Marquette University Athletics
Women's Soccer Rides Win Streak into Action
10/16/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 16, 2003
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Upcoming Matches
Oct. 17 vs. Charlotte, Valley Fields, 7 p.m.
Oct. 19 vs. East Carolina, Valley Fields, 1 p.m.
The Marquette women's soccer team jumped into the Conference USA race with a pair of victories last weekend, defeating Cincinnati and Louisville. The Golden Eagles are in a logjam in third place with a handful of teams. With four matches to go in C-USA play, the Golden Eagles have the opportunity to still make a run at the league title.
Marquette welcomes Charlotte, the preseason league favorite, to the Valley Fields on Friday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. Marquette also hosts East Carolina on Sunday, Oct. 19 at 1 p.m.
Scouting Charlotte
The offensive and defensive Conference USA Players of-the-Week meet when MU tangles with Charlotte. Katie Bissen, Marquette's goalkeeper and defensive Player-of-the-Week, will be responsible for stopping midfielder Kim Miles. She scored a goal in their 3-1 win over Conference USA leader DePaul, Friday, October 10. Then, she scored the first goal in Charlotte's 2-1 win over Saint Louis, Sunday, October 12. Also potent for Charlotte is Courtney Crandell, the league's leading scorer from a year ago. Crandell still leads the team with five goals. Charlotte has rebounded somewhat from season long struggles. The 49ers are coming off wins against league-leading DePaul and Saint Louis.
Scouting East Carolina
East Carolina is hoping to snap its two game winless streak, it's longest of the season. The Pirates (6-4-4, 2-1-3 C-USA) meet Miami (Fla.) on Friday before taking on Marquette. ECU is coming off ties to Saint Louis and DePaul last weekend. The Pirates have an offense that is ranks in the top five in five different offensive categories, including points 70 (tie-third) and assists 24 (second). Sophomore forward Meghan McCallion leads the attack with nine goals on 64 shots, second in C-USA, and freshman Anastasia Nikas has recorded seven assists to lead the Pirates and C-USA.
In The Polls
Marquette is still awaiting a return to the NSCAA regional rankings, but relieved votes in the Soccer Buzz regional rankings. Notre Dame tops the regional rankings in both polls, while North Carolina tops both polls.
Bissen Named Player-of-the-Week for Second Time
Junior goalkeeper Katie Bissen (Maple Grove, Minn.) was named Conference USA Women's Soccer Defender-of-the-Week on Oct. 13. Bissen posted consecutive shutouts to lead the Golden Eagles to road wins at Cincinnati (2-0) and Louisville (1-0) in Conference USA play. This is the second time that Bissen has won the award this season. She was named C-USA Defensive Player-of-the-Week on September 8 after blanking USC and Oakland.
Jensen Moves Up in Career Assists
With three assists on the year, senior midfielder Kristen Jensen (Shorewood, Ill.) has 18 total career assists. She started the year in seventh place with 16. She is currently tied for fourth. She needs three more to move into a tie for third place.
George Finds Scoring Touch
Freshman midfielder Ashley George (Greenfield, Wis.) got involved in the Marquette scoring attack. She scored her first career goal, the match winner, against Cincinnati and the following match, added an assist against Louisville.
McGill Gets on the Board
Freshman forward Beth McGill (Omaha, Neb.) became Marquette's go-to player in a three-match span. In four days, McGill recorded her first two collegiate goals. She scored the match-tying goal against Wis.-Milwaukee on Sept. 24 and scored the winner against Memphis on Sept. 28.
Loughrin has Big Week
Freshman forward Alison Loughrin (Appleton, Wis.) has made her mark on Marquette women's soccer. She scored two of Marquette's three goals during a two game span. She scored tying goals against Wis.-Green Bay and Tulane to mark the first strikes of her college career.
Solid on the Defense
A question mark heading into the year with so many newcomers, the Marquette defense has made its presence felt. Through four matches, Marquette allowed just one goal. This was the fewest goals allowed in program history this late in the year. Marquette allowed two goals through four matches in the 2000 season. Currently, MU is allowing 0.90 goals per match.
Klopp Strikes Again
Senior forward Carolyn Klopp (Glendale, Wis.) became MU's first multi-goal scorer of the season when she struck the first goal against Oakland. Klopp also scored against Vanderbilt and provided the match winner in both. Klopp already has tied her second best goal scoring season when she had two last year. She's on pace to set a career season best. She had four goals in the 2000 season, her freshman year.
Bissen Pitches Shutout in First Start
Senior goalkeeper Katie Bissen (Maple Grove, Minn.) made three saves and more importantly kept Vanderbilt off the scoreboard in a 1-0 win on Aug. 29, her first career start. Bissen became just the second keeper in Marquette women's soccer history to record such a feat. Ashleigh Koenig was the first player to do so, shutting out Charlotte on Oct. 1, 2000.
