DePaul Heads East to Face Villanova

CHICAGO - The DePaul men's soccer team travels for their third BIG EAST conference match to Villanova, PA. to take on the Villanova Wildcats at noon CT on Saturday at Higgins Soccer Complex.

Series Stuff
Overall, the program record sits at 8-4-2 in Villanova's favor. Three of DePaul's wins have come at Wish Field while both draws have been on the road. The series dates back to 2005.

About Those Blue Demons (4-5-0, 1-1-0)
The Blue Demons most recently fell to Georgetown last Friday, 1-2, in overtime - the third straight overtime game for DePaul. The Hoyas' offensive onslaught was consistent throughout the entire match, firing off 29 shots off total with DePaul sophomore goalkeeper Drew Nuelle tallying 10 saves. Just before halftime, the Hoyas took a 1-0 lead as a ball from Rio Hope-Gund found the back of the net in the 41^st minute for his second goal of the season.

The Blue Demons would respond in fashion and score the equalizer in the 54^th minute. Zach El-Shafei would place the ball in the back right corner of the net off a rebound off the crossbar from Michael Mojarro. Just four minutes into overtime, the Hoyas would find a way to finish out the game in their advantage. Montes would place a cross to the right post to Lochner, who made a diving header redirecting the ball behind Nuelle, towards Achara, who put it away for the victory.

Scouting the Wildcats (5-3-1, 0-2-0)
Villanova has been shutout in two straight games against BIG EAST conference foes - losing to Marquette, 3-0, and Creighton, 1-0. Most recently 'Nova battled to a 1-1 draw against Temple in a match that was cut short at the 70 minute mark due to weather. Two members of the squad are tied with five goals on the season - Zach Zandi and Yusuf Cueceoglu - who have also tallied two game-winners a piece. Zandi has three assists and has fired off 12 shots on goal. Goalkeeper Carson Williams has produced two clean sheets this season, posting a GAA of 1.35 and a save percentage of .755.

2017 Matchup
DePaul captured its first BIG EAST victory against Villanova, 1-0, last season at home. In the 74th minute, the Blue Demons made their move. There was a quick touch by midfielder Istvan Wilhelms to Joshua Bowser who kicked a cross from just outside of the 18 to the middle of the box where forward Stijn van der Slot connected with a header that found the top left corner of the net, recording his fourth goal of the season. The strike would become DePaul's game-winner as the Blue Demons captured their first BIG EAST victory of 2017.

Notes
...The last three games have been decided by one goal.
...The last three games have also been decided in overtime fashion.
...DePaul is 3-3 this month, seeking the tiebreaker against Nova.

Live Coverage
Saturday's match will be broadcast on Nova Nation All-Access and live stats can be found by clicking here. Fans can visit the DePaul men's soccer schedule page for all live coverage, links and more. 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

Joshua Bowser

Zach El-Shafei

Michael Mojarro

Drew Nuelle

Stijn Slot

Istvan Wilhelms

DePaul University Athletics