DePaul University Athletics
Profile In Courage: DePaul Battles No. 5 Louisville
11/6/2009 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S SOCCER
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -It was during a five-hour bus ride Friday to Muhammad Ali's hometown that a quiet and reflective DePaul soccer team epitomized what sports is all about.
In roughly 24 hours, these Blue Demons would confront a soccer juggernaut named Louisville---ranked No. 5 in the country---in the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST Championship tournament.
This is the same Louisville (13-2-2) that came into Wish Field on Oct. 3 and crushed DePaul 6-0.
This is the same Louisville that has outscored its opponents 45-11 and outpointed them 126-29. These Cardinals go for the jugular from the opening whistle, outscoring teams 21-1 in the first half.
In stark contrast, the Blue Demons have been outscored (35-28), outpointed (99-78) and outshot (232-183) this season.
Sitting in the front of the bus, DePaul coach Craig Blazer glanced back at his players and said: "These guys realize they've got to do something that requires a lot of courage. They're summoning up that courage right now."
DePaul (8-9-2) is about to play its fourth consecutive road game in the last 11 days against the Red Division champion who has been resting up for a week.
In some ways, DePaul is like the 300 Spartans with Louisville representing the massive Persian army in the legendary battle at Thermopylae.
Is it not the essence of sports that an underdog like DePaul has a chance---however remote---against a prohibitive favorite like Louisville?
"That's true that it takes a certain amount of courage to face a very good team that beat you 6-0 and still find a way to believe in yourself," said DePaul defender Patrick Hopkins. "It takes courage to think you can find a way to win a game when you're not supposed to even come close.
"Maybe we don't have as much talent as the top-rated teams. But a lot of guys on this team know how to play this game, and we believe in each other. We want to put ourselves in a position to be in the game at the end."
Blazer is counting on his players having a bit of an attitude when they step onto the Cardinal Park natural-grass field at 6 p.m. (Chicago time) Saturday night.
"The emotional swing in this game is going to be so volatile," Blazer said. "Louisville is a very physical team, and we have to match their intensity."
The Blue Demons will also have to clamp down on the Cardinals' main scoring threats, Colin Rolfe (10 goals), Freddie Braun (eight goals) and Mark Knight (seven goals).
Upon returning home at midnight after Wednesday night's inspiring penalty-kick victory over Georgetown in their playoff opener, Hopkins and his teammates were greeted by congratulatory signs posted on campus.
DePaul Athletics Director Jeanne Lenti Ponsetto delivered a pep talk on the bus before its departure on Friday morning.
"Despite all the traveling and so many games in a short stretch, the guys were feeling rejuvenated after all the pats on the back about the Georgetown game and Jeanne's talk," Blazer said. "She told them that if they play to their potential, there is more to come.
"We have faced a lot of challenges this year and probably traveled more than any other Division I soccer program. Our guys are excited about the opportunity to play one of the top five teams in the country.
"Right now, our goalkeeper Joe Ferrari is playing his best soccer of the season. There's a solid defense in front of him, and in Alex Mangan (eight goals) and Steffen Vroom (eight goals), we have the best pair of forwards in my nine years at DePaul."
Bonding on the road all season, these Blue Demons want to keep on strolling through airports, enjoying themselves at team dinners and hanging out together in hotels.
"We've played some of our best soccer these last three games," Hopkins said about a 1-0 loss at USF, a 2-0 setback at St. John's and the Georgetown victory by 3-1 in penalty kicks. "The guys are realizing that the next game we play could be the end of our season.
"We want to keep on going because we enjoy each other's company and have a lot of fun kidding around with each other. We had a great time when we got off the bus last Tuesday night and walked up to the front gate of the White House.
"All we want to do is keep our season going for one more game."