DePaul University

Weekly Release 

CHICAGO - The Blue Demons open the 2005 season in West Lafayette, Ind., at the Boiler Challenge Cup hosted by Purdue University.  DePaul joins the host Boilermakers, Detroit and Cal Poly in the weekend tournament.  The Blue Demons take on Detroit on Friday afternoon with Purdue or Cal Poly as Sunday’s opponent depending on Friday’s results.

Looking at the Blue Demons: The 2005 season is the 10th year of women’s soccer as a varsity sport at DePaul University... the Blue Demons return 15 players and eight starters from the 2004 roster... DePaul’s 15 returners accounted for 39 of the record-setting 46 goals last season... they also accumulated 42 assists and 120 of the team’s 140 points last year... Julianne Sitch and Lea Hill are the top returning scorers with 25 points each in 2004... Hill led the team with 10 goals and five assists while Sitch totaled nine goals and seven assists... overall, the top five scorers are back with Hill, Sitch, Erin Walter (4G/10A/18P), Jennifer Dyer (6G/5A/17P) and Lauren Spacht (5G/5A/15P)... head coach John Wilson is in his sixth season at DePaul.

Season-Opening Notes:  The Blue Demons are 3-6 all-time in season-openers... the club knocked off Central Michigan in the CMU Invitational, 3-0, to start the 2004 season... DePaul also started the 2000 campaign in West Lafayette as they lost to Purdue, 3-0.

Noting Detroit: The Titans enter the season with eight starters and 11 letterwinners back from a year ago. Detroit posted a 14-8-1 record last season and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.  Mary Parker is the top returning scorer after finishing the 2004 season with 37 points on 16 goals and five assists.  Head coach Mike Lupenec is in his 13th season at Detroit.  The Series: Friday is the first meeting between the two programs.

Boiler Breakdown: Purdue starts the 2004 season against Cal Poly.  The Boilermakers posted a 10-10 record last season and welcome back 18 letterwinners and nine starters.  Parrissa Eyorokon is the top returning scorer with 12 points on four goals and four assists last year.  Head coach Rob Klatte is in his eighth season at Purdue.  The Series: The Boilermakers lead the series, 5-0-0, including a 2-1 victory in the first round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament.  That match was the last meeting between the two programs.

Checking in on Cal Poly: The Mustangs finished 2004 with a record of 11-3-6.  Cal Poly returns 18 players and six starters from last season’s NCAA Tournament team.  Sharon Day is the top returning scorer after totaling 23 points on 11 goals and one assists in 2004.  Head coach Alex Crozier is in his 14th season at Cal Poly.  The Series: A potential meeting on Sunday is the first between the two programs.

Warm-Ups: DePaul posted a 1-0-1 record in the two exhibition matches played last weekend.  The Blue Demons knocked off Toledo, 2-0, at the IPFW Soccer Showcase on Friday before tying Loyola-Chicago, 1-1, on Sunday afternoon.  Against the Rockets, Kelly DeBaene and Alissa VonderHaar scored goals in the second half to lead the Blue Demons.  Sunday’s match with the Ramblers saw a Julianne Sitch corner kick deflected into the goal by a Loyola defender and a second-half goal by the Ramblers for the 1-1 draw.

Preseason Picks:  The Blue Demons were picked to finish sixth in Division B of the BIG EAST Preseason Poll.  The BIG EAST Conference features a pair of eight-team divisions with the top 12 overall teams advancing to the league tournament.  Senior midfielder/forward Julianne Sitch was one of 12 players selected to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team.

Home-Opening Weekend:  DePaul opens the home schedule on Friday, Sept. 2 when Eastern Illinois comes to Chicago.  The weekend closes with a Sunday afternoon match against Northern Illinois.