DePaul University Athletics
DePaul University
Seton Hall
European Connection Sparks Successful BIG EAST Opener
9/27/2014 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S SOCCER
Sept. 27, 2014
CHICAGO - It didn't take long for DePaul's "European Connection" to get the Blue Demons off to a rousing start in their BIG EAST Conference opener on Saturday.
In the first 30 minutes, freshman Alessandro Thomas from Italy scored two goals and classmate Hans Wustling from Germany had three assists in a 3-1 victory over Seton Hall at Wish Field.
You couldn't have wished for a better way to snap a two-game winning streak, beginning with Wustling setting up Simon Megally for a score in the second minute.
"I'm here to service Simon, Alessandro and all the others," Wustling said about his creative set-ups. "A big part of me knows that if I can make the service, these guys will get the goals."
In the 13th minute, Wustling sent a ball directly to Megally who made a move and then slotted a textbook pass to Thomas for his shot into the lower right from seven yards out.
"It felt great to get my first college goal," Thomas said. "I couldn't have done it without the connection from Hans and Simon."
Thomas struck again in the 30th minute, putting Seton Hall (2-3-2, 0-1-0) back on it collective heels. This time, it was Megally initiating the action with a pass to Wustling who found his fellow freshman.
"I was yelling at the top of my voice," Thomas said about calling out to Wustling. "We made eye contact, and I knew Hans would find me. He split it perfectly.
"After being up 2-0, we knew we had to keep going. We have the potential to accomplish some great things."
Goalkeeper Mack Robinson (eight saves) and his back four took over from there, maintaining a clean sheet until the Pirates scored with six seconds left in the match.
"In the beginning of the game after we went ahead 1-0, Seton Hall came right back at us," said DePaul coach Craig Blazer. "Mack made a huge save that was very significant.
"I give a lot of credit to Mack and the defense for playing so well throughout the entire game. We had dropped the last two games, and our guys really responded today. They knew this was the beginning of a new season."
DePaul is now 4-4-1 overall and 1-0-0 in the BIG EAST with three very valuable points in the standings.
"We knew DePaul only had one win in conference last year," Thomas said. "There are a lot of strong teams in the BIG EAST who probably think of us like they did last year.
"The BIG EAST isn't anything to play with---it's the real deal. Coming in here today, we had to make a statement, and it was exciting how we did it."
Thomas and Wustling are part of a talented freshman class that is focused on turning the program around with help from classmates Caleb Pothast, Philipp Koenigstein, Marcus Griggs, George Moushi and Kosta Brkovic.
"There is a lot of chemistry among the freshmen and everyone else," Wustling said. "I came here from a German club team.
"The feeling and the chemistry is a lot different at DePaul. We are like a family here, and it's not like that in Germany."
The Blue Demons return to Wish Field on Wednesday for a high-pitched rivalry game at noon against Loyola.
NOTES: This was Thomas' first two goals of his collegiate career… it was the first time Wustling had three assists in a game… this was the Blue Demons' largest margin of victory this season… Seton Hall had 14 shots with nine on goal… DePaul had eight shots with six on frame and three in the net… Seton Hall had a 10-0 advantage in corner kicks… freshman Marcus Griggs made his first collegiate start and played well in the back line… the Blue Demons started four freshmen and three sophomores… both of Thomas' shots were on goal and Megally had two shots with one on goal… Caleb Pothast, Jalen Harvey and Anthony Hunter each had a shot on goal… Megally leads DePaul with four goals and four assists for 12 points… Harvey had four goals and Thomas two goals and two assists.
