DePaul Set to Host Seton Hall Saturday

CHICAGO - Another battle for three BIG EAST points by DePaul begins Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at Wish Field against the Seton Hall Pirates.

Sunday's game marks the celebration of Alumni Day for the DePaul men's soccer program. Alumni will gather at halftime of the Blue Demons' match against Seton Hall for a special tribute to former teammate, close friend and DePaul benefactor Jack Cummins who passed away last February.

Series Stuff
DePaul owns this all-time series with the Pirates, 5-2-1, even with last year's loss. Before that, DePaul had won three consecutive games, including a 2OT win in 2015.

About Those Blue Demons (4-6-0, 1-2-0)
DePaul fell to Villanova in their third BIG EAST match of the season, 1-0, in Villanova, Pa. last Saturday afternoon. The Blue Demons move to 4-6-0 on the season and 1-2-0 in conference play. DePaul outshot Villanova, 12-9, putting 5 of those on goal. Sophomore Drew Nuelle made one save per period but let one slip past him in the 75th minute allowing Kian Zapata to score his first career goal for the Wildcats. Senior captain Harry Hilling and junior forward Zach El-Shafei would each tally two shots on goal while freshman Matthew Brickman made his first career appearance as a Blue Demon.

Scouting the Pirates (4-3-1, 1-2-0)
Seton Hall faced No. 9 BIG EAST foe Creighton last Saturday in a match that remained scoreless until the Bluejays scored the game-winner in the 84^th minute. Goalkeeper Andreas Nota finished with six saves on the night. The Pirates' offense is led by Forward CJ Tibbling who has tallied four goals and nine points in his freshman campaign followed by junior forward Carlton Mckenzie with two goals and four points. Senior defender Nico Anderson has racked up three assists so far and right behind him is Martin Storesund with two. Seton Hall is averaging 1.13 goals per game. In between the posts, Nota has posted an .810 save percentage with 34 saves.

2017 Matchup
The DePaul men's soccer team held an early 1-0 lead against its BIG EAST rival Seton Hall, but Pirates used two second half goals to defeat the Blue Demons 2-1. DePaul took a 1-0 lead in the 21st minute on a right-footed strike by Zach El-Shafei. Seconds later, the Blue Demons narrowly missed a 2-0 advantage over the Pirates when a goal by Stijn van der Slot was called back due to an offside call. While Seton Hall led the shots (8-6) and corners (3-1) battle heading into the intermission, the Blue Demons held the 1-0 advantage at the break. Seton Hall netted the equalizer in the 60th minute on a shot by Andres Arcila. The Pirates landed the go-ahead score in the 86th minute on a one-timer by Pangonis.

Notes
...The last four games have been decided by one goal.
...Blue Demons have lost three in a row.
...DePaul ended 3-4 in September, seeking their first win of October.

Live Coverage
Saturday's match will be broadcast on the BIG EAST Digital Network, here. Live stats can be found here. Full recaps and statistics after each match this weekend will be posted to the Men's Soccer page on DePaulBlueDemons.com.

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Players Mentioned

Matthew Brickman

Zach El-Shafei

Zach El-Shafei

Harry Hilling

Drew Nuelle

Stijn Slot

DePaul University Athletics