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DePaul University

DePaul University Athletics
 2323 N. Sheffield Ave Chicago, IL 60614
Division 1 Illinois Midwest
Private Large National competitor
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Mark Plotkin

Mark Plotkin will begin his sixth season at the helm of the DePaul men's soccer program in the fall of 2023.


The former Blue Demon returned to lead his alma mater as the seventh head coach in program history on Dec. 21, 2017 after serving on staff at Colgate University for four seasons.


Over his five seasons at the helm in Lincoln Park thus far, the Blue Demons have totaled a 23-36-18 overall record. Plotkin and Co. assembled the best season of his tenure during the fall of 2021, posting a 7-7-3 record and a 3-4-3 clip in conference action. The seven wins and three BIG EAST victories were both career-bests for Plotkin in Lincoln Park as head coach.


During non-conference action in 2021, the Blue Demons assembled a 4-3 record while rattling off three straight wins for the first time since 2009. Plotkin's squad picked up a win over Bradley for the first time since 1990 and also went on the road to defeat the Wisconsin Badgers, 1-0. In conference play, the Blue Demons collected wins versus UConn, Creighton and at Villanova. By the team the campaign had wrapped up, DePaul totaled its most wins in a season since 2016.


In a COVID-shortened season during the 2020-21 school year, Plotkin's squad assembled a 2-5-2 record while claiming conference wins over Xavier and Creighton. The victory at Wish Field over Creighton on March 13, 2021 was the first in program history over the Bluejays.


During his first season back in the fall of 2018, Plotkin secured his first career victory as head coach against then-No. 14 ranked Western Michigan and finished out the season with a 5-9-3 record, including a 2-1 double OT win over BIG EAST foe Providence and a 1-0 defeat of Xavier.


In addition to being a four-year starter at Wish Field during his playing career, Plotkin also served as an assistant coach during the 2012 and 2013 seasons for DePaul. During his playing career, Plotkin helped the Blue Demons to four consecutive appearances in the BIG EAST Championship tournament, including semifinal appearances in 2007 and 2008. Plotkin was a driving force behind DePaul winning the BIG EAST Red Division title and earning the first program appearance in the NCAA tournament in 2007. He finished his career in 2009 tied for fifth all-time in games started with 74.


Plotkin came to DePaul after serving on Colgate’s coaching staff for the last four seasons. He was an assistant coach from 2014-16 before being promoted to the associate head coach prior to the 2017 season.


At Colgate, Plotkin helped guide the Raiders to the 2015 regular season and the last two Patriot League tournament championships during his tenure on the Colgate coaching staff. Colgate captured the 2017 Patriot League Championship before advancing to the third round of the NCAA Championship. The 2017 campaign for the Raiders was the most successful in school history as Colgate won its first NCAA Tournament game before reaching the Sweet 16 with a 3-2 win over No. 13 Michigan in the second round.


Prior to his coaching tenure at DePaul, Plotkin spent two years as Director of Operations at Northwestern. During his time in Evanston, he facilitated game-day set-up for home games, assisted with organization of travel arrangements, aided in the production of video analysis/scouting and directed the program’s fundraising efforts.


The 2010 DePaul graduate earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing and is currently working on completing his master’s degree in sports administration from Northwestern.


Mark and his wife, the former Christen Baillie, who is also a DePaul graduate of 2010, reside in Chicago with their daughter Zoe.

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Tyler Keever

Tyler Keever was promoted to associate head coach in February of 2022 after beginning his tenure as an assistant coach with DePaul men's soccer in January 2018.


As an assistant coach at DePaul, Keever has established a reputation of success in working with the Blue Demon goalkeeper group. Drew Nuelle, who joined the program for Keever's first season in 2018, was fixture at the position. The Indiana transfer started 43 matches in net over three seasons in Lincoln Park.


In 2021, Keever led redshirt freshman goalkeeper Gandhi Cruz to a spectacular season. The Aurora, Ill. native made 76 saves which ranked 17th in the nation. Cruz was named to the All-BIG EAST Third Team and earned three BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll awards.


Prior to DePaul, Keever spent two seasons at Colgate where he assisted the Raiders in goalkeeper training, opponent scouting, video editing, on-and-off campus recruiting, individual player development, and day-to-day operations. He helped guide Colgate to its sixth-ever Patriot League Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance during his first season with the Raiders in 2016.


He mentored the Colgate goalkeepers that secured nine shutouts on the season, good for a shutout percentage of 0.41 that finished the season ranked 37th in all of Division I. The Raiders went 13-7-2 overall in 2016, tying a program record for wins in a single season. In 2017, Keever mentored a squad that made it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament after winning a seventh-ever Patriot League title, finishing with a 12-11-1 record, where the coaches were named the Northeast Region Staff of the Year.


Keever previously had a short stint as the first assistant at DePauw where he coordinated the program's recruiting efforts and provided video analysis for players postgame. He also assisted in the daily administrative operations of the program, including practice plans and training sessions.


Prior to that, Keever was the second assistant and goalkeeper coach for his alma mater, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). During the 2013 season he helped with the team's travel arrangements, recruitment, and training sessions.


The four-year letterwinner played in 61 games for IUPUI, earning 59 starts. During his senior campaign, he was voted Second Team All-Summit League after ranking second in conference in saves (76), shutouts (6) and shutouts per game (0.33), third in goals against average (1.25), and fourth in save percentage (.768).


Throughout his soccer coaching career, Keever has worked with numerous club soccer organizations such as Westside Soccer Club (Avon, Ind.). During his five years with the club he served as the 1995, 2000, 1999 and 2004 boys head coach. Keever was also the Director of Training at the Indiana Goalkeeper Academy. Keever has been linked to numerous camps as well, including ones at DePauw, IUPUI, Butler and Indiana.


He earned his bachelor's degree in sports management with a minor in business in 2012. Keever also has a USSF Youth National, USSF National C, and NSCAA National licenses.

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Martin Alba

Assistant Coach

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Michael Choquette

Michael Coquette joined the Blue Demons program in the spring of 2022. Choquette is in his second year at the Chicago Fire Academy after serving two years at club affiliate Chicago Fire Juniors City and three years as an assistant at the University of Chicago. Before that, he was coaching in Connecticut at Oakwood SC, the same club he played at growing up. He enjoyed multiple roles with the club, as staff coach for multiple Zone 1 teams and manager for facilities, shop, and social media. Choquette played collegiately at UChicago, graduating in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in East Asian Languages and Civilizations. He is currently is pursuing a USSF B-License.

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