Marquette University Athletics
Men's Soccer Looks to Defend First-Place Standing
10/30/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 30, 2002
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Upcoming Matches
Oct. 30 at Memphis, 7 p.m.
Nov. 3 at East Carolina, noon EST
With a 2-1 overtime win over UAB, Marquette won its second match of the season against one of the two preseason favorites to win Conference USA. The win pushed MU to the top of the table and now the Golden Eagles must defend their perch. Three Conference USA matches remain and Marquette controls its own destiny to the top seed in the league.
Marquette starts defense of its top spot in the league with a pivotal match at Memphis on Wednesday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. The Tigers don't own a daunting C-USA mark, but have a solid overall record and are tough at home. The Golden Eagles then meet East Carolina on Nov. 3 in Greenville, N.C. at noon EST.
Scouting Memphis
In a league where most teams win at home, Memphis has gone away from form, going just 1-2 in C-USA games at Mike Rose Soccer Complex. The Tigers are 2-5 in league play and still face tough opponents Saint Louis and Charlotte after Marquette.
The Tigers own a solid 8-5-1 overall records. They started the year 4-0 and won four-of-five in a stretch later in the year. Part of the Memphis struggles lie in a nine-match road trip from September 11-October 13. Memphis hasn't played on the road outside of that trip.
Daniel Ronan is the team's most potent scorer with nine goals. John Reilly is dangerous with six goals. Clark Talley has made 51 saves on the year in goal.
Scouting East Carolina
East Carolina comes into the week of its contest with Marquette with a 5-9-1 overall record and a 2-5-1 Conference USA mark. The Pirates end a four-match road trip with its match against Marquette on Nov. 3.
The Pirates have struggled scoring. East Carolina has just 19 goals in its 15 matches. Brian Deutsch leads the club with five scores on the year. Nine other players have scored this season, but none have more than two goals. The defense has allowed its share of goals as well, surrendering 31. Goalkeeper R.J. Marvinney faces a lot of shots, having made 102 saves on the year, but he has a high goals against average at 2.02.
In The Polls
Marquette returns to the regional rankings for the first time since the September 9 poll. The Golden Eagles appear in the poll at 10th. They were ranked sixth in their only other regional appearance. Indiana leads the region, while St. John's is the nation's top ranked team.
Darby Named Player-of-the-Week
Junior forward Matt Darby was named C-USA Co-Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 28. Darby scored two goals in Marquette's 2-1 win over UAB. The win put Marquette at the top of the league standings. The goals were Darby's second and third on the season. This is the second straight week an MU men's soccer player was named C-USA Offensive Player-of-the-Week. The previous week, senior Eric Marshall won the award.
Marshall Named to College Soccer News Team-of-the-Week
Senior forward Eric Marshall (Brookfield, Wis.) had a two-goal, two assist week against Louisville and Charlotte. For his efforts, he was named to the College Soccer News Team-of-the-Week. Marshall was also named C-USAs Offensive Player-of-the-Week, for the week ending Oct. 20. Marshall had two assists, starting both goal scoring plays, in MU's 2-0 win over Louisville. He also scored twice in MU's 3-1 win over South Florida.
Keeping the Peace at Home
Marquette concluded its home conference schedule with a win over UAB on October 27. The Golden Eagles finished the C-USA season with a 4-1 record at home in conference play. Marquette finishes the season with three C-USA road tests before the conference tournament. In conference play this season, only seven times has the home team lost.
Gutierrez on Pace
Junior forward Derek Gutierrez (Overland Park, Kan.) scored his sixth goal of the season on a mark against Louisville. Gutierrez scored five goals a season ago. With six matches left, he is on pace to score 10 goals this year. The last time a Marquette player scored 10 or more goals was in 1999 when Marshall Morehead scored 13 goals.
Nolan Named to Soccer America Team of the Week
For his efforts in clearing a shot off the goal line against Saint Louis in a 1-0 win, senior defender Tom Nolan (Palatine, Ill.) was named to the Soccer America Team of the Week. That is his first such honor of his career.
Feast or Famine
Marquette's offense came to life against Wright State and TCU. The Golden Eagles scored four goals against both the Raiders and Horned Frogs, marking the two of the four times this year that MU has scored more than once. Last season, the Golden Eagles scored four or more on four different occasions, with the last being a 4-1 win in the C-USA semifinals against 24th ranked UAB.
Unfortunately for Marquette, it seems that goal scoring in mass amounts is akin to victory. In matches in which the Golden Eagles have scored three or more this season, they are 4-0. In matches with two goals or fewer, MU is 3-7.
Gutierrez Set for a Full Season
Junior forward Derek Gutierrez (Overland Park, Kan.) missed seven games last season down the stretch. Upon his return to the final four matches, Gutierrez was a dangerous offensive threat with two goals and two assists. Despite missing one third of the season, Gutierrez led the team in assists with six and had five goals on the year. Had he played a full season, Gutierrez averages calculate to as a 7.5 goal, 9.0 assist season. Currently, Gutierrez has a team leading five goals and 12 points.
