Blue Demons Play Three This Week
9/4/2007 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S SOCCER
DePaul at Loyola-Chicago
Wednesday, Sept. 5 | 7 p.m.
Loyola Soccer Park | Chicago, Ill.
DePaul vs. Drake
Friday, Sept. 7 | 1 p.m.
Wish Field | Chicago, Ill.
DePaul at Southeast Missouri State
Sunday, Sept. 9 | 2 p.m.
Houck Stadium | Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Weekly Notes
CHICAGO - Following a pair of wins at the Cleveland State Fall Classic, the DePaul women’s soccer team plays three matches in five days this week. The action starts on Wednesday at Loyola-Chicago before the Blue Demons host Drake on Friday afternoon and travel to Southeast Missouri State for a Sunday afternoon game. Kickoff with the Ramblers in Rogers Park is set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
Undefeated Start Just Second All-Time: Despite playing just two games, the 2-0 start for the Blue Demons is just the second undefeated beginning to a season in program history. The 2001 squad holds the best start to a season at 5-0-0 in the program’s 12 years while the Blue Demons are 4-8 all-time in season-opening matches.
Noting the Blue Demons: DePaul returns 10 players from last season and welcomes 14 newcomers to Lincoln Park this season... Jennifer Dyer is the top returner after totaling nine points on three goals and three assists in 2006... with an assist at Cleveland State on Sept. 2, she moved into sole possession of sixth all-time with 31 points and second all-time with 13 assists... Shannon Williams entered this season with one goal and has scored two in two games this season... the win over Ohio to start the 2007 campaign ended a 12-match winless streak (0-11-1)... head coach Erin Chastain is in her first season at DePaul and the third coach in program history... she is the first coach in program history to win the first match... the 2007 season is the 12th year of women’s soccer as a varsity sport at DePaul University... the Blue Demons are 23-17-2 in the last five-plus seasons in matches at Wish Field... on the flip side, the program is 17-25-8 on the road in that same span.
Jordan Named BIG EAST Rookie of the Week: DePaul freshman Tiffany Jordan was named the first BIG EAST Rookie of the Week for 2007 after totaling a goal and two assists at the CSU Fall Classic. The Minnesota native is the first women’s soccer player at DePaul to earn one of the league’s weekly honors. Jordan assisted the first goal and scored the second in the 2-0 win over Ohio on Aug. 31 before assisting the game-winner in the 2-1 decision against Cleveland State on Sept. 2.
Chastain Begins First Season: Following five seasons at Santa Clara as an assistant coach, Erin Chastain was named DePaul’s third head coach on Mar. 1, 2007. While at Santa Clara she helped the Broncos claimed four West Coast Conference titles and a pair of NCAA Championship National Semifinal appearances. The 2002 team finished second in the NCAA Championship while in 2004 Santa Clara reached the national semifinals followed by a quarterfinal appearance in 2005. Prior to Santa Clara, Chastain served as an assistant coach at Northwestern and played collegiately at Minnesota where she was a two-time All-Big Ten honoree. The Chastain name is familiar to soccer fans as Erin’s sister-in-law, Brandi, led the United States to the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Scouting Loyola-Chicago: The Ramblers stand at 0-2-0 after opening the season with defeats to Louisville and Kentucky at the Boilermaker Challenge Cup... Loyola dropped a 2-1 decision to Louisville before falling, 1-0, to Kentucky... the defending Horizon League tournament champions were picked to finish second in the Horizon League preseason poll... the Ramblers return nine starters from last season’s 14-7-3 team... Frank Mateus is in his second season as head coach of the Ramblers. The Series: Wednesday is the eighth meeting between the two programs... Loyola leads the series, 5-1-1... the Ramblers have won three straight including a 1-0 decision last season at Wish Field.
Checking on Drake: The Bulldogs enters this week’s action at 0-1-0... they dropped a 1-0 decision to Northwestern in the season-opener on Aug. 31... Drake hosts Nebraska on Wednesday night... the Bulldogs were picked to finish second in the preseason Missouri Valley Conference poll... the 2006 Missouri Valley Conference tournament champions posted a 12-6-2 record last season... six starters return including 2006 MVC Player of the Year Sarah Foote... head coach Corbin Stone is in his sixth season. The Series: Drake won the first meeting, 1-0, last season in Des Moines, Iowa.
Southeast Missouri State Preview: The Redhawks hold a 1-1-0 record this season... Southeast Missouri State defeated Northwestern State, 1-0, on Aug. 31 before falling, 1-0, at Missouri State on Sept. 2... the Redhawks were slated to finish third in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll... they return 12 letterwinners and nine starters from last season’s 10-8-2 squad... head coach Heather Nelson is in her ninth season at Southeast Missouri State. The Series: Sunday is the second meeting between the two programs... DePaul claimed a 3-2 victory in the first meeting last season at Wish Field.
Previously: Cleveland State (Sept. 2) - Tiffany Jordan scored a goal and assisted another to lead DePaul over Cleveland State, 2-1, in the CSU Fall Classic. Jordan’s goal with assists by Kelly Semko and Jennifer Dyer came in the 32nd minute to give the Blue Demons a 1-0 advantage. The Vikings tied the game in the 41st minutes before Shannon Williams tallied the game-winner at 47:37. Jordan assisted the Williams goal as DePaul won its second straight match. Ohio (Aug. 31) - Callie Hemming and Shannon Williams scored goals to give the Blue Demons a 2-0 victory over Ohio in the 2007 season-opener. Hemming scored at 18:56 off an assist by Tiffany Jordan followed shortly by Williams at 23:48. Stefanie Foley was credited with the assist on DePaul’s second goal.
Exhibition Recap: DePaul dropped a 1-0 decision to Northwestern in the lone exhibition match on Aug. 25. The Wildcats scored the game’s only goal in the 29th minute while outshooting the Blue Demons, 15-7, in the 90 minutes. Brittni Lally and Kelsey Hoinkes split time in goal for DePaul with Lally stopping three shots and Hoinkes totaling six second-half saves.
Preseason Picks: The Blue Demons were picked to finish eighth in the National Division in the preseason BIG EAST poll. Notre Dame was selected as the favorite of the National Division while West Virginia received the nod for the top slot in the American Division.
2007 BIG EAST Championship: The semifinals and championship of the 2007 BIG EAST Women’s Soccer Championship will take place in Morgantown, W. Va., on the campus of the West Virginia University. The first round and quarterfinal matches will be hosted by the higher-seeded team on Nov. 1 and Nov. 4. The champion receives the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship.