCER
DePaul vs. Pittsburgh
Friday, Sept. 15 - 12:30 p.m.
Wish Field - Chicago, Ill.
DePaul vs. #8/14 West Virginia
Sunday, Sept. 17 - 12:30 p.m.
Wish Field - Chicago, Ill.
Weekly Notes | Demons Live
CHICAGO - DePaul hosts Pittsburgh and West Virginia this weekend at Wish Field. Both matches are the opening frame of a DePaul soccer doubleheader as the women’s team takes on Notre Dame and Loyola-Chicago. The Blue Demons opened conference action last weekend with a 2-0 win at Marquette and a 3-0 loss at Notre Dame. This weekend’s action is the team’s first visit to the home turf since a 2-1 win over Loyola-Chicago on Aug. 27. DePaul posted a 1-2-2 record on the five-match trip outside of Lincoln Park.
Looking at the Blue Demons: The 2006 season is the 25th in DePaul men’s soccer history... in 23 career matches, goalkeeper Brian Visser has totaled six 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... the 2-0 win at Marquette on Sept. 8 ended a 22-match winless streak on the road... 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)... in his sixth season, head coach Craig Blazer returns 16 players and seven starters from a year ago... freshmen have scored all five goals this season... Alex Mangan leads the team with four goals while Patrick Hopkins found the net against Xavier... 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)... DePaul is scheduled to play 18 regular-season matches with nine games at Wish Field in 2006... the Blue Demons are 17-10-5 in the last four-plus seasons in matches at Wish Field... 17 student-athletes on the 24-player roster are either sophomores or freshmen... nine of the 11 starters in every game this season have been freshmen or sophomores... the Blue Demons played in five overtime matches (0-3-2) in 2005 and eight games were decided by one goal (3-5).
Noting Pittsburgh: The Panthers enter the weekend at 1-4-1 overall and 1-1-0 in BIG EAST play... they topped Cincinnati, 2-1, in overtime after falling, 2-1, in overtime to Louisville last weekend... five different players have scored goals for Pittsburgh... Brendon Smith and Chris Bastidas lead the team with three points... head coach Joe Luxbacher is in his 23rd season with the Panthers. The Series: Pittsburgh won the first meeting between the two programs last season, 1-0... the Panthers are making their first trip to Wish Field.
Checking Out West Virginia: The No. 8/14 Mountaineers are off to a 5-0-1 start and stand at 2-0-0 in league action... West Virginia opened the league slate with a 2-0 win over Cincinnati and a 2-1 decision against Louisville... they are ranked eighth in this week’s NSCAA/adidas Top 25 and No. 14 in the Soccer America national rankings... they have outscored their opponents, 8-2 with Jarrod Smith totaling a team-best nine points on four goals and an assist... head coach Marlon LeBlanc is in his first season at West Virginia. The Series: Sunday will be the second meeting between the two programs... the Mountaineers claimed a 2-0 decision in Morgantown last year.
Marriott Kingsgate Honors: Patrick Hopkins and John Partyka were named to the All-Tournament team following games against Xavier and Marshall in the Marriott Kinsgate Xavier Challenge. Partyka led the DePaul defense in the shutout against Marshall and assisted Hopkins’ goal against Xavier.
Previously: 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: Following this week’s action, DePaul closes plays three of four games at Wish Field beginning on Sept. 20 against Northwestern. The Blue Demons travel to Rutgers on Sept. 24 before hosting USF on Sept. 27 and Villanova on Sept. 30.
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.