CHICAGO - Sophomore forward Marek Gonda made the most of his opportunities in the attacking end, burying a pair of goals to lead DePaul men's soccer past St. Thomas on Thursday afternoon at Wish Field. DePaul's Santiago Rodriguez also found the back of the net to help the Blue Demons top the Tommies, 3-1.
"We knew St. Thomas would be a difficult team to break down," said head coach Mark Plotkin. "We just stayed after it and found a way. I loved our fight and aggressiveness in the second half."
DePaul was able to strike first in the 16th minute to start the scoring. An Omar Ramadan corner kick, the Blue Demon's fourth of the game, was deflected by Jack Richards and then put away by Gonda. The goal was the first of the season for the sophomore and gave the Blue Demons an early 1-0 advantage.
St. Thomas kept up the pressure, generating chances in the offensive end. The Tommies broke through to tie the game in the 33rd minute on a header off a long cross. The game remained deadlocked until halftime.
After a first half that saw both teams fire off five shots each, DePaul took over offensive control after the break. The Blue Demons upped the pace in the offensive end and created a handful of chances to put pressure on the Tommies' back line. In the 64th minute, the Blue Demons were able to break the 1-1 tie.
After well-placed passes by Patrick Watkins and Gonda, Rodriguez found the ball with space at the top of the attacking box. The sophomore took a right-footed one-timer and buried the go-ahead goal. The goal was the first of Rodriguez's career and made the score 2-1.
20 minutes later, in the 84th minute, the Blue Demons lined up another corner. Youssef Ramdan collected a loose ball in the box and dished it back to Gonda who ripped a perfect shot off of the bottom of the crossbar. The ball deflected into the goal, giving the Blue Demons a 3-1 lead. DePaul maintained the two-goal advantage to collect its first win of the 2021 season.
"I'm very happy with our second-half performance," said head coach Mark Plotkin. "I thought we were much more aggressive in the attacking half after halftime. The goals by Gonda and Santi were great."
KEY STATS
- Gonda's two-goal game was the first of his career. Gonda scored twice in his debut season earlier this year. The two-goal game was the first for a DePaul player since Jake Fuderer tallied a pair in the Blue Demons 2020-21 season opener versus Northern Illinois.
- Gonda also added an assist, giving him five points in the match. The last time a Blue Demon collected two goals and added an assist was the 2015 season.
- Freshman Nathaniel Enriquez added three shots off of the bench, two of which came on target.
- After both teams totaled five first-half shots, the Blue Demons outshot the Tommies 11-1 in the second half.
- The Blue Demons totaled eight corner kicks to the Tommies' three.
UP NEXT
DePaul travels to Madison, Wis. to face the Wisconsin Badgers on Sunday at 3 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on BTN+. DePaul will return to Wish Field next Wednesday for a matchup with Chicago foe, UIC.
For all of the latest on DePaul Men's Soccer, stay tuned to depaulbluedemons.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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September 03, 2021 at 06:38AM
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Gonda Scores Twice, DePaul Claims first Win of Season - DePaul Blue Demons
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