Blue Demons Fight to Draw on the Road versus No. 25 Providence

Saturday, October 9

Providence, R.I.

6:00 P.M. CT

DePaul University

6-4-1, 2-1-1

#25 Providence

7-1-3, 3-0-2

DePaul

Providence

Blue Demons Fight to Draw on the Road versus No. 25 Providence

10/9/2021 8:56:00 PM | MEN'S SOCCER

Box Score

DePaul earns first road result in BIG EAST play

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - DePaul men's soccer fought to a 1-1 2OT tie in a BIG EAST matchup with No. 25 Providence on Saturday night in Providence, R.I. The Blue Demons (6-4-1, 2-1-1 BIG EAST) and Friars (7-1-3, 3-0-2) combined for 30 shots but both sides were unable to break the stalemate in both overtimes.

"This is a great result to go on the road against a top-25 team and come away with a draw," said head coach Mark Plotkin. "Providence is a fantastic team and we knew there would be moments where we needed to dig in defensively. We showed good spells of possession and ability to create chances of our own, as well."

In the first half, DePaul totaled six shots to Providence's four. Near the 15-minute mark, Jake Fuderer nearly chased down a loose ball in front of the Friar's goal, but the ball slid just out of reach of the DePaul senior. Fuderer ended up sending in a service but a Jack Richards shot was deflected out of danger.

Before the halftime break, Fuderer found another clean attempt on goal but his shot was deflected and the ensuing DePaul corner was defended effectively by the Friars. The teams entered halftime with 0-0 scoreline and the Blue Demons owned the only two attempts on goal in the contest.

Things quickly escalated when the teams resumed play. In the 57th minute, Paulo Lima scored on a perfectly-placed shot from outside of the 18-yard box. His strike deflected off of the goalpost and past a diving Gandhi Cruz to put the Friars on the board.

Just two minutes later, the Blue Demons lined up a free kick from about 35 yards out. Omar Ramadan swung in a service that bounced in front of the goal and towards Michael Anderson. The ball deflected off of a Friar defender and past the keeper, tying the game at one. The goal was credited to Anderson, giving the midfielder his first goal of his career.

Looking to break the tie, the Providence offense picked up the pace around the 70th minute. Luis Garcia fired a shot off of the post on a scoring chance, but Matty Brickman was able to clear the ball out of danger. The DePaul defense was under fire for portions of the second half, defending against a Providence side that had totaled nine goals through four BIG EAST matches coming into Saturday night. However, the Blue Demons held firm, keeping the Friars at bay while Cruz managed traffic in the box.

With less than ten minutes remaining, Fuderer swung in a service on a free kick attempt. The ball found its way to a dangerous area in front of the net but the Friars dealt with the chance and kept the match knotted at one. Both sides were unable to pull ahead and the match moved to sudden-death overtime.

In the first overtime period, Providence had a chance that required Cruz to come off his line to negate a goal-scoring opportunity. The Friars continued to possess in the attacking end, but their attempts from outside of the box were able to be knocked away or contained by Cruz.

By the end of the second overtime period, the teams were unable to convert, finalizing the match in a 1-1 draw. The draw was the first of the season for the Blue Demons.

"We're happy with how our team is progressing," said Plotkin. "We're excited to be back at home at Wish on Wednesday against Seton Hall."

KEY STATS

DePaul moves to 2-1-1 in BIG EAST action this fall and claimed its first conference result on the road.
Anderson's goal was his first of his career. Anderson missed the spring season due to injury but played in 17 matches in 2019. Anderson has been a fixture in the midfield for DePaul this season.
Cruz made three saves in net and dealt with plenty of Providence attacks all evening. The rest of the Blue Demon defense helped defend a total of 19 Providence shots.

UP NEXT
DePaul hosts Seton Hall on Wednesday, Oct. 13 at 1 p.m. CT at Wish Field in Chicago. Wednesday's match can be seen on the BIG EAST Digital Network on FloSports presented by SoFi.

For all of the latest on DePaul Men's Soccer, stay tuned to depaulbluedemons.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.