DePaul Earns Comeback Win Over UIC

Tuesday, September 20

Chicago, Ill.

7:00 P.M. CT

DePaul University

3-1-3, 0-0-1

UIC

2-4-1, 0-1-0

DePaul

UIC

9/20/2022 11:50:00 PM | MEN'S SOCCER

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Hagan, Corral and Saldana all notch goals for the Blue Demons

CHICAGO - DePaul men's soccer (3-1-3) earned a comeback 3-2 win over inner-city rival UIC (2-4-1) at Flames Field on Tuesday night. The Blue Demons offense found their stride in the second half, notching two goals one in the 55th and the winning goal in the 83rd minute.

"Exciting match and great demonstration of our program's willingness to dig in and respond after going down a goal twice" said head coach Mark Plotkin. "Three first time goal scorers in Cade, Felipe, and Juju and what great goals they were. UIC is such a tough opponent, this is a big win for us. It's exciting to see our guys step up in key moments and continue to improve each game. I'm looking forward to being back at home Sunday vs. UPenn and seeing what we can do."

The match began with a save by Gandhi Cruz within the first 15 seconds of play when UIC rifled off a shot. Following the shot, the first 20 minutes of play consisted of back-and-forth shots and strong defensive showings between the Flames and Blue Demons.

In the 21st minute, UIC's Brian Perez scored the first goal of the match off of a pass from Pau Mateo.

DePaul responded immediately when Jake Fuderer found Cade Hagan in the 24th minute. Hagan powered his shot into the top right of the net, earning his first goal of the season.

The Flames closed out the half with an offensive attack where Andres Lemus found the back of the net in the 44th minute. UIC took a 2-1 lead at halftime after firing off 14 shots, with six being on goal. Gandhi Cruz totaled four saves in the first 45 minutes of play.

The second half began with much back and forth between the two sides, but the Blue Demons ended the drought first. Freshman Felipe Corral notched his first goal of the season in the 55th minute on a pass from Ethan Gordon. Corral's goal tied the match for the second time.

DePaul, with momentum, was able to score the winning goal in the 77th minute. Freshman Julian Saldana was found by Marek Gonda for his first goal of the season. Saldana put the Blue Demons up by one.

The Blue Demons defense, led by Grant Herbek, had another strong outing. They were able to keep the Flames away from the net for much of the second half. UIC Gandhi Cruz recorded five saves on eight shots in the second half, with many of the shots coming in the last two minutes of play.

UP NEXT: DePaul is back at home on Sunday, Sept. 25 at Wish Field. The Blue Demons will take on the University of Pennsylvania for the first time since 2008. First touch is set for 1:00 p.m. CT.