Marquette University Athletics
Golden Eagles Set to Take on Illinois
9/17/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Sept. 17, 2001
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Marquette's trip to Utah for matches with Utah and nationally-ranked Brigham Young was cancelled long before the decision to cancel all Marquette sporting events for last weekend. Expected travel difficulties forced the cancellation of the team's scheduled trip to play the two Mountain West schools and allowed scheduling of a Great Lakes opponent.
Instead of going to the Rocky Mountains, the Golden Eagles will visit Illinois in what is the beginning of a three-match week. Only one more time this season will Marquette even have the option of playing three times in a calendar week and that is during the Conference USA Tournament.
Like other colleges and universities in the United States, Illinois was faced with not being able to play matches this weekend at North Texas and at Texas.
Scouting Illinois
Marquette and Illinois last met in 2000 in a scrimmage before the season was set to begin. The last time the two teams met was in 1999 when the Illini hosted Marquette and won 3-1.
Impromptu scheduling allows the teams to meet for the second time in history. Illinois will have not played for 10 days coming into the match, while Marquette has a shorter eight-day respite from matches played.
Coming into the match, Illinois sports a 2-1 record, with their only blemish coming in 2-1 loss to Syracuse in the last outing. The Illini has the offensive firepower to score often, as evidence by 10 goals in their first two matches. Illinois beat Iowa State 6-0 in the season opener. Colleen Joyce and Lindsay Johnson each scored twice in that victory.
Joyce added her third of the season in the 4-3 overtime win over Kansas in the season's second match. She increased her goal-scoring streak to three matches with the Illini's only goal in the 2-1 loss to Syracuse.
Two Illinois keepers have shared time. Sarah Anderson started the first two matches of the year. Leisha Alicia has the majority of minutes played, but has just started once. Alicia leads the team with a 1.29 GAA.
In The Polls Marquette fell out of the national rankings after a 1-1 season-opening week against Oakland and Iowa. The Golden Eagles had been ranked in nine consecutive NSCAA polls prior to that time. The Golden Eagles have one opponent that is currently in the top 25. Wisconsin enters for the first time this season, holding the 23rd spot.
Despite winning two games, Marquette fell four spots in the regional rankings. MU dropped from fifth to ninth after beating Wis.-Green Bay and 1-0. Notre Dame holds the top spot, while Kentucky, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Illinois round out the top five.
Gordon Rising in MU Career Categories
Despite being held scoreless in the first two matches of the season, junior Kate Gordon (Sioux City, Iowa) has found the scoring touch in 2001 and has risen in the record book. With a goal and an assist on the year, Gordon has 63 points and has moved into fourth all time in career points at Marquette. Jessica Peterson is in third with 65 points and Erin Morgan sits in second with 66 points. Kelly Roethe, the career leader, is at a distant 123 points.
With one goal this season, Gordon has upped her career total to 27, tying her for second. Jessica Peterson scored 27 career goals. Roethe is the career leader at 49 goals.
Detrie Makes The Most of Her Shot
Junior defender Diana Detrie (Green Bay, Wis.) had only taken three career shots and had not launched a scoring since her freshman season, but she made the most of her attempts in the match with Iowa.
Detrie took a pair of shots on Sept. 2 against Iowa and scored on one of them. Both of her efforts were right-footed blasts from well over 30 yards away. Both attempts were struck with good velocity and were accurate.
MU Finishes Second in Verizon Wireless Cup
By scoring more goals in the tournament, Marquette broke a tie with Iowa (each finished at 1-1) to place second at the Verizon Wireless Cup. Oakland won the tournament after beating Marquette and Wis.-Milwaukee.
The Marquette players were named to the all-tournament team. Stephanie Welch (Worthington, Ohio), Erin Maysent (Ames, Iowa) and Laura Culhane (Brookfield, Wis.) each were honored with their play against Oakland and Iowa. Culhane backed up her efforts with a goal against Iowa. Welch and Maysent were honored for all-around play.
Marquette Pair Named Preseason All-Conference
Receiving preseason accolades for Marquette are junior forward Kate Gordon (Sioux City, Iowa) and sophomore midfielder Kristen Jensen (Shorewood, Ill.). Both were named to the preseason All-Conference USA squad.
Gordon, a first team All-Conference and second team All-American in 2000, set a school record for points (40) and goals (17) a year ago as she earned several postseason honors. Jensen scored 12 points on three goals and six assists as she earned first team All-Conference honors in her first collegiate season.
Golden Eagles Tabbed as Preseason Favorites
Marquette has been chosen to repeat as the Conference USA regular season champion in a vote by the league's head coaches. Marquette is predicted to win its third straight C-USA crown.
Marquette ran through the C-USA schedule undefeated in 2000 going 10-0-1, finishing the year at 20-3-1. The Golden Eagles also won the C-USA Tournament for the second straight time to advance to the NCAAs.
Rounding out the top five are Saint Louis, Charlotte, Cincinnati and Houston. C-USA newcomers TCU and East Carolina are picked sixth and seventh respectively.
