Butler Rolls To Fourth Straight Men’s Soccer Win

Butler shrugged off a slow start and pulled away to its fourth consecutive win with a 3-1 decision over DePaul in a non-league match at the Butler Bowl on Wednesday (Oct. 21).  The victory lifted the No. 23-ranked Bulldogs to 10-1-1 on the season.

DePaul (7-7-1) put the Bulldogs in an early hole with a goal less then two minutes into the match.  Willy Lara slipped past two defenders after taking a short tip pass from Antonio Aguilar and blasted a shot from 25 yards out that eluded diving Butler goalkeeper Fabian Knopfler.

But the Bulldogs answered quickly on a goal by junior Jacob Capito at 5:55.  The Butler junior battled for a pass from teammate Brett Heinz and pushed the ball past DePaul goalkeeper Joe Ferrari.  It was Capito’s first goal of the season.

“We came out slow,’ Butler senior Boris Gatzky said after the match.  “We realized that we had to pick it up.  We answered with a goal  and that was important.”

Butler head coach Kelly Findley wasn’t surprised by the Bulldogs’ early deficit.

“We had a week off and that can be a blessing or a curse,” noted Findley, who’s guided the Bulldogs to a seven-match unbeaten streak.  “I was pleased with the way we responded.”

Butler grabbed the lead for good in the 23rd minute on a header by freshman Julian Cardona from six-yards out in front of the goal.  Heize also set that play with a long pass into the middle.  The goal was Cardona’s third goal of the season and his third game-winner.

Gatzky added an insurance goal late in the second half when he chipped a short shot over the head of Ferrari for his fifth goal of the season.  The Butler forward stole a pass and then went one-on-one with the DePaul goalkeeper for the final scoring play.

Butler’s defense blanked DePaul for the final 88 minutes of the match.  The Bulldogs out-shot DePaul, 11-6, and had a 5-2 advantage in shots on goal.  Knopfler finished with one save.

“To get a good results against a Big East team was good for us,” noted Kelly.  “But now we have to turn our attention back to the Horizon League.  We have an important match with Detroit coming up on Saturday.”

The Bulldogs, 3-0-1 in Horizon League play, will host Detroit in a 4 p.m. (ET) match at the Butler Bowl.