October 25, 2009
LETDOWN
After playoff clincher, DePaul falls 1-0

Two days after clinching its very first berth in the Big East tournament, DePaul stumbled a bit in a 1-0 loss to Villanova on Sunday at Wish Field.

The setback in the regular-season finale left the Blue Demons in fifth place in the National Division and set up a playoff showdown Thursday at USF, which finished fourth in the American Division.

DePaul (10-8-2, 5-6-0 in the Big East) was coming off a 2-1, double-overtime upset Friday of No. 22 Georgetown that sealed the postseason appearance.

Blue Demons coach Erin Chastain had called that game the best her team has played in the last three years.

"We were so excited about what had just happened on Friday and looking forward to the Thursday playoff game instead of concentrating on Villanova," said Tara Strickland. "The focus wasn't there on Sunday like it should have been."
It cost the Blue Demons an opportunity to host a first-round playoff game, and it put a damper on Senior Day festivities. The Blue Demons needed a tie or victory to host a first-round match.

"It is tough to get back up after the high on Friday, especially with a fairly young team like ours," Chastain said. "But I have high expectations for our players, and I thought they would do it. They did play well in the second half."

Villanova (11-4-4, 4-4-3) scored the game-winner in the 40th minute when Justine Wollner knocked in her first goal of the season after crossing pass from Katie Ryan.

"Villanova has a strong soccer program and will certainly be a factor in the Big East tournament," Chastain said. "We have to go on the road again, but it seems like we've been on the road all season. We went on the road and got a very big win against No. 11 Missouri.