Blue Demons Begin 2026 Campaign at Bradley Thursday

Thursday, August 20

Peoria, Ill.

6:00 PM

DePaul University

Bradley

Blue Demons Begin 2026 Campaign at Bradley Thursday

8/19/2026 6:22:00 PM | MEN'S SOCCER

Watch (ESN+)Live Stats Game Notes (PDF)

Kickoff set for 6 p.m. from Shea Stadium

CHICAGO – DePaul men's soccer begins its 2026 campaign on Thursday, Aug. 20 with a trip downstate to take on Bradley at Shea Stadium. Kickoff between the two clubs is set for 6 p.m. CT with live streaming of the match carried on ESPN+.

Demon Doings
The Blue Demons begin the regular season schedule Thursday on the backs of a competitive preseason slate in which they faced preseason No. 4 Saint Louis, reigning NJCAA champions Indian Hills alongside a road test at Wisconsin. Head coach Mark Plotkin, in his ninth season at the helm of his alma mater, touts one of his deepest teams in his tenure behind the mix of veteran voices and fresh faces.

The Blue Demons bring back 16 returners from last season's squad while welcoming 12 newcomers into the fold.

Among the returning core are seniors Noeh Hernandez, Keagan Pace and Liam Mullins, who are set to lead the offensive attack, with the trio combining for 80 career points despite Pace and Mullins both missing a large portion of the 2025 campaign with injury. Hernandez was named to the preseason All-BIG EAST squad by the league's head coaches. The Blue Demons closed out the 2025 campaign ranking top 20 nationally in both shots per game (15.1) and corner kicks (6.2) and will look to capitalize on opportunities to produce quality results.

Graduate student Ethan Gordon returns for his final season of collegiate soccer to anchor the DePaul back line. Gordon has logged nearly 3,800 minutes in his career, starting in all 43 of his appearances. Junior Hayden Vostal is poised for opportunity in goal for the Blue Demons after appearing in just one match a season ago, making a pair of saves in a draw at Bradley.

Fresh Faces
Plotkin and staff brought in 12 new faces since the conclusion of the 2025 season, including five transfers and seven freshmen. Transfer student-athletes Christian Dionne (Penn State), Matt Eger (Penn State), Scott Godden (Rutgers), Chance Johnson (SMU) and Ronan Selbo (St. Thomas) are set to make an immediate impact, each bringing different experiences to the squad. A talented freshman class from six different states joins the mix, with forward Mason Kutch earning preseason recognition from Top Drawer Soccer on its Preseason Best XI Freshman Team.

Scouting Bradley
The Braves finished the 2025 campaign with a 2-9-6 record overall, including an 0-5-2 mark in Missouri Valley Conference play. Bradley returns eight players who have been with the program for at least three seasons, headlined by preseason all-conference pick Mitch Coughlon. Head coach Tim Regan, in his fourth season, will turn to a new netminder after needing to replace every minute of goalkeeping from a season ago. In the last six seasons, Bradley has gone an unbeaten 5-0-1 in home openers.

Series Stuff
Thursday's matchup is the 13th all-time meeting between the two programs, with Bradley owning a 7-2-3 advantage in the previous matchups. Both of DePaul's victories in the series have come in Peoria. A season ago, the two sides battled to a 2-2 draw, with the Blue Demons netting a pair of first-half goals before the Braves evened the match in the 56th minute to preserve a point.

DePaul and Bradley have faced off in three straight seasons, including a preseason exhibition at Wish Field in 2024.

Season-Opening Stats
The Blue Demons are 14-23-6 all-time in season-opening matches and 2-0-1 in the last three seasons after a 3-3 draw with Purdue Fort Wayne at Wish Field to kick off the 2025 season. In Plotkin's tenure, the Blue Demons are 3-2-3 in the first match of the season.

Up Next
DePaul will hit the road to Columbus, Ohio, Monday, Aug. 24 to tangle with Ohio State. Kickoff versus the Buckeyes is set for 6 p.m. CT. The non-conference tilt will be streamed on B1G+.

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