DePaul University Athletics
Men's Soccer Hosts USF and Cincinnati
10/6/2008 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S SOCCER
CHICAGO - The Blue Demons play the first two matches of a three-game homestand this week at Wish Field. DePaul hosts Red Division leader USF on Tuesday before taking on Cincinnati Saturday in Chicago. The Blue Demons are unbeaten in their last two league games with a win over Pittsburgh followed by a tie at Rutgers on Saturday.
DePaul stands at 2-2-1 in league play and is the defending BIG EAST Red Division champions. The two BIG EAST victories and a tie give the Blue Demons seven points in the division standings and put them in a tie for fourth with Syracuse. USF is 4-0-1 in league play and 6-1-2 overall.
DePaul is 3-4-3 overall and hosts Cincinnati on Saturday after playing USF on Tuesday. Of the final seven games of the regular season, the Blue Demons are scheduled to play five matches at Wish Field. Following this week’s action, Loyola-Chicago visits on Oct. 15 for a non-conference game before an Oct. 18 trip to Syracuse.
Noting the Blue Demons: DePaul is now 4-0-3 in the last seven overtime matches dating back to last season... the Blue Demons entered the 2008 season with a five-match win streak at Wish Field... the loss 1-0 loss to Valparaiso on Aug. 31 ended the win streak... Alex Mangan has scored 12 goals in 36 career matches... eight of his 12 career goals have been game-winners... he is tied for 19th all-time with 25 points (12G/1A)... in 64 career matches, Brian Visser has played in 5,883 of a possible 6,101 minutes in the net... his totals account for just over 96 percent of the minutes played in goal in the last three-plus seasons... the 0-0 tie against Butler marked the 20th career shutout for Visser... DePaul is 28-17-6 in the last six-plus seasons at Wish Field.
BIG EAST Improvement: DePaul has improved in each of its three BIG EAST campaigns. The 2005 squad totaled seven points on a 2-8-1 record before the 2006 team finished sixth in the Red Division with 12 points on a 4-7-0 record. A year ago, the Blue Demons were picked to finish eighth in the preseason coaches poll and surprised the entire BIG EAST by winning the Red Division with 21 points and a 7-4-0 league record.
Through five games in 2008, the fourth year with BIG EAST membership, DePaul is 2-2-1 for seven points and a tie for fourth in the Red Division standings.
Checking on USF: The Bulls enter Tuesday’s game ranked No. 10 in this week’s Soccer America poll... USF is 6-1-2 overall and 4-0-1 in BIG EAST action... the four victories and a tie put the Bulls at the top of the Red Division with 13 points... they played Syracuse to a 0-0 tie on Friday... Zak Boggs, Bernardo Anor and Jordan Seabrook have scored two goals each to lead the offense... Seabrook also has three assists for a team-high seven points... head coach George Kiefer is in his ninth season at USF. The Series: The Bulls lead the series, 12-2-0... DePaul claimed a 2-1 win in the last meeting in Chicago on Sept. 27, 2006... a year ago, USF posted a 2-0 decision in Tampa on Oct. 16.
Bearcat Breakdown: Cincinnati stands at 3-5-2 overall and 1-3-1 in BIG EAST play... the Bearcats knocked off Villanova, 1-0, on Saturday... with four points, Cincinnati sits in eight place in the Red Division standings... Branden Stelmak and Brad Simpson have scored two goal apiece with Stelmak adding an assist for a team-best five points... head coach Hylton Dayes is in his eighth season at Cincinnati. The Series: Cincinnati holds a 14-6-3 advantage... the Bearcats knocked off DePaul, 1-0, in Cincinnati last season.
Marquette Invitational Recap: The Blue Demons finished second in the four-team Marquette Invitational with three players earning All-Tournament Team recognition. DePaul’s 1-1-0 record for three points was second to Penn with four points (1-0-1). Willy Lara, John Kornfeld and Steffen Vroom were named to the All-Tournament Team.
Steffen Vroom scored in the 23rd minute against Columbia to lead DePaul past the Lions, 1-0. The Blue Demons outshot Columbia, 13-5, while Brian Visser was credited with one save in the shutouts. DePaul followed the win with a 2-0 loss to Penn. The Blue Demons had chances as Penn was able to thwart a penalty kick opportunity in the 63rd minute and a DePaul shot hit the crossbar in the 78th minute. DePaul outshot the Quakers, 12-7, and held a 7-4 advantage in corner kicks.
Preseason Picks: The Blue Demons were picked to finish fourth, and picked up two first-place votes, in the Red Division by the league’s 16 coaches. Connecticut was selected to win the Blue Division while USF was picked as the Red Division preseason favorite. O’Brian White from Connecticut was named the preseason Offensive Player of the Year while USF’s Yohance Marshall received the Defensive Player of the Year nod and DePaul’s Brian Visser was the pick for preseason Goalkeeper of the Year. Visser is the first DePaul player to be named a conference player of the year honoree.
Blazer In Eighth Season: Head coach Craig Blazer is in his eighth season with DePaul. He holds a career record of 45-81-14 in his seven-plus seasons. In the last six-plus years under Blazer, the Blue Demons have posted a 28-17-6 record at Wish Field. Last season the Blue Demons went a program-best 9-1-0 at Wish Field with wins over No. 2 Connecticut and No. 21 Louisville.
2008 BIG EAST Championship: The semifinals and championship of the 2007 BIG EAST Men’s Soccer Championship will take place in Tampa, Fla., on the campus of the University of South Florida on Nov. 14 and 16. The first round and quarterfinal matches will be hosted by the higher-seeded team on Nov. 5 and Nov. 8. The champion receives the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship.
Wish Field Openers: DePaul’s season-opening match at home against Valparaiso marked the second straight year beginning the season at Wish Field, but just the second time overall since the 2004 campaign. Since 2000, Sunday’s match was just the third home game to begin a season. The Blue Demons started the 2004 season with a 2-0 win over Loyola-Chicago at Wish Field. A year ago, DePaul opened the season with a 2-0 victory against Jacksonville at Wish Field.
DePaul hosts nine matches at Wish Field this season after posting a school-record 9-1-0 mark last year. The Blue Demons defended the home turf in dominating fashion as they allowed just three goals in the 10 home matches and scored a total of 13 times. A 1-0 win over No. 2 Connecticut highlighted the home-field slate in 2007 while DePaul also dispatched No. 21 Louisville in Lincoln Park.