Marquette University Athletics
Women's Soccer Looking to Finish on Top
10/23/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 23, 2003
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Upcoming Matches
Oct. 24 at DePaul, Chicago, Ill., 2 p.m.
Oct. 26 vs. Saint Louis, Valley Fields, 1 p.m.
The Marquette women's soccer team closes out Conference USA play this weekend with a pair of matches. MU visits DePaul on Friday, October 24 at 2 p.m. and hosts Saint Louis on Sunday, October 26 at 1 p.m. The Golden Eagles have a lot riding on these two matches. Marquette sits in a first-place tie with TCU in the league standings. The Horned Frogs have three C-USA contests remaining. Four other teams trail Marquette and TCU by a mere two points. By the end of the regular season next week, there could be a significant logjam at the top of the table. Saint Louis, UAB, DePaul and Tulane are all a win away from joining the duo at the top or passing them. USF is just a point behind the pack within striking distance.
Scouting DePaul
In a league full of surprising teams, none are more surprising than DePaul. Picked ninth in the league's preseason standings, the Blue Demons have spent the majority of the year in first place, winning their first four C-USA contests. DePaul has a lot riding on the match with Marquette, trailing the leading teams by just one point. DePaul has Saint Louis remaining on its league schedule after Marquette. The Demons have made a significant difference in scoring from previous years. They own a 10-goal scoring advantage thanks to keeper Lindsay Deason, who owns a 0.85 goals against average. Julianne Stitch has 11 goals on the season to lead the scoring attack.
Series History
Marquette leads, 7-0
MU owns a 26-0 scoring advantage in the series.
Scouting Saint Louis
One of the most even series in MU history is with Saint Louis. The series is tied at two, with three ties each. The match will have more riding on it as SLU comes in trailing Marquette and TCU by a point for the league's top spot. The Billikens play DePaul to close out their league schedule. SLU plays at Western Illinois before visiting Marquette. The Billikens are stingy in goal, having allowed just 10 all season. Amanda Martin and Lyndsay Gensler have combined for a 0.64 goals against average. SLU has a two-pronged attack up front. Christie Cigno has seven goals while Jamie Perry has six for the year.
Series History
Series tied, 2-2-3.
MU won 2-1 in the C-USA Touranment last year.
In The Polls
Marquette is still awaiting a return to the NSCAA regional rankings, but relieved votes in the Soccer Buzz regional rankings for the second straight week. Notre Dame tops the regional rankings in both polls, while North Carolina tops both polls.
Four in a Row
The Golden Eagles have posted four wins in a row, heading into the DePaul contest. The streak is the longest of the season. Marquette last won four in a row from Sept. 6-Sept. 17, 2002. MU's longest win streak is 10, which occurred in the 1997 season.
First Place on the Line
Marquette has returned to the top of the C-USA table. MU shares first place with TCU. TCU currently owns the tie breaker with Marquette, having won the head-to-head battle on September 26. Five other teams are within three points of first place.
Golden Eagles Continue Shutout Trend
Marquette blanked East Carolina for its eighth shutout of the season. That total is sixth in school history. The Golden Eagles recorded 12 shutouts during the 1996 season.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
