Blue Demons Defeated by Wildcats in Season Opener

Friday, August 24

Lexington, Ky.

6:30 P.M. CT

DePaul University

0-1-0

Kentucky

1-0-0

DEPAUL

Kentucky

Blue Demons Defeated by Wildcats in Season Opener

8/24/2018 8:56:00 PM | MEN'S SOCCER

Box Score

Sophomore goalie Drew Nuelle makes seven key saves

LEXINGTON, Ky. - DePaul men's soccer (0-1-0) faced the Kentucky Wildcats (1-0-0) Friday night in Lexington, Ky. for their regular season opener. After an unanswered Wildcat goal in the 34^th minute, the Blue Demons dropped the match 1-0.

A physical match, Kalil Elmedkhar forced a turnover in DePaul's box to score the lone goal of the night. Sophomore goalkeeper for DePaul, Drew Nuelle, would make his debut as a Blue Demon with three saves before allowing the ball past his hands. He would post four more saves for a total of seven, after facing 16 shots on the night (8 on goal) - a career high for him.

Head coach Mark Plotkin recognized his efforts against Kentucky - who are receiving votes in the preseason rankings - and acknowledged his team's performance.

"I'm proud of the spirit our guys brought tonight for 90 minutes," Plotkin said. "We started off a little shaky but I'm happy we grew into the game and settled down against a very good Kentucky opponent. I thought Drew Nuelle played a phenomenal game tonight and helped give us an opportunity to find a tying goal."

Four yellow cards and one red card were handed out to DePaul players on Friday; two Kentucky players picked up a yellow card each.

While Plotkin and his squad face a year of rebuilding, they are looking forward to the matchup against #14 Western Michigan on Monday.

"It never feels good to lose, but I think it is a performance that will help prepare us for our competition moving forward and the standard we need to get to as a team," Plotkin said. "Monday will be another great game and I can't wait to get back out on Wish Field and see what our team can do with an opportunity against a top 25 opponent."

Up Next
DePaul men's soccer is set to battle with #14 Western Michigan in just three days on Monday, Aug. 27. Kickoff is set for 3:00 p.m. on Wish Field.

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