Gonda and Richards Propel Blue Demons to Third-Straight Win

Friday, September 10

Peoria, Ill.

7:00 P.M. CT

DePaul University

3-1-0

Bradley

1-3-0

DePaul

Bradley

Gonda and Richards Propel Blue Demons to Third-Straight Win

9/10/2021 9:10:00 PM | MEN'S SOCCER

Box Score

Gandhi Cruz made six saves to hold off the Braves

PEORIA, Ill. - DePaul men's soccer made it three straight wins on Friday, topping the Bradley Braves in Peoria, Ill. 2-1. Jack Richards and Marek Gonda both found the back of the net, scoring their third respective goals of the season. The win was the first for the Blue Demons over the Braves since 1990.

"I thought it was a terrific effort from our guys tonight on both sides of the ball," said head coach Mark Plotkin. "I thought our guys off of the bench were fantastic as well."

Grant Herbek, who was back in the starting lineup after missing Sunday's match due to injury, helped the Blue Demons stuff an early Bradley chance in the opening minutes. Herbek deflected a dangerous chance out of harm's way to grant the Blue Demons a goal kick in the fourth minute.

In the 11th minute, Fuderer sent in a low cross into a dangerous area that was deflected away by the Braves. On the ensuing corner, Fuderer swung in a cross that Michael Anderson deflected on goal. The ball was then located by Richards who knocked in the point-blank chance to give the Blue Demons an early lead.

Later on, Bradley played a quality cross in the 24th minute but the headed attempt bounced right into the arms of Gandhi Cruz. Cruz was solid in the first half, controlling the back portion of the Blue Demon defense. The sophomore made a pair of first-half saves.

Five minutes into the second half, Bradley had a key chance deep in the attacking zone. A well-placed cross found an attacker in front of the net but a one-time shot was sent over the crossbar. The Blue Demons narrowly avoided a tie game, clinging to the one-goal advantage.

Moments later, Jake Fuderer made a run down the left flank and looked for an opportunity to cross to the inside. Fuderer served a perfect low cross to Gonda who flicked a quick shot home. The strike was Gonda's third of the season and extended the lead to 2-0.

Bradley pushed forward to try to score down the stretch. Cruz made a save on a Bradley free kick in the 70th minute to shut down a key offensive opportunity. With just five minutes remaining, the Braves were awarded a penalty kick. However, Cruz made a great read and huge save, diving to his right to keep the Braves off of the board.

Minutes later, the Braves were granted another penalty opportunity. Pepe Mallado buried the attempt to make the score 2-1. The Blue Demons were able to control the ball in the final minutes to improve to 3-1 on the season.

"It's great to see us scoring goals on set pieces and through the run of play," said Plotkin. "It was certainly a wild ending but I'm happy to come away with another win on the road."

KEY STATS

Richards' first-half goal was his third of the season and gave the senior scores in back-to-back games. After Richards scored in the final two games of the 2020-21 season, Richards has totaled three goals through four games this fall.
Gonda found the back of the net for his third score of the season. Gonda scored twice in the Blue Demons' win over St. Thomas last Thursday and is up to a team-high seven points this season.
DePaul improves to 3-1 on the season, their best start to a season in the Mark Plotkin era. The three-straight Blue Demon wins are also the most consecutive victories under Plotkin.
Cruz made six saves in the win. Cruz followed up Sunday's with another strong performance and has now allowed only one traditional goal over the last three matches.

UP NEXT

DePaul hosts UIC next Wednesday at Wish Field. First touch is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Lincoln Park. The Blue Demons will then host Oakland on Saturday, Sept. 18 for Alumni Day.