DePaul Concludes 2021 Fall Campaign with 1-1 Draw at Xavier

Wednesday, November 3

Cincinnati, Ohio

5:00 P.M. CT

DePaul University

7-7-3 (3-4-3)

Xavier

9-7-1(3-6-1)

DePaul

Xavier

DePaul Concludes 2021 Fall Campaign with 1-1 Draw at Xavier

11/3/2021 8:07:00 PM | MEN'S SOCCER

Box Score

Herbek scores first-career goal but Blue Demons fall short of postseason picture

CINCINNATI - With a chance to claim a spot in the BIG EAST Championship on the final day of the 2021 regular season, DePaul men's soccer was unable to produce a win in a tense 1-1 draw on the road on Wednesday night. The Blue Demons needed three points from a win, along with a few other results across the league, to move into the top six and head to the conference tournament. After forcing overtime with a second-half goal. DePaul was unable to push across a final tally to earn the victory.

After a Villanova win earlier in the day, the Blue Demons (7-7-3, 3-4-3 BIG EAST) needed three points and a Butler or Creighton loss to keep the season alive. Xavier (9-7-1, 3-6-1 BIG EAST), who had already been eliminated from postseason contention, kept the pressure on the Blue Demons in the first half in chilly Cincinnati. DePaul maintained the nil-nil scoreline behind a strong first half by Gandhi Cruz. Cruz made five first-half saves to keep the match tied at zero heading to halftime.

Less than five minutes into the second half, Xavier was able to take the lead. Payton Miller cracked a perfect shot into the upper right corner of the net from outside the box, scoring his first collegiate goal in his final match. Trailing 1-0, DePaul faced an uphill battle to try to force overtime or gain the lead.

In the 55th minute, Jake Fuderer rifled in a shot with pace that sailed just over the crossbar. After the Musketeers had controlled the offensive rhythm of the game for the first 50 minutes, DePaul began pushing toward the final third and built up offensive play.

Near the 66th minute, still trailing by one, DePaul earned three straight corners. The first, and most dangerous, ended in a Grant Herbek header being saved and knocked out of touch. Herbek, playing central defense, found another opportunity later in the half. In the 74th minute, Omar Ramadan swung in a free kick that deflected in the box. Herbek quickly sent a low shot into the bottom corner of the net, netting his first-career goal and tying the match at one.

DePaul pushed to take the lead with time winding down, but could not convert a chance. Xavier earned a corner in the final minute of regulation but the DePaul defense cleared the danger. Needing a win, the Blue Demons headed to overtime with Xavier.

In the first overtime, DePaul's Marek Gonda had the best chance of the period. Gonda slipped free after a clever pass in the box by Jack Richards. Gonda's right-footed shot under pressure sailed just to the outside edge of the right post, and the match remained tied.

DePaul kept up the attack in the second overtime in an effort to muster the crucial score. However, Xavier cleared attempt after attempt, keeping the match tied at one. When the final whistle blew, the match, and DePaul's 2021 season, ended in a draw.

Despite missing out on the berth in the conference tournament, the Blue Demons achieved new highs under coach Mark Plotkin. DePaul's seven wins and three conference victories were its most under Plotkin and the most for the program since 2016. The Blue Demons graduate 10 seniors but with plenty of the team's makeup underclassmen, DePaul will look to build on the season's successes next fall.

KEY STATS

DePaul tallied nine shots to Xavier's 17. DePaul put three on target while the Musketeers tallied eight shots on goal.
Herbek's goal was the first of his career. The Blue Demon defender has played in 31 career matches during his time in Lincoln Park and he started all 16 matches this fall.
Cruz made seven saves, matching a conference season-high. Cruz has made five or more saves in four of the last five matches of the season and entered the evening ranked 15th in the nation with 69 saves on the season.
Ramadan, Gonda and Herbek all tallied a pair of shots, leading the Blue Demons in the match.

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