As the sun beamed down on Wish Field, the DePaul men’s soccer team hit the field for practice in matching warm-up jerseys — every single one wearing #19 for their teammate Chase Stegall.

Stegall died in his residence hall in June due to a “sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.”

Besides the #19 practice jerseys, the team wears #19 badges on their game jerseys. They will wear these for the current season and next season, since that would have been Stegall’s senior year.

“Just knowing he’s always with us … gives us extra motivation just to play well, work hard,” junior midfielder Jordan Clagette said. “He was a fun guy, he enjoyed playing soccer, having fun out there, so it just reminds us to have fun and work hard.”

Clagette and Stegall attended Woodward Academy, and they came on an official visit to DePaul together. They were also roommates — Clagette said how he’d come home from a bad practice, and Stegall would always make sure to raise his spirit and “have a good time.”

“He was always someone that we could rely on, just to bring the vibes up,” Clagette said.

In the locker room, Stegall’s locker is still there with memories of him. The Chase Stegall Wall of Positivity is steadily being covered with photos of the soccer team and Stegall.

Junior forward Keegan Pace said Stegall was “always smiling.” 

“Never a dull moment with him,” Pace said. “It was always a great time, always having fun, doing something.”

While Stegall was a reliable, fun guy, head coach Mark Plotkin said that he would have his serious moments.

“He was a true competitor,” Plotkin said. “He wanted to be better all the time. He came up and did film, he would call us and ask us things he could be doing better. He would have conversations with us after practice because he was a true professional.”

When asked about Stegall’s game, Clagette described Stegall as a “football player who played soccer.”

“He was fast, I think the footwork part, he could’ve worked on,” Clagette said. “But he could finish.”

Plotkin agrees about Stegall’s speed and says that he was “the fastest player (he’s) ever seen on a soccer field.”

“He was really coming into his own and was like a true threat any time he was on the field,” Plotkin said. “Everybody knew about him because once he opened it up, there was nobody on the field that could catch him.”

Stegall’s impact — both on and off the field — will be recognized later this season, when the team hosts an epilepsy awareness match in his honor.

“We can always get wrapped up in what we’re doing and the seriousness of college soccer,” Plotkin said. “But to just always have the subtle reminder when you look at your teammates and you see the 19, just kind of brings things to perspective and just reminds you to appreciate every moment that you have to be able to put on the uniform and be able to play.”

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