DePaul University Athletics
Blue Demons Host Northwestern
8/24/2007 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S SOCCER
CHICAGO – The DePaul women's soccer team plays the lone exhibition match of the 2007 season on Saturday afternoon against the Northwestern Wildcats. The match is the second game of a doubleheader at Wish Field with the DePaul men's team hosting Western Michigan at 2 p.m. Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m. between the Blue Demons and Wildcats.
Following the exhibition game, the Blue Demons open the 2007 regular season at the Cleveland State Fall Classic. DePaul takes on Ohio and host Cleveland State in the weekend tournament. The Blue Demons face Ohio on Friday, Aug. 31 before concluding the opening weekend against Cleveland State on Sunday.
2007 Preseason Notebook
- Head coach Erin Chastain begins her first season with the Blue Demons. She previously served as an assistant coach at Santa Clara and Northwestern. In five seasons from 2002-06, she helped the Broncos to a pair of NCAA national semifinal appearances in 2002 and 2004. The 2002 team reached the championship match before falling, 2-1, in double overtime to Portland. A year ago, Santa Clara went 15-5-1 and finished the season ranked No. 7 in the Soccer America poll and No. 9 in the final NSCAA Top 25.
- Erica Westrich joined the staff as an assistant coach in April 2006. Westrich was the 1998 Big Ten Player of the Year to cap her four-year career at Northwestern. The four-time All-Big Ten honoree was also recognized as the 1996 Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
- Chastain is the sister-in-law to former U.S. National Team star Brandi Chastain. Erin’s husband, Chad Chastain, also joins the DePaul staff this season as a volunteer assistant.
- Jennifer Dyer leads the returners after totaling nine points on three goals and three assists last season. Stefanie Foley and Shannon Williams scored a goal each in 2006 while Dominique Locascio and Tara Evangelist added an assist. Overall, DePaul welcomes back 10 players from last season’s squad. A total of 14 newcomers join the program this season in Lincoln Park.
- Dyer enters 2007 ranked among DePaul’s all-time leaders in points, goals and assists. She is tied for second all-time with 12 assists, tied for seventh with nine goals and tied for sixth overall with 30 points.
- The Blue Demons begin the season at the Cleveland State Fall Classic with matches against Ohio and Cleveland State. DePaul plays eight home games at Wish Field, including BIG EAST matches against Louisville, Villanova, Georgetown, Connecticut and Providence. The league schedule starts on Sept. 21 at Notre Dame. The 2007 season is DePaul’s third in BIG EAST Conference action.
In other non-conference action, the Blue Demons travel to Loyola-Chicago, Southeast Missouri State and Evansville while hosting Drake, Northern Illinois and IPFW.
