DePaul University Athletics
Blue Demons Ready for Breakout Game
9/2/2011 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S SOCCER
Sept. 2, 2011
CHICAGO, Ill. - It's time for the Blue Demons to break loose.
You know, put a big ol' crooked number up on that Wish Field scoreboard.
After back-to-back winning seasons in 2009 and 2010, the women's soccer team is more than ready for a positive result Sunday when it faces Illinois State in a 1 p.m. match at Wish Field.
It's the first half of a soccer double-header with the men's team going against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville at 4 p.m.
What will it take to get back on the winning track?
"We need our veteran players to step up and get us going in the right direction," said DePaul coach Erin Chastain. "Let's be even more focused than we've been the first four games."
Experienced Blue Demons such as Michelle Scandora, Morgan Celaya, Kelly Blumberg, Chelsea Grant, Beth Perry, Arianna Foster and Claire Hanold will look to set the pace for a team that started three freshmen and three sophomores in last Sunday's loss at Michigan.
"Part of it is playing some pretty good teams with high-scoring, dangerous forwards," Chastain said. "The other part is, we haven't generated enough good shots against those teams.
"In terms of taking shots, we have steadily progressed since the season opener. Now, we need to do a better job of finishing in the attacking third."
That's where attacking players such as Blumberg, Celaya, Scandora, sophomore Ashleigh Goddard and freshman Amber Paul, Rachel Pitman and Nikki Condit need to start finding the back of the net.
Coming back home to Wish Field could make a difference.
"In our first four matches, only one has been at home," Chastain said. "But, we wanted to schedule more road games early in the season.
"Last year we lost four BIG EAST games in a row on the road, and we wanted to try and mimic the challenge of that conference schedule. Plus, this was the best time to travel so much when classes aren't in session.
"Now, we have two home games and one game at Loyola-Chicago which is almost like staying at home."
Chastain would like her team to begin establishing the kind of dominance at Wish Field that led to a 9-2-1 home record last year.
"Anytime a visiting team is accustomed to playing on natural grass, we get a surface advantage playing on artificial turf," Chastain said. "Wish Field is a unique environment. It's a tight, enclosed field, and hopefully we can use that to our advantage on Sunday."
Blue Demon Quick Kicks
• Celaya leads the team with one goal and 13 shots.
• Scandora is second with nine shots followed by Paul with seven, Condit with four and Pitman with three.
• Celaya tops the team with seven shots on goal while Scandora has five and Paul, Pitman and Condit have three apiece.
• Opponents have taken 61 shots to DePaul's 42 and have 31 shots on goal to 21 for the Blue Demons.
• Celaya, Scandora, Paul, Goddard, Blumberg, Hanold, Roller, Perry and Sarah Gorden have started every game this season.
• DePaul is 8-1-2 in nonconference games at Wish Field since 2009.
• Overall at Wish Field since 2009, the Blue Demons are 15-5-2.
