Blue Demons and Bulldogs Square off on Saturday Afternoon

CHICAGO - DePaul men's soccer hosts the Butler Bulldogs for a BIG EAST matchup at Wish Field on Saturday afternoon. The Blue Demons and Bulldogs will kick things off at 1 p.m. in Lincoln Park and the matchup will be broadcast on the BIG EAST Digital Network on FloSports presented by SoFi.

DePaul is coming off of a huge conference win over Villanova on Wednesday. The Blue Demons escaped with a 3-2 win in overtime on an Omar Ramadan goal in the final minute of action. The game-winning score was Ramadan's first goal of his career and the Blue Demons claimed a resilient win after the Wildcats tied the game down the stretch in regulation. The win was the first road conference win for DePaul of the season and gave the Blue Demons a key three points in the BIG EAST standings.

DePaul and Butler square off for the 14th time in the all-time matchup and the Blue Demons are looking to avenge two losses against the Bulldogs earlier this spring. Butler claimed a 1-0 overtime win at Wish Field in the last matchup, a meeting on March 20 in Chicago. DePaul will be searching for its first win over Butler since 2016.

STANDINGS UPDATE
With three matches remaining, DePaul is tied for sixth place in the BIG EAST standings. With a top-six finish, the Blue Demons will advance to the BIG EAST Tournament, which begins on Saturday, Nov. 6. DePaul takes on Butler, St. John's and Xavier to close out the season.

BUTLER NOTES

Previous match: Marquette W, 2-1 (2OT): Wilmer Cabrera, Jr.'s goal was his fourth of the season and the 16th of his career. Quint Breitkreuz's goal, which was the game-winner, was the first of his career, as was his assist. Hemi Nasser's assist was his first of the season, while Tommy Visser's assist was his second of the season. Goalkeeper Gabriel Gjergji (6-6-1) picked up his sixth win of the season, making six saves in the match.
For their performances in back-to-back victories over Xavier and No. 20 Providence, Butler defender Griffin DeBolt was named BIG EAST Men's Soccer Defender of the Week, and, in addition, Bulldogs goalkeeper Gabriel Gjergji was named Goalkeeper of the Week.
The Bulldogs, now with 12 points, have moved into a tie with Villanova for third in the BIG EAST standings. Georgetown (18) sits in first, and Providence (14) remains in second.
Butler's 2021 schedule has included five ranked teams, including three ranked in the top-5 when the contest was played. The Bulldogs faced No. 1 Indiana (L, 0-1), No. 1 Georgetown (L, 0-1), and No. 5 Marshall (L, 0-2). Marshall is the defending College Cup National Champion, having defeated Indiana in the spring.
Cabrera Jr. scored three goals in Butler's 5-0 win over DePaul to open conference action last spring.