DePaul to Face Crosstown Rival Tuesday

CHICAGO - DePaul men's soccer faces crosstown rival Northwestern tomorrow evening at 7:00 pm in Evanston, Ill. This match marks the final non-conference contest for the Blue Demons.

Last Time Out
Blue Demon men's soccer recorded their first draw of the season Saturday against Seton Hall, 1-1, in double overtime fashion. In a defensively heavy first half, the Blue Demons only managed to get off two shots on goal while goalkeeper Drew Nuelle made three saves in between the posts. The sophomore allowed the Pirates' only goal in the 41^st minute just before halftime. DePaul would return to the pitch for the second half rejuvenated and ready for action, scoring the equalizer in the 58^th minute. A free kick from Jake Fuderer was blocked and the ball popped out to sophomore Zach El-Shafei, who subsequently buried it into the back left corner of the net for his second goal of the season. The Blue Demon offense would tally 10 shots during the second period and Seton Hall would fire off five, but the match would run its course of two full overtimes without another goal.

About Those Blue Demons (4-6-1, 1-2-1)
DePaul recorded their first draw of the season against Seton Hall and currently sit with four wins this season, seeking their fifth against the Northwestern Wildcats. Sophomore Istvan Wilhelms leads the Blue Demons with three goals and with Zach El-Shafei and Bryan simons right behind him with two goals a piece. El-Shafei picked an assist as well. Senior captain Harry Hilling notched a goal but leads the team in assists, along with freshman Jake Fuderer, who have each tallied three. Head coach Mark Plotkin's squad won their first 2018 BIG EAST conference game against Providence, which also happened to be their first win against the Friars in program history.

Scouting the Wildcats (4-5-3, 0-3-2)
The Wildcats played to a draw against Big Ten rival Penn State over the weekend. They are bolstered by Miha Mishovic in the goal, who has tallied seven shutouts this season, posts a goals against average of 0.93 and a save percentage of 0.765 with 39 saves on the season. The sophomore sits first in the league and fourth nationally in shutouts. Camden Buescher leads the squad with three goals and seven points followed by Bardia Kimiav with two. Ty Seager has racked up two assists so far.

2017 Matchup
The DePaul men's soccer team was edged 2-0 by its crosstown rival Northwestern on a wet and chilly Wednesday afternoon in what was a very physical match that witnessed 33 fouls, five yellow cards, and one red card. DePaul led the offensive charge in the first half, outshooting the Wildcats 7-3. In the 52nd minute, Northwestern took a 1-0 lead over DePaul with a successful penalty kick by Camden Buescher by way of a Blue Demon foul on the edge of the box. Later in the second half, Northwestern scored an insurance goal in the 68th minute to seal the 2-0 victory over the Blue Demons.

Notes
...Blue Demons are seeking their first victory since September 14.
...DePaul is 0-0 in October after their draw against Seton Hall.
...The match against Seton Hall was the fifth overtime match for the Blue Demons this season.

Live Coverage
Saturday's match will be broadcast on the BTN2Go, here while 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.

Social Media
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Players Mentioned

Zach El-Shafei

Jake Fuderer

Harry Hilling

Drew Nuelle

Istvan Wilhelms

DePaul University Athletics