MSOC Concludes Regular Season Tomorrow at DePaul

MILWAUKEE – The Marquette University men's soccer team closes out its regular season on the road at DePaul on Wednesday, Nov. 6. First touch is set for 2:03 p.m. CT with live streaming available on the BIG EAST Digital Network through Caffeine TV and YouTube.

The Golden Eagles are facing a must-win situation in order to keep their postseason hopes alive. Currently in a tie for seventh place in the BIG EAST, MU needs to win and have either Butler (5th place) or Seton Hall (6th place) lose to make the BIG EAST tournament, which begins on Saturday, Nov. 9. The top six teams in the final standings qualify for the conference tournament.

STATS/STREAM:
Live stats will be available on DePaulBlueDemons.com while the BIG EAST Digital Network will provide live streaming coverage.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

Marquette head coach Louis Bennett won his 90th game as MU head coach against Butler (Oct. 23).
The Golden Eagles are 5-4-1 in their last 10 regular season finales.
MU is 7-2 this season when outshooting its opponent and 5-2 when scoring first.
The Golden Eagles have taken four of the past seven in the series against DePaul.
Bennett's squad is looking for its first win at DePaul since Nov. 6, 2002 (3-0 win).
MU is in a tie for seventh place in the BIG EAST, one point out of sixth, with one game left in the regular season.
The Golden Eagles have won three road games this season for the first time since 2013 (won four).
Senior defender Patrick Seagrist leads the team and conference with seven assists.
Josh Coan netted his team-leading sixth goal of the season on Saturday against Seton Hall.
There's a three-way tie for second place in goals on the team, as Connor Alba, Manuel Cukaj and Christian Marquez have scored three apiece.
Lukas Sunesson made the BIG EAST Honor Roll after posting a season-best three points in a 3-2 win over Butler on Oct. 23.
Luka Prpa now has 21 career assists, which puts him at a tie for No. 8 all-time in school history.
Sophomore goalkeeper Cedrik Stern has started the last seven games in net for MU, posting a 3-4 record and .720 save percentage.

OPPONENT FORM:
DEPAUL 5-8-3 (1-4-3 BIG EAST)
The DePaul Blue Demons are led by second-year head coach Mark Plotkin, a former player who competed at DU from 2006-09. Plotkin is 10-17-6 through his first two seasons as the man in charge of his alma mater.

DU earned its lone BIG EAST win of the year against Providence. The Friars are locked in as the No. 3 seed in the BIG EAST tournament and will get a home game in the conference tournament on Saturday. The Blue Demons have tied with Butler, No. 3-ranked Georgetown and Villanova in conference play this season.

Jake Fuderer leads DePaul in points (10) and is in a three-way tie for the team lead in goals. He also leads the team in shots (22), shots on goal (12) and assists (4). Defender Max De Bruijne and midfielder Youssef Ramadan sit in a tie for the team lead in goals as they've also netted three apiece. Seven Blue Demons have scored goals during the 2019 season, with five players scoring multiple goals.

SERIES HISTORY:
Wednesday's meeting will be the 34th all-time between the Marquette and DePaul men's soccer teams. MU leads the series 26-6-1. Last season, the Golden Eagles came away with a 2-0 victory at Valley Fields. In its past seven meetings, MU has won four of them against the Blue Demons. They've played every year since 2012, alternating sites each season. Bennett and his team are looking for their first win at DePaul since Nov. 6, 2002 on Wednesday afternoon.

Lukas Sunesson puts the finishing touch on his fifth goal of the season as #MarquetteSoccer takes a two-goal lead! #BEfutbol #WeAreMarquette pic.twitter.com/U18BnBFrw7
— Marquette Soccer (@marquettesoccer) November 1, 2018

KEY POINTS:
FOUR GOLDEN EAGLES MAKE BIG EAST HONOR ROLL: Four MU men's soccer players have been named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll this season. Josh Coan earned the first nod on Sept. 13 after scoring two goals in a win over NIU. Griffin Jende made it on Oct. 14 after his brace against Green Bay and Patrick Seagrist earned the honor on Oct. 21 after a stellar defensive effort in a win over Villanova. Finally, Lukas Sunesson made the honor roll after tallying a season-best three points in a 3-2 BIG EAST win over Butler.

COAN HAVING BREAKTHROUGH SENIOR YEAR: Senior forward Josh Coan is atop numerous offensive statistical categories for his team in 2019. He leads MU in shots (51), shots on goal (28), points (16) and goals (6). He's also tied for second on the team in assists. The Indianapolis, Indiana native also ranks in the top five in the BIG EAST in shots, shots on goal and points.

SUNESSON BREAKS OUT AGAINST BUTLER: Lukas Sunesson scored his first goal of the season at Wisconsin (Sept. 24) in a 2-0 road win. Despite creating a plethora of scoring chances, he had been held scoreless for nearly a month until he broke out against Butler on Oct. 23. Sunesson tallied his first assist of the season on Josh Hancock's goal to put his team up 2-1. He followed that up with the eventual game-winning goal in the second half, aiding his team in a 3-2 BIG EAST win.

PRPA MOVES TO NO. 8 ALL-TIME AT MU IN CAREER ASSISTS: Senior captain Luka Prpa tallied his fourth assist of the season in Saturday's 2-1 loss to Seton Hall. It was his 21st career assist at MU, which puts him in a tie for eighth all-time in school history for career assists.

SEAGRIST TIED FOR BIG EAST LEAD IN ASSISTS: Senior defender Patrick Seagrist has been as dependable as it gets in the first 15 games of the 2019 season. He's been on the pitch for a team-high 1,394 minutes of action. After tallying 12 points in his junior year on the way to all-conference honors, he leads the team and ranks second in the BIG EAST with seven assists this season. He's also scored two goals in the past four games and ranks second on the team in points (11).

BENNETT ROTATES STARTING LINEUP: MU has had a plethora of starting lineups in its 16 games this season. 21 different field players have started games for Bennett's squad. Alba and Seagrist are the only players who have started in every game.

SCHEDULE TESTING GOLDEN EAGLES: Four of the Golden Eagles' 17 games are against opponents either ranked or receiving votes in the NCAA's preseason top-25 poll. Georgetown (No. 3) and St. John's (No. 8) are ranked while Saint Louis (1) and UC Davis (15) are receiving votes.

UP NEXT:
If MU qualifies, the BIG EAST tournament quarterfinals will take place on Saturday, Nov. 9. The team that finishes No. 3 in the conference standings will take on the No. 6 seed, while the No. 4 seed hosts the No. 5 seed. Georgetown and St. John's have clinched the No. 1 and 2 seeds, respectively, earning byes in the first round.

Keep up with the Marquette men's soccer rogram through social media by following on Twitter (@MarquetteSoccer) and Instagram (@MarquetteSoccer) and `liking' on Facebook (/MarquetteSoccer).