DePaul University Athletics
DePaul battles against Xavier and Creighton in BIG EAST showdowns
10/24/2017 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S SOCCER
CHICAGO - The DePaul men's soccer team is ready to take the field this week against two BIG EAST rivals as the 2017 regular season is coming to a close in the next two weeks. On Wednesday, the Blue Demons will welcome Xavier to Wish Field for a noon first touch before heading west to Nebraska where DePaul will square off against Creighton on Saturday at 7 p.m.
The dual-threat of Philipp Konigstein and Stijn van der Slot, who have combined for 11 of DePaul's 17 goals in 2017, will lead the Blue Demons into battle this week. DePaul carries a 4-9-2 record, including a 1-4-1 mark in BIG EAST play, into Wednesday's match and is in search for its first win since Sept. 30. The Blue Demons have dropped four of their last five matches and pulled out a 2-2 draw against inner-city rival Loyola Chicago in their Oct. 17 meeting.
Through 15 matches, senior goalkeeper Quentin Low has tallied 55 saves in 1400 minutes of play between the posts for the Blue Demons. Low has recorded two shutouts on the season and carries a .714 saves percentage.
Xavier (8-4-2, 3-3 BIG EAST) enters Wednesday's noon meeting with DePaul with a .500 record in BIG EAST matches, winning its last meeting against Marquette 1-0 on Oct. 21. Through 14 matches, the Musketeers have outscored their opponents 25-18 where Samson Sergi and Matt Vasquenza lead Xavier in scoring with seven and six goals, respectively. Simen Hestnes and Cameron Taylor join Sergi and Vasquenza as the points leaders on the team as each carry 12 or more points on the season.
In goal, Zachary Nelson has been a mainstay for Xavier, accumulating a 7-4-2 record behind three shutouts, 38 saves, and a .679 save percentage. Nelson has only allowed 18 goals on the year to carry a 1.32 goals against average.
Xavier leads the all-time series against DePaul 13-1, winning the two squads' last meeting on Sept. 17, 2016, 1-0 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
On Saturday evening, DePaul will meet Creighton at Morrison Stadium in Omaha, Neb. DePaul looks to beat Creighton, which has never lost to the Blue Demons in its seven meetings, for the first time in its program's history. The Bluejays won 2016's meeting with DePaul 4-1 at Wish Field.
In 2017, Creighton has outscored its competition by nine goals, 28-19, and carries an 8-5-2 record with a 2-3-2 mark in BIG EAST play. The Bluejays, who are led by Ricky Lopez-Espin's nine goals, have done most of their damage in the second half of matches, tallying 13 of their 28 goals. Ten different Bluejays have scored in 2017, including three goals by Luke Haakenson and five by Marios Lomis.
Creighton's goalkeeper, Michael Kluver, carries an 8-4-1 mark for the Bluejays, tallying 40 saves while allowing 15 goals in 1200 minutes of play. In that time, Kluver has recorded five solo shutouts and one combined shutout. Overall, Kluver carries a 1.13 goals against average while posting a .727 save percentage.
Both of this week's matches will be broadcasted live on the BIG EAST Digital Network.
