Blue Demons Prepare for Butler in Key Conference Clash

CHICAGO – On the heels of a gritty 1-1 draw with Xavier on the road, the Blue Demons turn their attention to Saturday's conference battle with Butler. The match is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. CT at Wish Field.

Nearing the end of the second week of BIG EAST matches, the Blue Demons currently sit in a four-way tie with Seton Hall, Butler and Marquette for third place in the conference. With a win, DePaul can gain the advantage in the head-to-head comparison.

DePaul Debrief
The Blue Demons battled No. 17 Xavier to a 1-1 draw with help from a hard-fought performance by senior goalkeeper Mason Hillery and late equalizer from senior midfielder Mackenzie Lee.

Xavier nearly took a one goal advantage four minutes into the match, but the score was disallowed following VAR review.

Hillery's first save of the match came in the 25th minute. The senior goalkeeper then sprang into action 13 minutes later to thwart a second Musketeer attempt.

One minute later, the senior came up big, deflecting a Xavier penalty kick chance to keep the match at 0-0.

Coming out of the break, Hillery rallied again, coming up with saves four and five in the 55th and 66th minutes.

Xavier couldn't break the DePaul backline down until the 72nd minute when a score from Regan Dancer gave the Musketeers a 1-0 advantage.

The Blue Demons pushed for an equalizer and were rewarded in the 80th minute when Lee netted her first career goal, leveling the match at 1-1.

Scouting Butler
The Bulldogs enter their third match of BIG EAST play winning three of their last five matches and drawing both conference opponents. Most recently, Butler drew Seton Hall 0-0 on the road.

Against the Pirates, Butler took an 18-8 shot advantage and put six shots on goal but couldn't find the back of the net. Goalkeeper Addison Ash recorded five saves and notched her fourth clean sheet of 2026 with the result.

This season, Ash has allowed just seven goals combined, relinquishing two over the last five matches. Over 10 matches, she executed 43 saves.

Butler's 20 goals this season came off the foot of eight different players. Chloe Brecht leads the charge with six scores, while Riley Gumm sits close behind at four goals and Alyssa Carlson tallied three. The Bulldogs earned 21 assists this season from 13 different players.

Series History
In the 18th meeting between the two BIG EAST programs since 2008, the Blue Demons hold the series edge 7-5-5. DePaul has defended Wish Field well historically, holding a 5-1-2 record and dropping just one match to the Bulldogs at Wish Field in 2022 by a 2-1 score. The Blue Demons and Bulldogs last battled to a 1-1 tie in Indianapolis in 2025. In 2024, DePaul advanced to the BIG EAST Semifinals on the coattails of a 3-3 double-overtime draw turned 8-7 PK victory over Butler.

Up Next
The Blue Demons have a full week to recover and prepare to face Marquette at home on Saturday, Oct. 10. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Wish Field, with streaming on ESPN+.

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Blue Demons Prepare for Butler in Key Conference Clash

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Players Mentioned

Mason Hillery

Mackenzie Lee

DePaul University Athletics