DePaul University Athletics
No. 21/18 DePaul Goes for Seven in a Row Thursday at Green Bay
9/10/2014 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S SOCCER
CHICAGO - DePaul is riding a wave of momentum created by the fastest start and longest winning streak in women's soccer program history.
The Blue Demons head into Santaga Stadium for a 4 p.m. Thursday match against Green Bay (4-2-0) ranked No. 21 in the nation in the NSCAA/Continental Tire Top 25 rankings and No. 18 by Soccer America.
DePaul is one of 29 undefeated teams in the country as it goes for seven in a row against the Phoenix.
An enhanced attack has enabled coach Erin Chastain's team to come from behind three times.
"I'm happy with our start, and good teams will continue this throughout a season," Chastain said. "Our goal production is up from last year as we have a different team with a lot of new faces to integrate.
"It's been a learning curve for us, and our new players have contributed to our team dynamic. We have some good attacking players in Abby Reed, Elise Wyatt and Alexa Ben. We identified a need to improve in that area and brought in some good athletes to create more scoring chances.
"It's nice to have confidence in our ability to score goals. I'd like to see our team take ownership of not allowing as many goals as we have so far. It's not just the defenders, but the whole team."
In the season's first NCAA statistics, Reed entered the week tied for No. 1 in the country in game-winning goals with four. Reed was sixth in the nation in goals per game (1.20) and ninth in total goals (six) and points per game (2.4).
Reed began the week leading the BIG EAST Conference in game-winning goals, goals per game and points per game (2.40). She was tied for first in total goals (six) and third in points. Wyatt, Ana Greik and Ben were tied for third in assists with three. Goalkeeper Alex Godinez was third in goal-against average (0.91).
As a team, the Blue Demons were tied for first in assists (13), second in points (43) and tied for second in goals (15). They have outscored their opponents 15-7.
"It feels great to get off to an undefeated start," said senior co-captain Rachel Pitman. "Beating Nebraska and Illinois State is good for our NCAA resume.
"But if we don't perform well in the BIG EAST season, it won't matter. We can't take anything for granted, and we still haven't had a complete 90-minute performance.
"Last year, we would score one goal and then focus on defending. Scoring more goals this season has been great, especially for the defenders. We let in two goals against Milwaukee last Sunday and were still able to get the win."
Reed, BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week Wyatt and BIG EAST Rookie of the Week Ben have combined for 11 goals and 28 points.
"Abby and I work well together," Wyatt said. "In our first scrimmage, we could read each other really well. It's an amazing feeling to set up your teammate and she comes through and scores goals for you. All three of our players up top are threats to score.
"Last year, we concentrated more on defense. This season, we've been creating more chances and scoring more goals. It is great when you have the capability to score the equalizer and more."
Green Bay is off to a good start under new coach Kacey Burke. The Phoenix has won three of the last four and has outscored opponents 15-5 this season. Green Bay boasts an impressive 54-18 margin in shots on goal.
Heidi Hartzmann has been the equal of DePaul's Reed with six goals. Alex Zeller has two goals and two assists and Hannah Kernen has two goals and one assist. Goalkeeper Nastacia Behle comes into the match with a 0.99 GAA.
"Green Bay will be a tough team for us," Chastain said. "They have a new coach who has the team inspired and buying into the program. They believe in themselves and have had a successful start of the season."
DePaul returns to Wish Field for a 1 p.m. match on Sunday against North Side rival Loyola. The Ramblers have opened up 3-3-0 and travel to New Mexico for a match on Friday night.
Loyola has outscored opponents 9-8 with Ava Senn-Raemont accounting for four of those goals. Katie Grall has one goal and one assist.
The Ramblers came away with a 1-0 overtime victory over Green Bay last Sunday at Loyola Soccer Park. They have also beaten Farleigh Dickinson and Western Illinois while losing to Marquette, Arizona State and Western Michigan.
