DePaul University Athletics
Diverse Senior Class Comes Together in Lincoln Park
10/7/2016 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S SOCCER
CHICAGO - For five of the student-athletes on the DePaul women's soccer team, their time as Blue Demons is coming to an end. Three of them transferred into DePaul and and soon afterwards made a significant impact on this competitive team. Two found their homes at DePaul from the very beginning.
Listening to their stories, you would never know this quintet has not spent the last four years of their lives together based on the friendships, teamwork, and trust they have developed among one another.
Ana Greik and Danielle Pitaro came to Lincoln Park as freshmen in 2013. They realized the program was rebuilding, and that made DePaul more appealing to them.
In that six-player recruiting class, a different player transferred each year.
"I didn't know about DePaul, to be honest," Greik said. "Michele O'Brien (associate head coach) recruited me and I am not from Chicago. It came down to DePaul and Villanova.
"Villanova was better at the time, but I chose DePaul because the program was building and I wanted to be a part of that rather than go somewhere that was already established. I knew DePaul had a lot of potential, and I wanted to be a part of it."
The three other seniors joined them in subsequent years. Abby Reed transferred from Indiana State after her freshman year, Taylor Schissler from Ohio State after her sophomore season, and Kelli Hubly from Kentucky after her junior year.
All three have made a serious impact on the Blue Demons. Reed's first season as a sophomore, DePaul won the BIG EAST regular-season and tournament titles and finished with an all-time, program-best record of 16-1-4. Reed scored 12 goals in 2014 to tie the school's single-season record. She is third all-time in career goals and points.
"We were the big underdogs that year, but we proved everyone wrong," Reed said. "I will never forget our 2-1 win over Nebraska that year when they were ranked No. 13 in the country. That was such a cool moment for us. From there, we knew we could do it."
Schissler needed to regain her confidence and believed that transferring to DePaul would help. Both of her parents are DePaul alumni and former Blue Demon student-athletes. When Schissler first met coach Erin Chastain, she felt right at home.
"Erin is the reason I wanted to come here," Schissler said. "I was really struggling with confidence, and Erin took me in and gave me the confidence to be the player I am today. She helped me love the game again.
"I loved beating Marquette in overtime last year. It was a home game and a grind all the way. It was our last regular-season game, and we fought the whole time. When the clock expired, we all dogpiled in the corner. We had put in the work and got rewarded for it. It made me feel great to be a part of this program."
Hubly transferred to DePaul for reasons similar to Schissler. Playing at Kentucky wasn't where she felt she should be, and she wasn't happy and playing the game with a passion. Hubly is a fifth-year senior, redshirting last year. Chastain took Hubly in, and her teammates made the newcomer feel welcome.
"I couldn't get on the same level as everyone right away since I wasn't playing, which was hard," Hubly said. "But everyone was so helpful and supportive.
"I came from a program where you weren't appreciated as a player, and Erin supported me to be the best player I can be. Every day, coach would come up to me and talk about what she wants me to do. She didn't have to take me, but she believed I could get back to the player I am.
"Coming to DePaul has changed my life, and I learned to have fun with soccer again."
A cohesive and fun atmosphere helped overcome a slow start and has resulted in the current six-game winning streak the Blue Demons will take into Sunday's BIG EAST match against Villanova in which the five seniors will be honored in a pre-game ceremony at Wish Field. They are atop the BIG EAST standings with a 4-0-0 record.
Once the season comes to an end, each of the seniors have different plans.
Reed and Hubly are considering taking soccer to the next level. Both are waiting to see how the season goes and how their bodies are feeling.
"There is a big difference between how my body feels after games now compared to how it felt after games my freshman year," said Reed, who was named espnW National Soccer Player of the Week on Thursday.
Either way, both Blue Demons hope to launch careers in Chicago.
Pitaro, Greik, and Schissler have different paths.
Pitaro hopes to work in human resources at a hotel in the city and Greik wants to work for an ad agency either in Chicago or back home in New Jersey. Schissler still has a bit of schooling left after June of 2017, but is looking forward to finding her career path.
This group of five has made a huge impact on the women's soccer team. And no matter where life takes them after the season, they will always have a home at DePaul.
With her soccer career in the final stages, Hubly described what this team and this season have meant to her.
"This year, I feel like we are so close," Hubly said. "When we compete, we are playing with our best friends so you want to do the work for each other. You want to fight for each other and push each other to be the best we can be. And we will continue to do that for the rest of this season."
