Thursday, August 15
Chicago, Ill.
4:00 P.M. CT
DePaul University
0-0-1, 0-0-0
0
vs
0
Northern Illinois
0-0-1, 0-0-0
1
2
F
NIU
0
0
0
DePaul
0
0
0
Blue Demons Draw in Season Opener Against NIU
8/15/2024 7:50:00 PM | WOMEN'S SOCCER
Elena Milam makes seven saves in the match
CHICAGO – DePaul women's soccer battled to a scoreless draw on Thursday evening at Wish Field, holding their own against in-state opponent Northern Illinois (NIU).
"August games are hard," said head coach Michele O'Brien. "Everybody is out for points and everyone comes in with a clean slate. NIU is a physical team and they weren't going to give up. We implemented a new formation that we tried out for the first time today. They threw stuff at us tactically that we needed to adjust to. Once we adjusted in the second half, we had a much better performance. We are really going to take the shutout as a positive and continue to build off our second half," said coach O'Brien.
The Blue Demons defense, led by the outstanding performance of Elena Milam, held the Huskies to no goals. Milam recorded seven saves in the Thursday draw, with defense being the name of the game for both sides.
NIU held a slight advantage on the offensive side of the ball, controlling 54% of the possessions.
The first of three shot attempts for DePaul came in the 16th minute when Lea Eisenring's shot was blocked by the Huskies' defensive line. Just five minutes later, Freya Jupp fired a shot that missed the mark, sailing left to keep the score knotted at zero.
In the 36th minute, Briley Hill also ripped a shot that was blocked by NIU, marking the last shot on goal for the Blue Demons.
Despite NIU's eight first-half fouls, the Blue Demons found themselves caught offside five times.
The second half opened with a promising corner kick for DePaul in the 48th minute, but NIU quickly countered, launching four attempts in five minutes.
The Blue Demons continued to press for a breakthrough, maintaining pressure until the final whistle. Despite two late corner kicks in the 86th and 88th minutes, DePaul was unable to find the back of the net, and the match ended in a stalemate.
Match Notes
Up Next:
The Blue Demons return to action on Sunday, Aug. 18, when they travel to take on the Fighting Illini. Kick-off is slated for 1 p.m. CT at Demirjian Park, with streaming on B1G+.
FOLLOW THE BLUE DEMONS
For all the latest information on DePaul Women's Soccer, visit DePaulBlueDemons.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Blue Demons on X, Instagram and Facebook.
TICKET INFORMATION
Join DePaul Women's Soccer at Wish Field this fall! Blue Demon Soccer Supporter Memberships are on sale now, which include access to all regular season men's and women's home matches at Wish Field! Single-game tickets can be purchased at DePaulBlueDemons.com/Tickets.
"August games are hard," said head coach Michele O'Brien. "Everybody is out for points and everyone comes in with a clean slate. NIU is a physical team and they weren't going to give up. We implemented a new formation that we tried out for the first time today. They threw stuff at us tactically that we needed to adjust to. Once we adjusted in the second half, we had a much better performance. We are really going to take the shutout as a positive and continue to build off our second half," said coach O'Brien.
The Blue Demons defense, led by the outstanding performance of Elena Milam, held the Huskies to no goals. Milam recorded seven saves in the Thursday draw, with defense being the name of the game for both sides.
NIU held a slight advantage on the offensive side of the ball, controlling 54% of the possessions.
The first of three shot attempts for DePaul came in the 16th minute when Lea Eisenring's shot was blocked by the Huskies' defensive line. Just five minutes later, Freya Jupp fired a shot that missed the mark, sailing left to keep the score knotted at zero.
In the 36th minute, Briley Hill also ripped a shot that was blocked by NIU, marking the last shot on goal for the Blue Demons.
Despite NIU's eight first-half fouls, the Blue Demons found themselves caught offside five times.
The second half opened with a promising corner kick for DePaul in the 48th minute, but NIU quickly countered, launching four attempts in five minutes.
The Blue Demons continued to press for a breakthrough, maintaining pressure until the final whistle. Despite two late corner kicks in the 86th and 88th minutes, DePaul was unable to find the back of the net, and the match ended in a stalemate.
Match Notes
- Freshmen Fabienne Doerig, Katelyn Jamie, and Mia Veldman each made their collegiate debuts.
- Junior transfer Briley Hill made her debut for the Blue Demons, recording one shot attempt in the match.
- NIU and DePaul pushed the all-time series to 3-3-2, dating back to 1996.
Up Next:
The Blue Demons return to action on Sunday, Aug. 18, when they travel to take on the Fighting Illini. Kick-off is slated for 1 p.m. CT at Demirjian Park, with streaming on B1G+.
FOLLOW THE BLUE DEMONS
For all the latest information on DePaul Women's Soccer, visit DePaulBlueDemons.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Blue Demons on X, Instagram and Facebook.
TICKET INFORMATION
Join DePaul Women's Soccer at Wish Field this fall! Blue Demon Soccer Supporter Memberships are on sale now, which include access to all regular season men's and women's home matches at Wish Field! Single-game tickets can be purchased at DePaulBlueDemons.com/Tickets.
Team Stats
NIU
DPU
Goals
0
0
Shots
10
3
Shots on Goal
7
0
Saves
0
7
Corners
6
3
Fouls
12
9
Game Leaders
Players
fwd
Shots
1
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
fwd
Shots
1
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
M
/ WOMEN'S SOCCERM
/ WOMEN'S SOCCERF
/ WOMEN'S SOCCER
F
/ WOMEN'S SOCCERF
/ WOMEN'S SOCCER
GK
/ WOMEN'S SOCCER
M
/ WOMEN'S SOCCEREpisode 25: Nahla Dominguez
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