Freshman Fuel, Goalie Grit Give DePaul First BIG EAST Victory

Saturday, October 17

Storrs, Conn.

5:30 P.M. CT

DePaul University

4-4-5, 1-2-2

UConn

3-3-7, 1-1-3

Team	1	2	Final F
DePaul	0	1	1
UConn	0	0	0

Freshman Fuel, Goalie Grit Give DePaul First BIG EAST Victory

10/17/2026 8:30:00 PM | WOMEN'S SOCCER

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Blue Demons stay unbeaten on the road, earn three points

STORRS, Conn. – The DePaul women's soccer team once again proved its might on the road, earning a 1-0 shutout victory over the UConn Huskies and remaining perfect in away contests.

With the result, the Blue Demons moved to 4-4-5 overall and earned their first three points in BIG EAST play this season.

"I thought it was a complete performance," said head coach Michele O'Brien. "We had a really good mindset going into the game, and we were really committed to what we knew we needed to do — the details we needed to execute — to win the game. We had great energy from the start and throughout."

How It Happened

The Blue Demons needed no time to acclimate to the chilly Storrs, Conn. weather, jumping right into their offensive attack with two shots in the eighth minute.

Danielle Fjeldsted got the first attempt off before Shayna da Silva looked to net the rebound in the bottom of the net. UConn goalkeeper Yamas thwarted both attempts.

DePaul goalkeeper Mason Hillery leaped into action for her first save of the night in the 26th minute, rushing out of the box to stifle a dangerous one-on-one opportunity for the Huskies.

The senior netminder continued to show off her goalkeeping prowess as UConn's shot production picked up, batting away a looping header toward the top right corner of the net in the 38th minute.

On the other side of the ball, Katelyn Haiser's attack was dangerous long before scoring the game-winner, rocketing her first dangerous shot attempt — hit off the bottom left post and out of goal — in the 28th minute.

The freshman managed another chance right before the half, taking a shot from outside the 18-yard box which knocked off the crossbar and bounced out in the 43rd minute.

At halftime, the match remained scoreless, though the Blue Demons retained an 8-6 shot edge.

"We had some quality chances in the first half, and I thought if we could come out of the second half and match or even elevate that, we would eventually find the back of the net," said O'Brien.

Coming out of the break, the Huskies tested Hillery four times in the first 10 minutes, first with an attempt toward the bottom left corner of the net in the 46th minute. A diving save from DePaul's senior goalkeeper kept the match squarely at zeros, a score sustained through the next 20 minutes of play.

It was DePaul's freshman forward who broke through, when a leading pass from Carolina Capizzi through two UConn defenders into the box set up Haiser for a one-on-one standoff with the Huskies' keeper. Haiser didn't blink, evading Yamas and putting the Blue Demons up 1-0 in the 70th minute.

Though the home team tested Hillery and the DePaul backline down the stretch, the Blue Demons refused to relent, notching their fourth win and fifth clean sheet of the season.

"Getting the first BIG EAST win under our belt is going to be a huge momentum booster for us going into a big night on Wednesday against Georgetown," said O'Brien. "We will keep having that 'one game at a time' mindset, control what we can control and really lock into the next game."

Match Notes

Capizzi earned her first collegiate point after notching the assist on Haiser's game-winning goal.
Haiser played the full 90 minutes for the first time in her career.
The Blue Demons tallied their third 1-0 result on the road this season, earning the same result against Lindenwood and UIC.
DePaul notched its first road victory over the Huskies in program history.

Up Next
The Blue Demons look to carry the momentum from UConn into a tough mid-week matchup against Georgetown at Wish Field on Wednesday, Oct. 21. The match is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m., with coverage on ESPN+.

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