The last time DePaul and Creighton met was back in March where the Blue Demons won 2-1, marking their first win against Blue Jays in program history. This time around, DePaul was looking for a season sweep.

There was plenty of action as the two sides were involved in a high-scoring affair with the Blue Demons coming out on the short end of a 4-3 result.

Senior goalkeeper Drew Nuelle was set for a busy evening as he was forced to make a save in the opening seconds of the match. 

Creighton opened the scoring in the ninth minute thanks to junior midfielder Keegan Boyd who made an overlapping run in the box and struck the ball high and over the arms of Nuelle. It was already Creighton’s fourth shot of the game.

Creighton continued to threaten the Blue Demons’ defense but were unable to extend their lead. DePaul stunned the Blue Jays as junior forward Jake Richards equalized in the 14th minute. Sophomore defender Grant Herbek sent a ball over the top which found Richards who shot past the late arriving Creighton keeper Paul Kruse.

Eight minutes later, freshman forward Marek Gonda gave DePaul the lead. However, that lead would be short-lived.

Less than a minute later, senior forward Diego Gutierrez was awarded a penalty after he was fouled by Nuelle. He converted the penalty to tie the game. Creighton retook the lead moments later after senior midfielder Timmy Iscra whiffed on a clearance attempt. 

The two sides went into halftime with Creighton up 3-2.

The pace returned to normal in the second half as DePaul tried to find an equalizer and Creighton tried to pick DePaul off on a counter. 

The Blue Demons would find their equalizer thanks to a penalty after a one-two between senior forward Jack Richards and Gonda. Junior forward Jake Fuderer stepped up and converted the penalty.

DePaul looked like the better side and more likely to score a winner. They were more composed in the second half and were passing the ball better than they did in the first. 

But Creighton broke through on a counter with Gutierrez, who terrorized DePaul’s defense all game, broke free down the right and sent a pass to freshman forward Duncan McGuire who delivered the winning goal. In the aftermath, DePaul’s junior midfielder Patrick Watkins received a red card following a lunge at a Creighton defender.

DePaul played the final minutes a man down. They did have one last chance to equalize in the final moments of the game after a cross in the box found Gonda, but his header went directly into the arms of Kruse.

Creighton finished the match with 18 shots as opposed to DePaul’s nine. While the Blue Demons were more efficient with theirs, four of the Blue Jays’ shots found the back of the net.

DePaul needed to win the match if they wanted any chance of finishing in the top two in the Midwest Division. The loss brings their record to 2-5-2. Their next game is March 7 at Wish Field where they will take on Xavier.