Marquette University Athletics
Men's Soccer Visits Louisville
10/21/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 21, 2003
Upcoming Matches
Oct. 22 at Louisville, Louisville, Ky., 7 p.m. EDT
Oct. 25 vs. Wis.-Green Bay, Valley Fields, 7 p.m.
With three Conference USA contests still left on the ledger for Marquette, the Golden Eagles enter this week's matches with a lot at stake. Marquette faces Louisville in its first match of the week on Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. (EDT) in Louisville, Ky. Both teams share first place with Saint Louis. Five teams are within three points of the top spot.
The Golden Eagles also take on Wis.-Green Bay in action this week. The match with UWGB is the first of two with key intrastate rivals. MU takes on Wis.-Milwaukee next Wednesday.
Scouting Louisville
Louisville is riding a four match unbeaten streak and is coming off a tie of 23rd ranked UAB last week. The Cardinals are the surprise of the league sitting atop the C-USA standings with Marquette and Saint Louis.
Simon Bird will be the most targeted player on Louisville's side. He has 10 goals on the year. Ryan Pomeroy is second with three strikes. Brad Sokolowski has been solid in goal, recording six shutouts. Louisville has only allowed 13 goals all year, a 0.83 goals against average.
Scouting Wis.-Green Bay
Wis.-Green Bay has struggled this season. The Phoenix own a 2-9-1 record and have lost the last six outings. The Phoenix have only scored seven times all season and haven't posted more than one goal in a match since the season opener.
UWGB is being outscored 29-7 on the year. The team has faced 180 shots while only getting off 124 of its own. Three players have two goal totals - Kyle Sillars, Lorcan Cronin and Adam Schmitt. Lee Kuepper has the team's other goal. Pat Czuprynski has 51 saves on the year with a 2.12 goals against average.
In The Polls
UCLA holds the top spot in both in the NSCAA top 25 and the Soccer America poll. The Golden Eagles are still awaiting their first mention in any regional ranking this season.
Lee's Multiple Goal Fest
Junior midfielder Chris Lee (Lenexa, Kan.) has a toe-hold on the lead for goals for Marquette this season. Currently with 10, that total is three better than what MU's leading scorer had a year ago. He has boosted by becoming a multiple goal per match scorer. He has seven goals in his last five matches, scoring twice against Memphis and Wright State. He had a hat trick against East Carolina.
Golden Eagles Open Up Offensive Flood Gates
After struggling to find the goal in the first four matches, Marquette found its offense against DePaul. Marquette tallied four strikes, including a pair by sophomore midfielder Blair Kohlmeyer (Newburgh, Ind.). Marquette scored four twice last season, with the last being on Oct. 5 against TCU. Since opening the season with three goals in four matches, Marquette scored nine in its next five outings and has only been shutout once in the eight matches since the first four. The Golden Eagles also scored five goals against East Carolina on Oct. 25. The total marked the highest total since five goals against Wis.-Green Bay on Oct. 31, 2001.
Kohlmeyer Saves Best For Last
Sophomore midfielder Blair Kohlmeyer (Newburg, Ind.) has a penchant for scoring at the right time this season. Of Marquette's six wins, Kohlmyeyer has three of the match winners. He has six tallies on the year, the second best total on the team.
Offense Goes Through Gutierrez ... Or Does It?
While Marquette averages a respectable 1.69 goals per match, its leading scorer from 2002 is still awaiting his first strike of the year. Derek Gutierrez, a career 17-goal scorer, has never had fewer than five goals per year in his Marquette career. Gutierrez has yet to score, 13 matches into the season. He has been a contributor to the offense, however, recording a team-best seven assists.
Defense Finds its Ways As Well
Like the offense, the Marquette defense has seen a 180-degree turnaround after the season's beginning. After giving up 14 goals in a three match span, a shuffle on the back line garnered some positive results. Marquette earned a pair of shutouts, blanking DePaul, 4-0, and Evansville, 1-0. MU's last multiple shutout string came at the end of last year when it blanked East Carolina, DePaul and Wisconsin to finish the regular season. The Golden Eagles also blanked Saint Louis, then no. 7, in a 0-0 tie for the third shutout of the year.
Ubert Named Player-of-the-Week
Senior goalkeeper Adam Ubert (Heartland, Wis.) was named Conference USA Co-Defensive-Player-of-the-Week, for the week ending September 14. Ubert was crucial in Marquette's return to .500. Ubert blanked DePaul, 4-0, and Evansville, 1-0, during the week to help the Golden Eagles improve to 3-3 on the year.
Lee Back on Pace
Junior midfielder Chris Lee (Lenexa, Kan.) has become a proficient striker yet again. He has 10 goals, six higher than his total a year ago. He has surpassed his career when he scored seven his freshman year.
