Blue Demons Hold Off No. 8/14 Western Michigan, 1-0

CHICAGO - The DePaul men's soccer team secured a win against No. 8/14 Western Michigan Monday afternoon, 1-0, in their regular season home opener. This match marked head coach Mark Plotkin's first career win as head coach and featured senior midfielder Michael Mojarro netting his first goal of the season.

The Broncos kept the Blue Demons active on defense for most of the game. Sophomore goalkeeper Drew Nuelle made five saves in between the pipes and faced nine shots total. WMU only outshot DePaul by one and won five corner kicks compared to the Blue Demons' three.

The lone goal of the game came in the 69^thminute. Mojarro took a shot with his left foot off a cross from senior midfielder Harry Hilling and placed the ball in the back of the net for his second career goal.

"It was a great dribble," Mojarro said of Hilling's pass. "We do it all the time in practice and it was great he did it in a real game. I just called Harry - he's my roommate so we have that connection - and he played a great through ball and I finished it. We came out, we were tired from last game and a little unsure, but everyone got hype and we realized this is our home. We've got to make a stop, make a difference, and make a statement to the BIG EAST and to everyone else in the country and I think we did that today."

Hilling was excited to get the assist and help his team get the victory.

"It was awesome," Hilling said. "I was so excited - we're both roommates, so knowing I got the assist on his big-time goal helped to really make a statement and tell everyone in the conference and the rest of the country that DePaul is here to play and we're going to have a great season. It was awesome and Mike had a great finish. It was off his left foot, so I'm glad he had the confidence to put it in the back of the net."

Western Michigan had not been shut out since Oct. 2017 against a Michigan State team ranked sixth in the nation.

Plotkin is happy to get his first win under his belt, but he and his two assistant coaches are proud of the effort made by the team Monday.

"It's pretty unbelievable," Plotkin said. "I'm just proud of our guys. The effort they put forth for 90 minutes - if anybody was out here, they could just sense how amazing these guys are, how much they're willing to work for each other and just dig in and find that fighting spirit that we have, that we've been talking about ever since we took over. We're just so excited for them. They deserve every ounce of joy they get out of this – it's fantastic."

Defensively, the coaching staff knew they had a battle ahead of them against one of the top teams in the country. They stressed digging in and going the extra mile for each other.

"We just really stressed digging in deep, being super blue collar and doing anything for each other because we knew that they are a very talented team and at times, they're going to have a little bit more of the ball than us," Plotkin said. "We told our guys that they're going to have to be okay with it, because if you don't give up anything and you do the extra effort for the guys around you then pretty special things can happen."

More quotes...
Head coach Mark Plotkin
On what this game means for the team...
"It shows everybody else that we're back and we can do a lot of special things when we put together a full 90 minute performance. I still think there's some areas we can can definitely improve upon, but I think it just gives our guys confidence that we can compete against anyone in the country. Western Michigan is awesome, they had an amazing run in the tournament last year and they're one of the best teams in the country. So, for us to take them down is a huge win for DePaul and a huge win for our guys."

On how they will move forward going into the Chicago Classic this weekend...
"We have to get better. You always take the win and want to celebrate it for the night and enjoy it, but we're back to work tomorrow just figuring out how to get better."

Senior midfielder Michael Mojarro
On the 1-0 win over No. 8/14 Western Michigan...
"It was a great team effort. We counter attacked really well and Harry played a beautiful through ball (on that goal) and I think our team deserved one. We fought through it and everyone was here cheering us on - volleyball, facilities - it was a good win for DePaul."

Up Next
The Blue Demons will host the Chicago Classic this weekend, playing host to Oakland and Loyola Marymount. The Blue Demons will take on the Oakland Grizzlies on Friday, Aug. 31 at 4:00 p.m. and the Loyola Marymount Lions on Sunday, Sept. 2 at 2:00 p.m.

Blue Demons Hold Off No. 8/14 Western Michigan, 1-0

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Team Stats

Michael Mojarro

Harry Hilling

Isaac Friendt

Brayden Callipari

Players Mentioned

Harry Hilling

Michael Mojarro

Drew Nuelle

Players Mentioned

Harry Hilling

Michael Mojarro

Drew Nuelle