DePaul University Athletics
Blue Demons Host Northwestern Before Traveling to Rutgers
9/20/2006 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S SOCCER
DePaul vs. #14/23 Northwestern
Wednesday, Sept. 20 - 3 p.m.
Wish Field - Chicago, Ill.
DePaul at Rutgers
Sunday, Sept. 24 - 2 p.m. EST
Yurcak Field - Piscataway, N.J.
Weekly Notes | Northwestern: Demons Live | Rutgers: Gametracker
CHICAGO - DePaul hosts No. 14/23 Northwestern in a non-conference match before traveling eastward to play a BIG EAST match at Rutgers on Sunday. Following a conference-opening 2-0 win at Marquette, the Blue Demons have dropped three straight via shutouts against Notre Dame, Pittsburgh and West Virginia.
Taking the Tough Road: Just 10 games into the schedule has the Blue Demons playing their third ranked opponent in Northwestern on Wednesday. In addition to playing nationally-ranked at game time No. 8/11 Notre Dame, No. 8/14 West Virginia and No. 14/23 Northwestern, the Blue Demons played Illinois-Chicago to a 0-0 tie. The Flames entered the top 25 polls following the match against the Blue Demons and are currently ranked No. 9 in the NSCAA/adidas national poll and No. 10 in this week’s Soccer America top 25. The Wildcats represent the third ranked team in the last four matches that the Blue Demons have faced.
Rated G: In addition to the tough schedule this season, the Blue Demons are learning under fire as they regularly start nine players that are either freshman or sophomores. In the first. The 24-player roster features 17 student-athletes that are either sophomores or freshmen. In eight of the first nine games this season, nine of the 11 starters have been freshmen or sophomores. DePaul five goals have been scored by rookies, including four scores by Alex Mangan. Patrick Hopkins tallied his first collegiate goal at Xavier in the Marriott Kingsgate Xavier Challenge. Of the 81 Blue Demon shots attempted this season, 65 (80.2 percent) have been taken by a freshman or sophomore.
Looking at the Blue Demons: The 2006 season is the 25th in DePaul men’s soccer history... in 25 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 17-12-5 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 two overtime games (0-0-2) and three one-goal matches (1-2-0).
Noting Northwestern: The Wildcats, ranked No. 2 in the NSCAA/adidas Great Lakes Region poll, enter the match at 6-1-0 overall and 3-1-0 in Big Ten play... their No. 14 national ranking is the NSCAA/adidas top 25 is the highest in program history... on Sunday, they defeated Ohio State, 3-1, after winning the adidas/Baymont Inn Invitational in DeKalb with wins over Bradley and Drake on Sept. 8 and 10... David Roth leads the team with 12 points on five goals and two assists while goalkeeper Will Briley has played 537 of 627 minutes in goal with 22 saves and two shutouts... head coach Tim Lenham is in his sixth season in Evanston.
Checking Out Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights host Princeton on Wednesday and are off to a 2-5-0 overall start... in BIG EAST play, Rutgers is 1-3-0 after defeating Georgetown and losing to Seton Hall last weekend... Chris Moore leads the Scarlet Knights with five points on two goals and an assist... Matt Vanoekel has accumulated 21 saves in goal while playing 562 of 658 minutes this season... head coach Bob Reasso is in his 26th year at Rutgers.
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: 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: Following this week’s action, DePaul hosts USF on Sept. 27 and Villanova on Sept. 30. The regular season finishes with three of five matches at home. The five-game run starts at Louisville on Oct. 10 before Western Kentucky, St. John’s and Cincinnati visit Wish Field.
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.