DePaul Draws with Oakland 1-1

Sunday, August 24

Chicago, Ill.

12:30 P.M. CT

DePaul University

0-0-2, 0-0-0

Oakland

0-1-1, 0-0-0

Oakland

DePaul

8/24/2025 4:33:00 PM | MEN'S SOCCER

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Keagan Pace finds equalizer in 57th minute for Blue Demons

CHICAGO – DePaul men's soccer fought to a 1-1 draw with Oakland on Sunday afternoon at Wish Field. The sides were scoreless at halftime before each found the back of the net within a matter of 90 seconds in the 56th and 57th minute, respectively.

Oakland (0-1-1) found themselves on the board in the 56th minute by way of an own goal after an errant deflection from a DePaul defender trickled past the goal line, but it didn't take long for the Blue Demons to respond.

Junior Keagan Pace tapped home the equalizer in the 57th minute after Ethan Gordon made something out of nothing and redirected the free kick to the mouth of the goal.

DePaul (0-0-2) dominated in corner kick opportunities, 10-2, while the Blue Demons held a 16-14 edge in shots.

Pace alongside junior midfielder Noeh Hernandez combined for eight of the team's 16 offerings.

Goalkeeper Santiago Davila made a pair of saves in the outing.

How It Happened
The Blue Demons were the aggressors in early going, earning four corner kick opportunities in the first 15 minutes.

Oakland's first chance came in the 19th minute, but Davila cleared the chance with authority.

After subbing onto the pitch in the 33rd minute, Luca Iaccino had one of DePaul's best opportunities of the half, winning a ball in the air six yards out before the Golden Grizzlies keeper cleaned it up.

The teams went into the intermission knotted at 0-0 with the Blue Demons holding a 7-0 edge in corner kick opportunities.

Ryan Thomas had a quality chance on the doorstep in the 54th minute before it was pushed away by the Grizzlies goalkeeper. Hernandez followed suit with back-to-back shots but neither would break through.

Oakland took a 1-0 lead in the 56th minute after capitalizing on DePaul's defensive disarray in the box when a Gabe Gjokaj strike bounced off the back line, out of the reach of Davila, and into the net.

Jordan Clagette earned a free kick in the left flank setting up service from Callum Watts to Gordon followed by Pace to even the match 1-1.

Pace and Hernandez maintained their aggressiveness, combining for three-consecutive shots within five minutes following the goal.

On the either end of the field, the Golden Grizzlies turned on the pressure with a flurry of five shots within two minutes time, but the defense stood tall with Gordon making multiple goal line stands to keep the match level.

Each side fired a couple shots in the final five minutes of the match, but neither broke through as the teams settled for a point.

Match Notes

Keagan Pace recorded the fourth goal of his career on Sunday and first this season.
Ethan Gordon tallied his second assist in as many matches in 2025. He has five on his career.
Max Padua earned the first start of the 2025 campaign and ninth of his career.
Tyson Amoo-Mensah made his 2025 debut, logging five minutes in the first half.

Up Next
DePaul returns to the pitch on Thursday, Aug. 28 when local opponent Chicago State visits Wish Field. First touch is set for 12:30 p.m. with streaming available on ESPN+.