DePaul University Athletics
Mangan Comes Through in Crunch Time Again
10/24/2009 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S SOCCER
CHICAGO - Each time Alex Mangan muffs a chance to score, the DePaul forward feels like he owes one to the team.
Well, Mangan's debt was piling up in the first half of Saturday's BIG EAST match against Syracuse at Wish Field.
"I must have missed on three or four chances to score," Mangan said. "I guess I paid them back when it counted."
Mangan scored both goals on Senior Day as DePaul prevailed 2-1 and remained in contention for a BIG EAST tournament berth.
"It's unbelievable to score two goals on a day when everyone was so emotional," said Mangan, who is finishing up his career. "I could have had three or four goals in the first half, but I couldn't get my header down. All the guys were working so hard to set me up.
"It feels great to score---but it feels even better to win."
DePaul (8-7-1, 5-4-0 in the BIG EAST) came into the day tied with Rutgers for fifth place in the Red Division. The top six teams qualify for the playoffs.
The Blue Demons also knew how vital it was to pick up three points in the standings when they are finishing the regular season with road matchups at No. 7 USF and St. John's.
On Mangan's first goal, it was Steffen Vroom dribbling up the field and setting up his best friend with a nice pass.
"Let's just way Vroom's pass was so good that it would be hard not to score," Mangan said of providing DePaul with a 1-0 lead at the 34-minute, four-second mark.
Just 1:06 later Syracuse (2-14-0, 1-8-0) responded with Mark Brode's shot to the wide side of the DePaul net after a pass from To Perevegyencev.
This one appeared to be headed to overtime until Mangan---who has a knack for scoring late goals---came through again.
The game-winner was set up by a Syracuse foul near the end of a physically played battle that saw each team draw three yellow cards.
Antonio Aguilar served up a free kick in the direction of the Syracuse net that Mangan redirected in the 84th minute.
"It felt great, especially because it was on Senior Day," Mangan said. "I felt like I scored that goal for all the seniors (nine) who have given so much to this program."
During preseason training, Mangan and Vroom talked about lighting a fire under the Blue Demon attack and spicing up the season with a friendly competition of who could score more goals.
Vroom jumped out to the early lead, but Mangan's pair on Saturday ties them at seven goals apiece.
"For a while there, it felt like Vroom was scoring in every game," Mangan said. "Steffen and I talked about putting the burden of scoring on our shoulders this season."
Mangan and Vroom have combined to score more goals by themselves this season than the entire team scored last year (13).
"It doesn't matter who is scoring the goals---as long as we keep on winning," Mangan said.
NOTES: Mangan's seven goals this season ties a career-high he had set in 2007 when he led the Blue Demons to their first NCAA tournament appearance... the two goals gave Mangan 38 career points, tied for 12th-best in DePaul soccer history... Mangan led DePaul with four shots---three on goal---and had three other scoring opportunities where couldn't connect... the entire women's soccer team came out to support the men's team, one day after clinching the first BIG EAST tournament berth in their program's history... Vroom's assist gives him a team-high 18 points with Mangan second with 15 and Mt. Carmel freshman Antonio Aguilar (assist on Mangan's second goal) third with 10 points... DePaul travels to Tampa for a 6:30 p.m. game on Wednesday against nationally ranked USF and then heads to New York City Saturday for the 6:30 p.m. regular-season finale at St. John's.